Young birds are the best for roasting to ensure tender meat which is dark and very rich and gamey. Older birds get tougher with age and are best braised slowly with vegetables or used for stock for soups and sauces. The richness of pigeon is complemented by other strong flavours like gin, brandy, port and dried fruit like prunes and it is good served with braised red cabbage, lentils or cabbage and bacon. Brown trout can be hard to source as it is farmed on a very small scale but it is worth the trouble. Its fine flavour is quite delicious, some argue far superior to that of rainbow trout.
Late summer sees the appearance of tender, young sweetcorn in the shops and markets.
At its best, the husks should be green and fresh and the tassel at the end should be fine and silky to indicate that the corn has not long been picked. If eaten as soon as possible, you will enjoy the sweetness of the kernels which should be plump and juicy and full of flavour. Cook sweetcorn in boiling water with a little sugar but not salt as this could make the kernels tough. After cooking, season the cobs with salt and pepper and serve with lots of melted butter. For more seasonal recipes using partridge , pigeon , trout or sweetcorn , try our recipe finder.