Best in season: Sweetcorn
With its crisp, sweet kernels as golden as the midday sun, British sweetcorn is pure summer on a plate. Whether you like it roasted on the barbecue or whizzed into a chowder, make the most of it with our tasty ideas
Bathed in summer sunshine for long daylight hours, Barfoots’ Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Sussex farms enjoy a unique micro climate that helps our corn grown sweet and strong.
"We grow our UK corn here because it only takes 110 days from sowing the seeds in the soil, which is especially nutrient-dense in these areas, to harvesting," explains Barfoots commercial manager Rebecca Charnley. "Brand-new for this year is our bi-coloured corn, which we’re growing exclusively for M&S. Its delicate nature means it has to be hand harvested.’"
Known in the US as butter and sugar corn, each cob is a random mix of white and yellow kernels, with the whites smaller and sweeter in flavour than the yellow. Find our corn on the cob in store now.
Once ripe, Barfoots’ ears of corn are brought in from the field wrapped in husks with threads of corn silk. To cook, snap larger raw cobs in half with your hands, remove any excess silky strands and plunge into boiling water until just tender. Try shaving off the kernels and drop them into salads, stir-fries, chutneys or fritters.
We’ve created a picnic-ready tart to serve as a centrepiece for lunch and a Latin American-style salad that's ideal to add to your barbecue.
Recipe: Smoky Sweetcorn, chilli and cheese quiche
Ingredients
Serves 6
For the pastry:
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
20g Parmesan, finely grated
125g cold butter
2 tbsp sweet paprika
Pinch of salt
For the filling:
2 corn on the cob
1 tbsp olive oil
6 eggs
200ml milk
75g Cheddar cheese, grated
75g Hickory Red cheese, grated
1 jalapeño, deseeded and diced
1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
Method
- In a food processor, pulse all the pastry ingredients until they have the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add 5 tbsp cold water and pulse until the pastry comes together (add a splash more water if necessary). Roll into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 24cm tart case. Trim it about 1cm higher than the tin, to allow for shrinkage. Prick the bottom with a fork, and chill for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
- Line the pastry case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Carefully remove the paper and beans. Bake for 10 minutes more, or until the pastry is cooked through. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
- Meanwhile, slice the kernels from the corn cobs and gently fry in the oil over a medium-high heat for two minutes, until starting to colour and caramelise. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until light and bubbly. Fold in the corn, cheese, jalapeño, parsley and salt to taste. Pour into the pastry case and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the filling is just set and golden.
- Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then remove to cool completely. Trim the pastry with a knife, if necessary. Serve at room temperature.
Take a dip
Pick up our new to store three salsa selection and pair it with these perfectly matched chips for a tasty snack at home or on the go Left-right
Charred corn: This mildly spiced, chunky dip mixes sweetcorn with tomato and red pepper, plus a hit of lime. Scoop it up with Monterey Jack refried bean corn chips.
Roast pepper: Smoked paprika and roasted red peppers give a smoky sweetness to this salsa. Try it with rustic Creole spiced bean and rice corn chips.
Tomato>: Vine-ripened tomatoes infuse this fresh, clean salsa with their sweet flavour. Spice it up with manchego and jalapeño hand-cooked crisps.
Recipe: Peruvian-style sweetcorn salad
Ready in 25 minutes, plus marinating and cooling
Ingredients
Serves 6
200g feta
4corn on the cob
1½ tbsp olive oil
200g radishes, trimmed and sliced
400g baby vine or cherry tomatoes, halved
½red onion, finely sliced
50g pitted black olives, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
For the dressing:
1 lime, juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
1½ tbsp chopped parsley leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Soak the feta in cold water for one hour, then remove and drain (this will make the feta creamier, so it resembles queso fresco South American cheese). Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to slice the kernels from the corn cobs. Heat the grill to high. Put the corn kernels on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and a pinch of salt, and mix to coat evenly. Grill for three-five minutes, or until the corn is starting to char and colour, but retains some bite. Set aside to cool.
- Crumble the feta into a large bowl, add the corn, radishes, tomatoes, red onion, olives and chilli, and mix well.
- To make the dressing, mix 1½ tbsp of lime juice with the other ingredients. Add salt, pepper and extra lime juice to taste. Toss half the dressing with the salad and transfer to a serving dish. Serve with lime wedges and the remaining dressing on the side.
FOOD INSPIRATION
Smoky coconut barbecued corn
Discover more ways to cook our best in season vegetable with summery recipes on the Cook with M&S app
Party-ready plates
You made your salsa, now serve it up in style with our range of high-qulaity cook and serveware
