My family has been celebrating recently and the best received lunch I served was a scratch lunch put together with store cupboard items and a trip to the seafood market. Here's the recipe.

Celebration chowder serves 6-8

3 rashers bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
3 or 4 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 a wine glass of dry sherry (white wine would do)
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
4 ears corn, kernels stripped from the cobs
1 bottle clam juice
1 quart whole milk
50 clams
freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley

Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat and toss in the bacon. Let the bacon cook for a few minutes to render the fat then add the onion and celery. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes to soften the onion but not brown it.
Throw in the sherry or wine then add the potatoes and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the clam juice and the milk to the pot and cook on a low heat for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender.
Add the whole clams and the corn and cook over a high heat until the clams open, 5 - 10 minutes.
Season with freshly ground black pepperand a scattering of chopped parsley, no need for salt with all the bacon and clams. You could add cream for a more indulgent chowder, I didn't think that it needed any. The grown ups did accompany this with a glass of white wine though.