It’s heart warming to see vibrant green husks of fresh corn in fields

It’s heart warming to see vibrant green husks of English that belie golden, sweet corn.

You can just throw these straight onto the barbecue – they steam in their protective blanket then brush with oil and finish off over hot coals.

Nothing else required except for maybe a slick of butter and some ground black pepper.

For me chicken and corn go beautifully together. The first recipe is for brined and fried chicken with grilled and creamed corn.Brining chicken seasons it and adds moisture. It’s then dipped in buttermilk, then seasoned flour and fried. The accompaniment is corn blended with sour cream and then topped with the kernels of grilled corn for a smoky contrast to the sweet, silky creamed corn. This works perfectly well on it’s own but you could add some corn buns to the mix to have on the side. The corn in this recipe is corn meal or polenta. We have a tradition of using corn meal in this country that originates from the famine, when it was sent over here from America. It’s still known as Indian meal and you’ll find Indian sodas or Indian bread occasionally in traditional bakeries. The buns use cornmeal and strong flour and are yeast based – there’s a bit of work but serving them fresh from the oven with the chicken and corn would be a real treat.

Corn fritters are a staple corn recipe but one that should be celebrated. My version also uses grated courgettes – it was developed because I had a rather large one in the fridge that needed use. Necessity really is the mother of invention. They’re good with a blob of sour cream as a snack or have them with bacon and eggs for a brunch.

Fresh corn from these islands isn’t around for long, so make the most of it while it’s here.