Makes 400ml
INGREDIENTS
2 fresh coconuts
1.1 litres/2 pints/5 cups water, off the boil

Hold the coconut over a bowl to collect he liquid. With the back of a large knife or cleaver, crack open the coconut by striking it cleanly.

Scrape out the white meat with a citrus zester or a rounded butter curler. Place the coconut meat in a food processor with half of the water.

Process for 1 minute, then pass through a food mill or mouli fitted with a fine disk, catching the milk in a bowl beneath. Alterna­tively,

squeeze the coconut meat with your hands and press through a nylon strainer. Return the coconut meat to the food processor or mill with the

remainder of the water, blend and press for a second time. Allow the milk to settle for 30 minutes (creamy solids will rise to the surface).

Sometimes the solids should be poured off and added later as a thickener.

Cook’s Tip

Coconut milk can be obtained directly from coconut flesh — this gives the creamiest milk; from a can — which may be expensive; as a

soluble powder and as creamed coconut which is sold in block form. Powder and creamed coconut make a poor milk, but are useful additions to sauces and dressings.

Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
ice
2 measures gin
1 measure cherry brandy
1 measure lemon juice
soda water, to taste
1 slice orange
1 slice lemon
1 Maraschino cherry, to garnish
1 sprig mint, to garnish

Wrap the ice in a clean cloth, and crush with a rolling pin or the underside of a saucepan. Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

Add the gin, cherry brandy and lemon juice and shake.

Strain the mixture into a goblet or i glass over ice cubes. Top up with s< water, to taste, and decorate with the slices orange and lemon, and the cherry and min

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp sugar
100ml/4fl oz/1/2 cup water
115g/4oz best-quality plain (semi-sweet) chocolate
200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup evaporated milk

Measure the sugar and water into a non-stick saucepan. Simmer to make a basic syrup.

Break the chocolate into even pieces, add to the syrup and stir until melted.

Add the evaporated milk, return to a simmer and whisk to a froth. Divide between 2 tall mugs and serve.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
175 g/6 oz plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
75 g/3 oz caster sugar
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
125 g/4 oz chilled butter, diced
1 egg yolk

Filling
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
50 g/2 oz caster sugar
4 teaspoons cornflour
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
300 m/1/2 pint milk
300 ml/1/2 pint double cream
icing sugar, to decorate

First make the pastry. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt on to a cold surface and stir in the sugar and lemon rind. Make a well in the

centre and add the butter and egg yolk. Rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gather the dough together,

then roll it out gently to a rough round on a lightly floured surface. Lift the round into a 23 cm/9 inch fluted tart tin with a removable base and

press the pastry into the corners and up the sides with your fingertips. Trim the top edge with a knife, then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Prick the bottom of the pastry case all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with baking beans. Place on a heated baking sheet in a

preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5, and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and set the pastry case aside, still on

the baking sheet. Reduce the oven heat l60°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.

To make the filling, place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and lemon rind in a bowl and whisk well to mix. Heat the milk and cream in a

heavy-based saucepan until just below boiling point, then pour into the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Return to the pan and cook over a low

heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour the custard into the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is just set.

Leave the tart in the tin until lukewarm, then place on a serving platter. Serve warm or cold, with icing sugar sifted over the top.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

500 g/1 lb strawberries
4 tablespoons orange juice
150 g/5 oz caster sugar
4 tablespoons water
mint sprigs, to decorate

Press the strawberries through a sieve, using a wooden spoon, reserving 4 whole ones for decoration. Stir in the orange juice.

Gently heat the sugar and water, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes, until syrupy. Cool, then stir into the strawberry

pulp. Pour the strawberry mixture into a shallow container and freeze for 3-4 hours, until firm. Transfer the water ice to the refrigerator 30

minutes before serving.

Slice the reserved strawberries in half lengthways. Serve the water ice in scoops decorated with the reserved strawberries and mint sprigs.

