White Bean and Herb Rillettes

Drain the soaked beans and rinse under cold running water. Finely mince the 2 garlic cloves and set aside separately. Pick and chop all the herbs. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze the juice, keeping them separate.

Place the drained beans in a large saucepan with the 1.2 litres cold water, halved onion, halved garlic head, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim any foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 60–75 minutes until the beans are completely tender and beginning to collapse — they should crush effortlessly between two fingers.

Reserve 150ml of the bean cooking liquid, then drain the beans and discard the onion, halved garlic head, thyme and bay leaves. Allow the beans to steam-dry in the colander for 5 minutes.

Transfer the warm beans to a large bowl. Using a fork and a flexible spatula, roughly crush them — work in stages, pressing and folding rather than mashing uniformly, until you have a coarse, shaggy texture with visible chunks remaining. Do not use a food processor; the uneven texture is what distinguishes rillettes from hummus.

Drizzle in the 100ml olive oil in a slow, steady stream while continuously folding with the spatula, as though emulsifying a vinaigrette into the warm beans. Add splashes of the reserved cooking liquid as needed to loosen to a spreadable but not wet consistency.

Fold in the minced raw garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ground coriander, white pepper and 1.5 tsp flaky salt. Taste and adjust seasoning — the mixture should be assertively seasoned, as chilling will mute the flavours.

Fold in the parsley, tarragon and chives, reserving a pinch of each for garnish.

Pack the rillettes tightly into a terrine dish, ramekins, or a wide jar, pressing out any air pockets with the back of a spoon. Smooth the surface flat.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days to allow the flavours to meld and the texture to firm.

Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving. Finish with a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil over the surface, a scatter of the reserved fresh herbs, a pinch of flaky salt, and a few turns of white pepper. Serve with toasted sourdough or baguette.