SIPSMITH X JUDE'S = G&T ICE CREAM

With this glorious start to "official summer" (which is now hopefully here to stay....!) I wanted to let you know about a partnership between 2 of my favourite brands who've teamed up to create some of the yummiest ice cream I've tasted. Sipsmith, London dry gin producers based very near where I live in West London, and Jude's, family run ice cream makers based in Hampshire, have got together, putting their two amazing products together to make a Sipsmith gin and tonic Jude's ice cream. And wow, is it good! Creamy, smooth ice cream that's not too sweet thanks to the addition of the gin and tonic flavours, this really is an amazing summer treat. I spent a wonderful sunny evening on the roof terrace of Le Meridien in Piccadilly sampling both the gin and tonic ice cream and some delicious Sipsmith cocktails.

We started our evening off with a Sipsmith and Jude's gin float, using the G&T ice cream - heaven in a glass! And a very grown up version of a childhood favourite. Made by pouring 20ml of Sipsmith gin over a scoop of G&T ice cream and topping up with good quality, chilled tonic water, this is the perfect BBQ accompaniment for when the sun does finally come out.

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GODIVA ICE CREAM

There's nothing like a sunny day in London to make me want ice cream. Unfortunately it's not that sunny today, but at least we've been blessed with sunshine between the showers in the last few weeks. It was on one of these less sunny days that I popped into Central London to visit the Godiva chocolate shop on Regent St and try out their new soft ice cream parlour.

Godiva have always been a favourite chocolatier of mine - I adore their boxes of chocolates and they're the perfect treat for a special occasion. I was really excited to try their ice cream as I'm not normally a fan of chocolate ice cream - I like each of them separately but find the pairing together too sweet - however, this all changed when I tried the Godiva chocolate ice cream. It is rich and decadent but it tastes of real chocolate, not saccharine sickly sweetness.

The Godiva ice cream parlour allows you to add your own toppings to your ice cream of choice - dark chocolate or vanilla (we tried both, both were delicious). Toppings include milk, white or dark crispy pearls (like mini malteasers), chocolate syrup, chocolate flakes or bresilienne (a caramelised hazelnut crumb). You can choose between a cone or a cup (I always go for the cup - cones are too messy) and prices start at £4.50.

 

 

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CRUNCHY AUTUMN APPLE CRUMBLE

I don't think there's anything that sums up British Autumn more than an apple crumble. British apples in these months taste just like apples should - sweet, ripe and juicy. And having grown up in Kent and then Somerset, I've always been surrounded by orchards full of apple trees, dropping their apples around now. Unfortunately I don't know where in the UK the apples I used for this crumble came from, but I do know they were fresh and British. I like a golden, crunchy crumble topping and if you follow this recipe you should end up with one too.

The crumble needs to be made in 2 parts, as you need to allow the apples to cool before adding the crumble and cooking in the oven.

Serves 6 using an 8" cake tin.

For the filling:

8 medium British apples (I used a mixture of Discovery and Braeburn)

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

1 tbsp caster sugar

Water

Knob of butter

For the crumble:

3 tbsp porridge oats

3 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp salted butter

2 tbsp caster sugar

(Sorry for the lack of weights - I don't have my scales in the house we're staying at! Use heaped tablespoons for all measurements)

Cut your apples in half, and then each half into thirds. Remove the cores. I don't like peeling apples as most of their goodness is found in and just under the skin, but feel free to peel yours if you want.

Put the apple slices in a saucepan, with the vanilla seeds, 1 tbsp caster sugar, a splash of water (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and a knob of butter. Cover, and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can speed up this process by pouring the apples into the dish you'll make your crumble in, as this will be cooler than the saucepan you've just cooked them in!

Meanwhile make your crumble topping. Mix the oats and plain flour in a large bowl. Add the butter and using your fingers, incorporate the butter into the oat and flour mix until your left with breadcrumb like crumbles. Tip the sugar in and mix with the crumble.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).

When the apples have cooled pour your crumble mix over the top. Tap the dish so it settles evenly, but don't press it down too hard.

Cook, uncovered, in the oven for 25-35 minutes, or until it looks golden like this:

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TRESCO FOOD

One of my favorite things about Tresco and the Isles of Scilly is the food! There is such a diverse range of locally sourced, homegrown produce, the majority of which you can see growing and developing around you as you explore the islands.

On Tresco there are 2 shops. One is the main and official shop where you can buy toiletries, drinks, Cornish cheeses, cereals and all the normal things you'd find in a food shop, but you can also buy Tresco beef, that comes from the very free range cows on the island, and Troy Town Farm ice cream that's made on St Agnes, another of the islands. On the other side of Tresco, up a track is the other 'shop'. It's not your normal shop though, this is the Tresco Farm shop - an open shack stocking whatever has been pulled fresh from the ground that morning - there's new potatoes, fresh garlic, green beans, salads, strawberries, courgettes, homemade jam and lots more - and an honesty box where you leave your money.

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MANGO FOOL & CRUNCHY ALMOND MOONS

I cooked a thai feast on Saturday evening for some friends, recipes for the main course to follow, but the dessert was so easy to make and went down a storm. It was a nice palette cleanser too.

FOR THE FOOL:
2 mangoes
500ml greek yoghurt
2 tbsp coconut milk or cream
Lime zest
1 tbsp icing sugar

FOR THE ALMOND MOONS:
150g ground almonds
150g plain flour
150g unsalted butter
60g soft light brown sugar
Vanilla essence

Mix equal quantities of mango flesh and greek yoghurt. Add a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk, a grating of lime zest and a spoon of sifted icing sugar. Put in individual glasses and into the fridge for a few hours. Don't remove from the fridge until it's time to eat them!

If you like you can freeze the fool, making sure to give it a stir every hour. It tastes just as good frozen. If you do freeze it though, don't serve it in glasses - freeze it in a tupperware container and then serve as ice cream.

I served my mango fool with crunchy almond biscuits, which add a lovely texture to the smooth fool: mix the ground almonds, flour, butter, sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence. Once doughy, form a ball, wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for an hour. Roll into little moon shapes and bake on a greased baking tray for about 15 minutes at 180C, or until lightly golden brown. Wait til cool to remove from the tray otherwise they'll turn into crumbs (which are actually quite nice sprinkled on the fool anyway!)

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