A sweet revival

Sweetcorn is making a comeback this year with sales of fresh sweetcorn up 30% at Waitrose, as the nation looks to lead a healthier lifestyle and brighten up its plates with more vegetables. 

The rise in demand is also reflected in searches on Waitrose.com for sweetcorn recipes which have increased by 169% this year with shoppers seeking out the versatile veg for barbecues and brunches as a healthy and meat-free option.

Lucy Broughton, Waitrose sweetcorn buyer says “ Throughout this year we’ve seen shoppers looking to increase their intake of veg and super sweetcorn has become recognised as a fantastically, versatile vegetable which can be used from breakfasts to barbecues.

She added, “With more shoppers seeking out British-grown produce and British sweetcorn currently in season, it really is having its moment in the sun.”

Along with shoppers keen to increase their veg intake, a combination of spending more time in the kitchen creating dishes, a rise in popularity of vegan and veggie diets and the favourable weather this summer has also helped demand for sweetcorn soar.

A recent report from Waitrose found that 26% of us said we’d been cooking more unusual meals and trying different cuisines or ingredients, with sweetcorn featuring prominently in recipes for elaborate Mexican-style brunches and lunches in the form of fritters, slaw and salsa.

With British veg also seeing a spike in searches, up 227%, as the nation looks to support British producers in the current climate, homegrown sweetcorn makes the ideal choice.

Although it is often thought to be grown in sunnier climes – originating from Mexico and America – Peter Barfoot discovered in the 70’s that the climate and sandy soil of the Hampshire Basin near Chichester resulted in consistently perfect sweetcorn. Barfoots still produces its corn on the cob near Chichester, on the border of West Sussex and Hampshire, for Waitrose and has supplied the supermarket for 20 years.

Since 2010, Barfoot’s has been creating energy from their green waste – and they now produce more than they can use, selling the rest to the National Grid. They farm every acre of their UK land using a minimum tillage system, which enhances the soil and helps the environment.

The sweet, yellow corn is harvested by Barfoots to go into packs of Essential Waitrose British Sweetcorn, which is in season now.

Information and prices correct at time of release. Waitrose customer enquiry number is 0800 188 884.