Creamy corn soup

Pick four cobs with bright green husks and golden silk that is just starting to dry. Sweet corn loses sugar within hours of picking, so the fresher the cob, the deeper the soup.

Pull off husks and silk. Stand each cob on its end in a wide bowl, run a knife straight down to remove kernels. Keep the bare cobs; they hold concentrated flavour for the broth.

Place the bare cobs in 1.2 litres of water with bay leaf and salt, simmer eighteen minutes to extract their sweet starchy goodness. Discard the cobs after.

Add kernels to the strained cob broth, simmer eight minutes uncovered until tender but not mushy. Reserve a tablespoon of whole kernels for garnish.

Blend the soup with butter and cream three minutes until perfectly smooth. Pass through a fine sieve for a silken texture; the corn skins do not blend completely and would feel grainy.

Ladle into warm bowls, drop the reserved whole kernels in the centre. A grind of black pepper. Eat at once while the natural gold colour catches the light.