There’s something incredibly comforting about a bowl of warm, slow-cooked Boston Baked Beans. The rich sweetness of molasses ...

Most British recipes for Boston baked beans just use a piece of pork belly, but we think it needs some salted or smoked meat to counteract the sweetness, so we include bacon or pancetta.

Beans: I usually use dried navy beans, but if you’re in a bind and don’t have any dried beans, you can use canned. Onion: A white onion gives mild onion flavor.

Wash and soak the beans overnight. Drain and discard the soaking water, place in a saucepan or pressure cooker with fresh water, add the garlic and olive oil. Cook until almost tender, 10-15 minutes.

Pour over 500ml/18fl oz cold water, place the lid on the slow-cooker, then cook on a high heat for 7-8 hours, or until the beans have absorbed the liquid and plumped up and the sauce has darkened ...