Fresh from the garden to the kitchen

It is said the lemon thyme is splendid in creamy desserts. You can try it with bananas, mangoes or strawberries: slice the fruit thinly, steep in some liqueur or orange juice and a little sugar, then top with a scattering of lemon thyme leaves just before serving.

150 ml milk

300 ml double cream

15 g lemon thyme

125 h caster sugar

4 large egg yolks

Place the milk and cream in a saucepan with the lemon thyme. Bring slowly to the boil and  then remove from the heat. Cover and allow to stand for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl over hot water until they are pale and thick. Remove from the heat.

Strain the milk mixture into the egg mixture, beat well and tip into a heavy saucepan.

Cook the custard slowly, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

Pour into a bowl and cover tightly with clingfilm so that no skin can form. Allow to cool, then churn in an ice-cream maker, or place in a shallow freezer container in the freezer, removing to whisk every couple of hours until frozen.

This recipe is from Sue Lawrence’s book “Feasting on Herbs”