Make | Grown-up ice lollies

Give the classic lemonade lolly a refreshing twist, and add a cheeky shot of gin if you like, too

Make your own sophisticated lollies and you’ll never again need to wait for the cacophanous tinkle of the ice-cream van, and be disappointed by its saccharine-sweet, slightly melty offerings. Fill your freezer instead with raspberry, bee pollen and honey yoghurt or mango, ginger and lime lollies, chunky orange dark chocolate ice cream or spiced berries sorbet. All the recipes, by Cathy Pyle, are in our July issue, which is on sale now. And because we can’t bear to see any grown-up without a lolly, here’s a recipe from the feature to whet your appetite:

Cucumber, mint and lemonade lollies

Makes 6

350ml traditional lemonade (use a brand that contains real lemons if possible)
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
25g fresh mint leaves

1 Pour the lemonade into the moulds until they are half full.
2 Drop in 3-4 cucumber slices per lolly and some torn mint leaves.
3 Top up the moulds with lemonade and freeze overnight.

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More from our July issue…

More summer recipes…

Recipe | Watermelon lollies

A simple idea for a pretty and cooling treat

Serves 6

½ small watermelon

6 wooden lolly sticks (recycled from ice lollies)

1 Cut the watermelon in half and cut into slices. Cut out 6 triangle shapes with the watermelon skin at the bottom.

2 Make a small inch-long incision into the middle of the skin and insert the wooden lolly stick.

3 Lay the lollies on a pretty plate and put in the fridge to keep cool. Serve as a refreshing bite any time of day or as a casual palate cleanser between a main course and dessert for a supper in the garden.

This idea is just one of the recipes in our July issue for a celebratory gathering for a special day. The menu includes chilled cucumber soup in tea cups, beetroot and horseradish bites, spanakopita, a delicious fig salad and a showstopper of a sponge cake decorated with berries and edible flowers. It’s a lovely menu for a birthday party, get-together of old friends or simply to celebrate summer having properly arrived this weekend. You can find all the recipes starting on p30 and you’ll find the July issue in any shop worth its salt now or online (see links below).

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More from our July issue…

More ice lollies to make…

Recipe | Tropical lime granita

The sharpness of the lime granita is a treat when balanced with lovely sweet fruit. Tastes of tropical beaches

Makes 700ml (6–8 servings)

180ml caster sugar
A pinch of coarse sea salt
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn to release their flavour
1 stick of lemongrass, bruised
150ml soda water
350ml lime juice (1 lime usually yields 20–25ml)
1⁄2 small pineapple (about 150g), peeled and roughly diced*
100ml coconut cream, to serve

1 In a large saucepan, heat 180ml water, the caster sugar, a pinch of salt, the lime leaves and lemongrass until the sugar has dissolved and the flavours have fused together; this should take 8–10 mins on a medium heat. Discard the lime leaves and lemongrass.

2 Add the soda water and lime juice to the pan and stir gently (try not to stir all the bubbles out of the soda water). Pour into a freezer-proof container with a lid and freeze. Take out every hour and, using a fork, scrape the granita so that you end up with fluffy ice, rather than one big block. It should take about four hours to freeze.

3 To serve, put a generous portion of pineapple in a bowl, top with a scoop of granita and pour over a little coconut cream. Sprinkle with a small pinch of sea salt.

* This works well with any fresh fruit but if you find yourself near an Asian supermarket, stock up on rambutan, lychee or mangoes.

Recipe from Cook Thai by Sebby Holmes (Kyle Books). 

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Recipe | Campari orange poptails

There’s something a little mischievous about turning a childhood treat into something strictly for grown-ups. Poptails – or alcoholic lollies – are summer cocktails, only cooler; delicious, playful and quirky. 

Makes 8–10
60ml water
110g granulated sugar
600ml freshly squeezed orange juice (from 6 or 7 oranges)
80ml freshly squeezed lime juice (from 3 or 4 limes)
90ml (6 tbsp) Campari
Sliver of orange, to garnish (optional)

1 Heat water and sugar in a pan until sugar has dissolved. Mix with the orange and lime juice and Campari. 
2 Fill the moulds, leaving a little space at the top. If you like, put a sliver of orange into the top of each. 
3 Freeze until slushy (60–90 mins), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, at least five hours.

