How to make your own ice cream

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream month? 

Let’s celebrate all that is wonderful and delicious with this great British tradition with a couple of super easy homemade ice cream recipes. 

Here in the UK, the average Brit eats around 9 litres of ice cream every year - we do love our ice cream! 

Whether you’re a traditional vanilla fan, prefer a generous portion of double chocolate brownie with extra chocolate sauce or a more of an old school rum n’raisin kind of person we’re certainly not spoiled for choice when it comes to flavours. 

Ice cream has been around in the UK since the 18th century, but its origins go much further back than that.  

Some sources say that an ice cream like dessert was known of in the early to middle Bronze Age in China, and that Marco Polo brought back the idea to Italy after travelling to China. From then, its popularity spread worldwide. 

Easy Condensed Milk Ice Cream Recipe

It’s really easy to make your own ice cream at home too, and no ice cream machine is needed. In one bowl, whisk together a tin of sweetened condensed milk with a teaspoonful of vanilla and in a second bowl, beat 600 ml of double cream until it forms soft peaks. 

Then, mix the contents of the two bowls together, beating until well combined. Spoon the contents into a freezer proof container or even a loaf tin, cover and freeze for 6-8 hours. 

To jazz up this recipe, you could add other ingredients – how about mashed banana, chocolate chips and walnut pieces or replace the vanilla with peppermint extract, a little green food colouring and add some mini dark chocolate chips? Cocoa powder or melted, cooled chocolate will make a gorgeously rich chocolate ice cream. 

Alternatively, you could make your favourite fruit puree, add a tablespoonful of vodka or gin to it and swirl it through the unfrozen ice cream to make a fruit ripple ice cream.

The alcohol lowers the freezing point of the fruit puree, helping prevent the formation of large ice crystals so you’ll get that lovely scoopable texture. 

Simple Egg & Cream Ice Cream 

For a basic sweet cream ice cream base whisk together 2 large eggs in a bowl until they are light and fluffy.

Add in 150 grams of caster sugar to the eggs, a little at a time, until the sugar is completely incorporated.

Then add 500 ml of double cream and 250 ml full fat milk and whisk until combined.  

Leave this cream base in your fridge to chill for two hours before churning in an ice cream maker. Add whatever flavourings you would like as the ice cream churns – chopped fruit, nuts, candy, etc.  

Alternatively, you can place the mixture in a freezer-proof container and stir it every few hours as it freezes 

Basic Custard-Based Ice Cream Recipe

For some, the idea of eating raw eggs in an ice cream recipe does not appeal, so here’s a basic custard recipe you can tailor to your liking. 

Whisk four egg yolks and 100 grams of caster sugar together in a bowl until they are light and creamy.

Heat 300 ml full fat milk in a saucepan until it reaches 61 C, just before boiling point.

Remove the milk from the heat and pour over the egg mixture.

Return the mixture to the pan over a medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and forms a film over the back of a wooden spoon.

When you can draw your finger along the back of the spoon and it leaves a clear trail the custard is ready. Do not boil, or the eggs will separate.

Remove the mixture from the heat and leave to cool. When cooled completely, add 300 ml double cream and one teaspoonful of vanilla.

Leave to chill completely for several hours in the fridge before churning in an ice cream machine.  

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