There is something lovely though about eating ice-cream on a hot day

The IDFA is an American based company which would explain why there’s a limit of a month to celebrate this much loved treat. As a resident of Portstewart I have witnessed, and admired, people struggling in the biting wind to hold a scoop of ice-cream in its cone. Nothing will stop us from enjoying our love of ice-cream. When I go to Italy the gelato shops there think it’s hilarious that we embrace this frozen delight all the year round. I’m as delighted with a scoop of ice-cream on some local strawberries in summer as I would be with some atop a hot, bubbling fruity crumble.

There is something lovely though about eating ice-cream on a hot day. We are spoiled in Northern Ireland with superb local ice-cream shops dotted across the province. Everyone says theirs is the best but I think nostalgia plays a big part in that. For me Ussher’s ice-cream shop in Garvagh was our family’s choice. The ice-cream recipe is a closely guarded secret. It’s not as creamy as regular ice-cream and the nearest I’ve had to it in taste was a milk ice-cream in a very fancy London restaurant. I remember going into the shop when I was young and watching it being made – hand churned in a tub that was surrounded by salt and ice. It was scooped into a cone, some red sauce added and flake inserted. The American actor Heywood Broun sums up that first taste of ice-cream – “I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul stirring surprise than the first adventure in ice-cream”.

A Knickerbocker Glory is a classic ice-cream sundae. It’s usually made with layers of strawberries, some sort of red fruity sauce, jelly and ice-cream. The recipe here takes a bit of work but it is a celebration of local summer fruit and fabulous ice-cream. Strawberries are whizzed into a sauce and then some of the confection set with gelatine to make a proper jelly. Local blackcurrants are in season now for a limited time and really worth cherishing while they’re here. They take the form of a sorbet in the sundae. Fresh strawberries, sauce and jelly are layered up with the sorbet and your favourite vanilla ice-cream – hopefully from your local ice-cream parlour. Summer in a glass.

Blackcurrants also play a part in the other icy concoction – a coconut and lime sorbet topped with rum flamed blackcurrants. Blackcurrants and coconut go beautifully together. The sorbet has a tin of coconut milk as its base and is easily made – just keep giving it a wee fluff up with a fork as it freezes. Cook the blackcurrants in a caramel syrup and flame with rum at the end. It has a bit of a tropical vibe so feel free to add a cocktail umbrella and cherry on top. And remember an ice-cream isn’t just for summer but the weather does help…..