Serves 8

INGREDIENT

softened butter, for greasing
15-18 sponge fingers
about 175 ml/6 fl oz brandy
about 500 ml/17 fl oz hazelnut ice cream
about 500 ml/17 fl oz chocolate ice cream
sifted cocoa powder and icing sugar, to decorate

Grease the bottom of a 1.2 litre/2 pint pudding basin lightly with the softened butter, then place a circle of greaseproof paper or non-stick

baking parchment in the bottom.

Check that the sponge fingers are not too long to fit inside the basin and trim off the ends if necessary. Pour the brandy into a flat dish.

Place one of the sponge fingers in the brandy, turning it over several times until it is soaked. Work quickly, taking care that the biscuit does

not break up. Stand the biscuit in the basin with the sugared side facing the basin. Repeat with the remaining biscuits to make a solid lining,

working as quickly as possible. Fill in the bottom of the basin with broken pieces of biscuit, also soaked in brandy. Chill in the refrigerator for at

leats 30 minutes.

Spoon the hazelnut ice cream into the centre of the basin, then spread it up and around the side to cover the sponge fingers completely.

Freeze for about 2 hours until solid.

Beat any remaining brandy into the chocolate ice cream, then use to fill the centre of the pudding. Level the top, cover with foil and freeze

ready to serve.

Remove the foil and carefully run a palette knife between the biscuits and the basin. Invert a chilled serving plate over the pudding, then

invert them both. Carefully lift off the basin and remove the greaseproof paper circle. Decorate with cocoa powder and icing sugar and serve immediantly.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

150g (5oz) raspberries
4 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt
150ml (1/4 pint) double cream
25g (1oz) meringues
fresh raspberries and small mint leaves, to decorate
Four 150ml (1/4 pint) ramekin dishes

Put the raspberries in a bowl and mash them with a fork until they are squashed. Then, add the icing sugar to the bowl.

Stir the raspberries and icing sugar to mix them. Then, add the yogurt and stir it in until everything is mixed together.

Pour the cream into a bowl. Then, use a whisk to whisk the cream until it is thick and there are points when you lift the whisk.

Add the yogurt mixture to the cream. Then, gently turn the mixture over and over with a spoon, to mix everything together.

Carry on until the whole mixture is pink. Then, break the meringues into small pieces. Add them to the mixture and stir them in.

Spoon the mixture into the dishes. Then, put the dishes into a freezer for two hours, or until the mousses have frozen solid.

Take the frozen mousses out of the freezer. Then, decorate each mousse with a raspberry and two mint leaves.

Ingredients

Apples,
Grapes,
Cherries,
Melon,
Mango,
Pear,
Strawberries,
Kiwi

All you have to do is chop up the fruit into bite-size chunks. Scrape out seeds and cut of the hard skin from fruit like melon or mango.

Now push the chunks on to the skewers, one fruit after the other so they look colourful and pretty.

TIP:
If you’re using apple or pear, put them in a bowl and sprinkle with a little orange juice to stop them turning brown.

Ingredients

A tub of ice-cream your favourite flavour
ice-cream cones
2 packets of Smarties or M&Ms

Make these 2 at a time or the ice-cream will melt. Take a scoop of ice-cream and put it in a cup-cake case. Quickly make a face in the ice-cream by pushing the Smarties or M&Ms into the front. Push on an ice-cream cone and put them in the freezer.

Do the same with as many as you want and enjoy.

Ingredients

Juices: Orange, apple,
grape, pineapple,
cranberry or a mixture
Smoothies:
Strawberry, mango,
blueberry.
Cordial: Blackcurrant,
orange, lemon.
Fizzy drinks: Lemonade
cola, cream soda.

This is so easy you could do it with you eyes closed! All you need to do is fill up the moulds with your favourite drinks and put them in the freezer until they are completely frozen. Be careful to pour any fizzy drink slowly, as it will fizz up!