You’ll get mackerel from good fish mongers or some of our local harbours

Serve on buttered wheaten bread with squeeze of lemon for a simple but stunning treat. All the TV cameras at last week’s British Open Golf must have scared the dolphins away and that means the mackerel population will be up. Every time I see dolphins in the sea I imagine them hoovering up all the lovely mackerel underneath.

You’ll get mackerel from good fish mongers or if you can casually hang out at harbours in the hope that some of the visitors fishing don’t want their catch. I fish on a boat out of Portrush called the Causeway Lass who do regular fishing trips. It always amazes me that people will stand and fish for three hours and then don’t bring the fish home. Another food that’s in abundance at the moment is summer rhubarb. While it’s fantastic for crumbles, fools and sponge cakes its also good for chutneys or in the recipe here, ketchup. Fry off onion and garlic, add some aromats, tomato puree, rhubarb, vinegar and sugar and simmer. Blend to a smooth puree and pass through a sieve. This is delicious on a bacon sandwich, with roast pork or in the case here, with grilled mackerel. I’ve also added a salad with pickled red onions and watercress to accompany the grilled mackerel. Some crusty bread added and a glass of something white and chilled would make for perfect summer lunch.

Strawberries and raspberries are in full season now and it’s worth trying to suss out some local ones. A sponge roulade is the perfect vehicle to show off these lush berries. The sponge is an egg one that you bake on a Swiss roll tin, roll while warm in parchment paper and when cool fill with fruity cream. The raspberries are cooked here with some sugar and when cooled are folded into whipped cream with chopped strawberries. Roll up in the sponge, pipe some cream on top, dot over sliced strawberries and some raspberries. Soft sponge, zingy sweet berries and a billow of cream – what could be better?