As someone who has a passion for good food from around the world, there are few places I enjoy visiting more than Spain. The famous Spanish love for their food and drink is incredibly infectious, and I very much share and admire their passion for their homemade produce. 

There are not many better places to visit than the vast, bustling food markets in Madrid, home to such an outstanding variety of Spanish cuisine that I decided to visit the San Miguel food market, an indoor oasis of fine foods where I spent some enjoyable time drinking in the atmosphere and inspecting the vendor’s latest stock. 

Always on the lookout for the quirkiest and most intriguing local snacks I can find, my attention was drawn to a small stall selling fried crunchy corn kernels, locally grown and produced. I had never tried any this good, and after trying some I found myself wondering, why not? They are a delightfully light snack! Perfectly salted, not too overpowering, with a crunchy texture that adds some bite but refrains from being too tough, they are a tremendously tasty treat, with huge amounts of potential for flavour exploration. I was instantly captivated! 

Whilst sampling these delicious delicacies and chatting to Andres, the stall owner, my thoughts began to turn towards what type of Filbert’s flavours could I partner with this salted corn. Of course, I would keep the natural salted corn, they are a delicious enough on their own, especially with a cold beer! But how to give them a Filbert’s twist? Pausing with this thought in mind, another scent suddenly filled my nostrils from a vendor grilling BBQ skewers of fresh meats and vegetables for lunch. The slight saltiness combined with the sweet and savoury smell of the barbecue was all the inspiration I needed. 

Taking out my little notebook, I made a note of this newest special addition to the Filbert’s repertoire: ‘Mr Filbert’s Spicy Barbecue Crunchy Corn’.