According to a report in yesterday's Times food manufacturer Branston is introducing a baked beans loan scheme. Students will receive free cans and pay for them once they start work.

Cases of 24 tins will be delivered by Branston - a relatively new entrant to the bean market - to participating students, every term for the next three years. They will defer the interest-free payment of ££105.84, at today’s prices, until the students start work.

Apparently sales of baked beans in student households are down 20% in the last five years with students developing more sophisticated tastes - such as the Thai Green Curry posted today. That's also roughly the period this site has been in existence so who knows, maybe we started the trend!

As I've always said there's nothing wrong with baked beans - they're a perfectly good cheap, nutritious food, especially in combination with wholewheat toast but you can't live on beans alone (or Pot Noodles for that matter)

Anyway if you want to take advantage of the offer - and why not - you should email branstonbeanloans@premierfoods.co.uk.@premierfoods.co. uk. Apparently you have to settle the loan by the end of your first year of paid employment though whether Branston is going to employ a vast staff of debt collectors to enforce that seems highly unlikely.

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