This is a tasty and sophisticated way to use up a glut of sweetcorn, making a beautifully light soup with a set of accompaniments that work incredibly well. The corn cobs need to be still in their husks, as you ‘steam’ the corn within their husks, which brings out the flavour and preserves the kernel’s moisture. We usually make a vast pot of this and then freeze some. We’ve become big fans of dashi, the Japanese stock made with seaweed and bonito flakes. It adds a light smokiness to the soup, but it does mean that the soup isn’t vegetarian; you could use all veggie stock if you prefer.

The soup:-

5 sweetcorn cobs, husks still on

2 tbspns olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

6 celery sticks, finely chopped

500g potatoes, peeled and finely chopped

3 small bay leaves

½ tspn chilli flakes or equivalent of dried whole chilli, deseeded and chopped

600mls milk

800mls Vegetable Nage (or 600mls nage + 200mls Dashi if preferred)

60mls white wine

For the topping:-

2 Romano peppers

For the chilli tortilla crisps:-

2 corn tortillas per person, cut in quarters

sprinkling of cayenne pepper

small amount of groundnut oil

To serve:-

a dollop of buttermilk/ vegan creme fraiche

8 limes wedges (optional)

• Heat a frying pan and without removing the husks, dry fry the sweetcorn cobs for 10 minutes, turning regularly so that all sides start to char. You may need to trim them to fit in the pan, and will need to do them in batches. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the husks and silk strands. Cut the kernels from the cobs, and set them, and the cobs, aside

• Whilst the cobs are frying, grill the peppers until blistered on all sides, then transfer to a small bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to cool, then remove the skins and seeds, and chop the flesh finely. Put in a bowl and set aside

• Heat the olive oil in a wok or large pan, add the onions and the celery and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the potato and bay leaves, stir well and cook for 3 minutes

• Add the chilli flakes and season, along with the milk and stock(s), the corn kernels and the empty cobs. Return to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes

• Remove the corn cobs and bay leaves, and add the wine to the soup. Blend until very smooth, check seasoning and balance (you may need more wine or some lime juice to balance the sweetness) and keep warm

• Finally, heat a tiny splash of groundnut oil in a frying pan and get heating. Sprinkle the tortillas with the cayenne, and fry at a medium heat for 2-3 minutes so they begin to colour but don’t burn

• Divide the soup between eight soup plates, placing a blob of the chopper pepper in each. Dribble with a little buttermilk, and serve with the tortillas and lime wedges on the side