The first known published recipe for baked beans appeared in 1829 in The Frugal Housewife, by Mrs S.M. Child of Boston. In 1875, a Maine company began to mass-produce them for sale in cans.

In 1890, the Van Camp Packing Co. of Indianapolis added a rich tomato sauce to the basic mix of salt pork, beans, mustard and blackstrap molasses. H.J. Heinz, the Pittsburg firm, introduced them, with a less sweet recipe, to Britain in 1901, where, as a staple constituent of the Great British Breakfast, they sell over one million cans a day.

Apparently, the Heinz recipe in the UK contains less sugar than the recipe preferred by the US palate. but the British have their own quirks. Carrot-topped British chef Anthony Worrall Thompson's recipe for the best ever baked beans involves throwing two sticks of butter into a can of beans on the stove and melting the fat into it before serving.

Try warming a can, pouring it into an ovenproof dish and covering it with grated Cheddar then browning and bubbling it under the broiler. Serve in front of the TV with a salad.

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