Sweet Corn Chowder

Soups are generally thought of as a winter dish, but this chowder tastes best when the corn is freshest late Summer.

Ingredients

8 to 10 ears of fresh Isle of Wight Sweet Corn
1 large onion
a knob of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
500 ml of chicken stock
6 potatoes, cut into small cubes
500 ml of milk
1 teaspoon of finely cut thyme leaves
250 ml of creme fraiche
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the kernels of half the corn. Grate the kernels off the other half to give a fine pulp.

Melt the butter and oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and then fry the onion which has been finely chopped until translucent. Add the chicken stock and the potatoes cubes. Bring this to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the milk, grated corn pulp and thyme. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

Finally add the remaining whole kernels that you removed from the corn cobs and the creme fraiche. Simmer for a further 5 or 6 minutes until the corn kernels are cooked.

Season with salt and pepper and serve to hungry sailors.