The new big money crop is... lentils

Lentils, once associated with sandals, beards and hippies, could be the saviour of British agriculture.

New research at the University of Sunderland has revealed that Britain has the ideal weather for growing lentils, even better than the traditional sources of the crop in the Far East.

So good are the conditions here that a crop of lentils could be up to eight times as profitable for farmers as peas or beans.

Lentils, which are high in protein, carbohydrates and vitamins, as well as being low in salt and fat, are a staple diet in many regions of the world and consumption in the UK, especially among vegetarians, has been growing since the sixties. But despite the increasing market, lentils are not grown commercially in the UK.

The researchers grew lentils in Durham and eight other UK sites, reported the Journal of Applied Biology,

"What we found was that in the south of England the yield was exceptional and close to world records,'' said Dr Mitchell Andrews, who led the study. "From these results there is no reason at all why lentils cannot be grown commercially here.''

The only downside for farmers is that while peas and beans and other crops attract subsidies, or area payments as they are known, lentils do not ... at least not yet.