It’s the time of year when we normally perk up, enjoying the prospect of post-work beers in the sun and lazy weekends with the barbecue. But we have had a depressing start to the summer, what with the country acrimoniously split down the middle and the near-collapse of both our major parties. The weather in Manchester seems symbolic of our national mood, switching between “It’ll all be fine” bouts of sunshine one minute to biblical downpours the next. The only certainty is pleasure in food – we’ll have to eat our way to happiness.

The inspiration for these recipes came from a trip to my local market: an eclectic mix of stalls, where you can buy anything from luminous pink eyelashes to fresh pak choi. I’ve come to pick up some squid from the fishmonger. It has a great selection but I’m slightly apprehensive, as this is the place where I got shouted at a few weeks ago for inquiring about the freshness of the razor clams. I’m fairly sure that quizzing fishmongers about their wares is pretty standard practice; I spent a good deal of my childhood in north London shops watching Asian mums interrogating tired-looking men on the state of their mackerel. This guy was probably having a bad day, though. Clearly a remain voter.

Neat little rings of calamari have become so ubiquitous on restaurant menus that it’s easy to forget what strange animals squid really are. They aren’t the prettiest of creatures – slimy, flaccid and with a mass of tentacles – and preparing one from scratch can feel more like performing an alien autopsy than kitchen prep. The curious schoolboy part of me can’t help but feel fascinated, but if you’re squeamish, then bags of frozen, prepared rings are readily available in supermarkets. Where’s the fun in that, though?

The fishmonger’s isn’t a great place to find pudding, unless you count fruits de mer. Lucky, then, that gooseberries are just coming into season. It’s a shame these handsome green berries have fallen from favour – probably because they require a little preparation to be their best. Being a fan of all things sour, I’ll happily eat them straight from the plants in my dad’s fruit patch. For most people, though, they need a bit of sweetening. My favourite way is to turn them into a jam using a few of the heads of elderflower still around and a little ginger. This jam is incredible with scones, but I’m going to use it in a victoria sponge.

Amritsari calamari

Amritsari fish is a popular dish from the north-west of India. Quick and easy to make, the combination of sourness from the amchoor (mango powder) and the savoury crunch of the fried chickpea flour is addictive. I have used it as the inspiration for this calamari recipe, a variation of the popular salt-and-pepper squid.

(Serves 2)
2 medium squid
For the marinade
2 limes
3 garlic cloves
For the coating
75g gram (chickpea) flour
3 tsp amchoor
3 tsp kashmiri chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
200ml vegetable oil
For the dip
5 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 tsp wholegrain mustard

Prepare the squid by first gripping at the end of the mantle – the main body of the squid, which you will cut into the classic rings – with one hand, while the other holds it over the eyes. Pull to remove the insides. Cut between the eyes and the tentacles and discard the innards. Feel in the middle of the tentacles for the beak and discard. Keep the tentacles.

Remove the hard backbone quill by feeling around inside and pulling it out. Use your fingers or a spoon to dislodge anything left inside and rinse out under cold water (the membranous skin of the mantle is edible, but can be removed by peeling if you wish).

With a sharp knife, slice off the two lower fins. Slice the remaining tube into rings about 1.5cm thick.

Crush or finely chop the garlic and add to a bowl with the juice of the limes and the squid. Marinade for 30 minutes. Mix together all the ingredients for the flour mix. Remove the squid from the marinade and shake off any excess juices.

Mix together the flour, spices, seasoning and baking powder. Coat the squid with this mixture. Get the oil hot in a frying pan. The moisture from the squid will soak through the flour quickly and allow you to dip it back in the flour mixture to coat it again. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, fry the squid in batches until it is toasted brown. Each batch will take about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how hot your oil is.

Stir together the ingredients for the dip and enjoy.

Gooseberry, elderflower and ginger sandwich cake

For the cake
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
4 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
For the jam
400g gooseberries
2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger
250g sugar
1.5 tbsp elderflower cordial
60g icing sugar
300ml double cream
First make the sponges: cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Stir in the eggs, then the flour, and ginger.

Divide the mixture between two 8-inch sandwich tins lined with greaseproof paper. Bake at 180C fan (200C/gas mark 6) for 18 minutes and then set aside to cool.

While the cakes are baking, start making the jam. Remove the tops and tails of the gooseberries and add to a thick-bottomed pan with the ginger, sugar and elderflower cordial.

Cook on a medium/high heat, stirring occasionally to stop it catching on the bottom. The jam is set once it reaches 104C (219F) on a sugar thermometer. Alternatively, place a spoonful on a plate that has been in the freezer. If it wrinkles when poked, it is ready. Remove the pieces of ginger.

Add the sugar to the cream and whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

Assemble the cake by first spooning over the jam and then the cream, before topping with the remaining sponge. Dust the top with icing sugar.