Light Bites Pudding

No-churn ice cream for all seasons

This no-churn vanilla base can be made in moments. The secret star of the show is the thick, sweet condensed milk. It doesn't freeze hard, which makes for easy scooping. Once you know how to make your vanilla base, the possibilities never end. Ice cream is the ultimate dessert for summer, but here we've suggested four flavour ideas – one for each season. Reach for fresh ingredients when they're at their very best, and create the ultimate frozen treat

20 minutes, plus freezing time prep,

Serves 5-6 (makes 750ml)

Ingredients

For the vanilla ice-cream base:

½ x 397g can condensed milk

600ml double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the spring version (rhubarb):

rhubarb 300g pink rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm lengths

60g golden caster sugar

For the summer version (elderflower):

3 tablespoons elderflower cordial

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the autumn version (fresh turmeric):

35g fresh turmeric, peeled and finely grated

For the winter version (blood orange):

100ml blood orange juice (you will need about 3 oranges)

Method

For the homemade ice cream base, pour the condensed milk, double cream and vanilla into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 3–4 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick and stiff.

This is the moment to stir in any additions (for the rhubarb compôte, see below).

Spoon the base into an airtight, freezerproof container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, until firm. Remove from the freezer and allow the ice cream to soften for 5–10 minutes before scooping.

For the rhubarb compôte, put the rhubarb and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat and slowly bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and cook for about 12 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and cooked. It's worth noting you can use any fruit to make a compôte, from roasted peaches to fresh strawberries.

Allow the fruit filling to cool completely then stir three-quarters into the ice cream and spoon the remaining compôte over the top of the ice cream mixture before finishing off the freezing process.

Cook's Tip: We love getting creative with flavours and textures in our no-churn homemade ice cream. How about mint chocolate chip ice cream? Or dark chocolate and maple syrup? An artisan style honey-lavender ice cream would also be utterly delicious!