Nothing is more delicious than fresh corn, steamed and served with butter and a little salt to taste if required. In fact, the fresher the corn, the sweeter it is. That is because the sugar in corn converts to starch on ageing. To use fresh corn in recipes, remove corn from cob with a sharp knife, cutting the kernels as close as possible to the cob.

There's no waste with baby corn. It can be eaten whole and is perfect lightly steamed or in stir-fries. The husk of sweet corn makes a natural cooking vessel. First peel back the husk and remove the silky threads. Then replace and tie the husks loosely with string to hold in place over the cob.