Where to find cornflour for cornbread?

Hi all,

Does anyone know where I can find cornflour for making cornbread? Would Waitrose carry it? Thanks.

I assume you mean cornmeal; cornflour is a fine powder used for thickening sauces. Cornmeal is called polenta here, it may be a bit coarser than you're used to, but it works for cornbread. Waitrose definitely has it, most of the supermarkets should.

I assume you mean cornmeal; cornflour is a fine powder used for thickening sauces. Cornmeal is called polenta here, it may be a bit coarser than you're used to, but it works for cornbread. Waitrose definitely has it, most of the supermarkets should.

I searched for ages and ages looking for cornstarch, explaining to person after person at shop after shop, before finding out it is cornflour. 

Polenta is about as close as you can get, but I find the consistency is not quite the same as cornmeal.

Yeah, cornmeal is what I meant.

If you find the fine ground polenta its similar. You won't find better than that.

You'll find polenta/cornmeal in most supermarkets, but it won't necessarily be in the regular baking aisle.  Try looking in the International section, if they have one, or even by the rice/pasta.

It comes in fine, medium and coarse texture, and it's a bit of a Goldilocks situation, except none of them are just right.  But each might work for particular situations.

The fine polenta (which is a bit harder to find) works alright for cornbread, muffins, etc., but you have to adjust the liquids in the recipe, or stuff can end up too dry/crumbly.  You might also try mixing in a little of the medium with the fine, for texture.  Medium itself works pretty well for coating, i.e. dredging fish for pan frying (as long as you add a bit of plain flour, too), or for lining bread/pizza pans.

If you want to get it 'just right', and you've got a food processor/grinder, you could try buying the coarse polenta, and just blitzing a few times to get it somewhere between fine/medium.  But, to be honest, it's probably easier to just order American cornmeal online, which you should be able to do from Amazon/eBay, or from specialty food shops.  And if you're in a big city, and there are any Caribbean or Latin American specialty shops, you could check there, too.

Dadu's Cash and Carry (90-198 Upper Tooting Road, London, London, SW17 7EW) is the place you want. They sell every kind of flour and Big bags of corn meal in Coarse, Medium and fine  grinds. I went there for exactly the same thing. I needed to make cornbread.
 FYI they sell Crystal Sauce and Corn nuts and Pillsbury  frozen Parathas(with the Doughboy on the Package) and especially every spice and flour known to man.

As a Texas girl, I buy on Amazon and keep on hand when I get the urge to make some. Also, I have found it in Sainsbury's where the Indian spices are.

Found it and had delicious cornbread (non sugar) for Thanksgiving!

Also, for people maybe not so inclined to bake, Amazon sells Jiffy corn muffin mix.  I buy that, and Victoria sponge mix, and combine them to make 'Marie Callender'-style sweet cornbread. 

Asda and Tesco carry corn meal.  I am a Texan and Black lol so I make cornbread with almost every meal.  I have learned that you need to combine the UK corn meal it is sold in a 1kg bag in the Asian Polish section of most Asda's tesco in a red green kind of bag.  I am not currently home to get the brands but I will update this when I can. (The bag is Usually only sold super fine) Combine that cornmeal with the white and red/green bag of Maiz meal so that it gets the coarse consistency of OUR USA cornmeal.  As some have stated polenta here is too fine for cornbread that is the consistency of that in the USA.  Also Tesco carries buttermilk which is perfect for making cornbread.  The buttermilk here is a bit thicker than that generally available in the USA so it makes for a better cornbread to me.

Asda and Tesco carry corn meal.  I am a Texan and Black lol so I make cornbread with almost every meal.  I have learned that you need to combine the UK corn meal it is sold in a 1kg bag in the Asian Polish section of most Asda's tesco in a red green kind of bag.  I am not currently home to get the brands but I will update this when I can. (The bag is Usually only sold super fine) Combine that cornmeal with the white and red/green bag of Maiz meal so that it gets the coarse consistency of OUR USA cornmeal.  As some have stated polenta here is too fine for cornbread that is the consistency of that in the USA.  Also Tesco carries buttermilk which is perfect for making cornbread.  The buttermilk here is a bit thicker than that generally available in the USA so it makes for a better cornbread to me.

Any hints for grits?

Grits are easy, Tesco sells instant grits in the American section.  At least they do in my local in Twickenham.  They'll even deliver them. 

I'm always terrified that Tesco will stop selling them so I buy way more than we need. 

If you want non-instant or some fancy brand, there's always Amazon but it's not cheap.


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I'm always terrified that Tesco will stop selling them so I buy way more than we need. 

I like this.

I see you checking the cupboard..."Uh oh, grits is getting low...."

I will check with Tesco....and lay in a stock!