Note: the alcohol content makes poptails more fragile than their booze-free cousins. For best results:
* Leave a 5mm gap at the top of the mould for expansion.
* Poptails take longer to freeze because of their alcohol content – about 5–8 hours or overnight.
* Metal or rubbery silicone moulds work best. Leave sitting at room temperature for a while before unmoulding (unless using silicone when you can just push them out) and take care – they’re more delicate than lollies.
* Serve as soon as possible after unmoulding, but if you need to store them, wrap in cling film and store in the freezer in an airtight bag. Best eaten within a week of making.
* Make bite-sized poptails in silicone ice cube trays, skewered with cocktail sticks.

Recipe from Ice Kitchen: Poptails by Cesar and Nadia Roden (Quadrille).

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Recipe: Raspberry, apricot and orange ice lollies

Soaked cashews are the secret to lovely, creamy dairy-free lollies. Start the night before to allow time for the cashews to soak

Makes 8
6 large apricots (approx 500g), sliced
juice of an orange
125g fresh or frozen locally grown raspberries*
4–5 tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey)
60g raw cashews, soaked overnight in cold water, drained and rinsed
1 tsp finely grated orange zest small pinch of fine sea salt
* If using frozen berries, allow them to defrost a little before using in this recipe

1 Place apricots and orange juice in a medium saucepan, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 mins. Remove lid and cook for a further 8–10 mins, stirring often to prevent the bottom from catching, until thick and pulpy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2 Combine raspberries and 1–2 tbsp of the maple syrup in a small bowl and lightly crush with a fork to form a rough paste. Divide evenly between 8 lolly moulds and set aside.

3 Transfer cooled apricots to a blender, along with soaked cashews, 3 tbsp maple syrup, orange zest and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into moulds (it’s a thick mixture, so you may need a spoon to help), then using a knife, marble the raspberries through the apricot mixture slightly. Insert wooden sticks and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

4 Run moulds under warm water to help release the popsicles.

Recipe taken from A Year In My Real Food Kitchen by Emma Galloway (Harper Collins) 

More from the August issue:

More summer recipes:

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Recipe: Blackcurrant leaf ice lollies

"While the blackcurrant blossom is just considering its change into berries, I’m eagerly picking the leaves. It can be hard to tell the black from the red from the white currants by sight, but if you rub them, blackcurrant leaves are thick, full and sweet in fragrance, and make my favourite sorbet, which can easily be twisted into lollipops, as my daughter insists I do." 

Try these unusual ice lollies from our green-fingered foodie, Mark Diacono. Pinch a couple of handfuls of early leaves from across the whole bush, so as not to deplete any part of the plant. The summer and early autumn leaves are still good, but the May leaves are best. This also works well with elderflower and midsummer scented geranium leaves. This makes a fine sorbet, too – just pour the liquid into a plastic tub, freeze for a few hours, then whisk an egg white into the slush and freeze.

Blackcurrant leaf ice lollies

2 large handfuls of young blackcurrant leaves/a 500ml jugful, fairly tightly packed
270g sugar
700ml cold water 
Juice of 3 lemons

1 Crush the blackcurrant leaves to help release the aroma and flavour by either squeezing them tightly in your hand or gently pounding with the end of a rolling pin.

2 Put them in a stainless steel saucepan with the water and sugar. Bring slowly just to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and simmer for 3 mins only.

3 Allow to completely cool.

4 Add the lemon juice, then strain. 5 Pour the juice into lollipop moulds and freeze. 

Recipe from May's The Simple Things. Buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipe: Berry coconut ice lollies

Berry coconut ice lollies are perfect for hot days. The good news? You’re only two steps away from this wholesome treat on a stick...

Berry coconut ice lollies

Makes 6

300g fresh blueberries 400ml coconut milk 150g live probiotic yoghurt 1 tbsp runny honey Juice of 1/4 lime

You will need:

Ice lolly moulds Ice lolly sticks

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz to a smooth purée. 2. Pour into ice lolly moulds, add the lolly sticks and freeze overnight.

Recipe featured in August's The Simple Things. Buy or download your copy now.

(Recipe from The Medicinal Chef: Healthy Every Day by Dale Pinnock, Quadrille, £18.99)

Roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies

Wow. When we found this recipe for roasted strawberry and coconut milk lollies we were instantly smitten.

A little while ago, Sprouted Kitchen taught us how to make roasted strawberry ice cream. Kimberley from The Year in Food has gone one better and come up with a lolly version (or popsicle, if you'd rather), which eliminates the washing up and means we can eat these pretty much anywhere. Which is what we're planning on doing.

Whichever version we choose, we predict this recipe will be featuring heavily in our freezers this summer.