Fab fruity ice creams.....

As the weather is gorgeous what better way to enjoy part of your five a day. If you aren't a big fruit fan an find it a chore to eat it why not try it in a delicious ice cream or sorbet. Following are a few of my favourite recipes. They are all really easy to make and taste delicious.

Strawberry sorbet
This is a really easy and delicious sorbet to make. A great way to use up very ripe strawberries too.

Makes 1 pint
500g strawberries
300ml water
100g caster sugar
juice 1 lemon

Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar had dissolved.
Le the syrup cool down. Pour it into a liquidiser along with the
strawberries and blend. Add the lemon juice and chill. Churn in an ice cream maker. Freeze.

Lemon ice cream
This is a very delicate ice cream and has a very creamy light taste. A great way to end a meal. Even if you don’t have room for dessert, you’ll find it for this.

Makes 500ml
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
175g caster sugar
300ml double cream

Put the lemon zest, juice, sugar and 150ml water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove to a container and leave to cool. Once cooled pour in the cream. Churn in an ice cream machine.

Mandarin ice cream
Mandarins, clementines, satsumas, tangerines, all work great in ice cream, producing a beautifully citrusy fresh and light flavour. Deliciously creamy and great as an accompaniment to stodgy puddings, especially of the chocolate variety. Add a dash of orange liqueur for a bit of adult indulgence.

Makes 500ml
300ml double cream
juice and zest of 4
mandarins
125g caster sugar

Zest the mandarins and squeeze the juice out. Heat the cream and sugar in a saucepan gently to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved remove to a container and chill. Once chilled add the zest and juice of the
mandarins, place in an ice cream maker and churn.

Strawberry ice cream
Everyone loves strawberries and they taste delicious in an ice cream. No bright red artificial stuff here. You will end up with a rosy, flecked mass of moreish delight.

Makes 500ml
300ml double cream
175g caster sugar
200g ripe strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
Hull the strawberries and place in a blender. Whiz them along with the lemon juice, cream and sugar. Chill the mix and then churn in an ice cream maker.

Peach ice cream
Peaches make a great refreshing ice cream. This one is made with only milk, sugar, cream and peaches. If you like yours with a bit of texture you can leave in the bits of peach, if not strain well. You can add more or less sugar depending on how ripe the peaches, how much natural sugar they have and how sweet your tooth is!

Makes approx 500ml
5 ripe peaches peeled
50g caster sugar
125ml milk
284ml double cream

Heat the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan on a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Once warmed pour in a liquidiser and add the peaches. Whiz for a minute or so, until the peaches are well mashed. Sieve the mix (if you want a smooth ice cream )and chill. Churn in an ice cream maker then remove to a container and freeze. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.