When I was a small boy I asked my Dad what he do with the money if he won the football pools. Among lots of worthy stuff we eventually got to the point. “Nothing much”, he said, “But I would be able to eat ice cream every day”.

I took him at his word for a considerable chunk of my adult life with obvious consequences for my weight. Having belatedly learned my lesson and being less tolerant of dairy as I got older, ice cream is back to where it should be – a treat.

The best treat is ice cream that’s home made. The only real alternative is moving to Italy – which is expensive and inconvenient, but where the ritual of toddling off to the local ice cream parlour is an important part of life (especially in those pretty villages where there is nothing else to do). It is a sad fact that good gelato is hard to find in the UK. Most establishments claiming Italian heritage serve gelato not worthy of the name. This even extends to London – though there is a half decent place on Regent Street. 

Home made ice cream is something that many otherwise decent cooks find intimidating. Recipes can appear complex and the time and effort involved is off-putting. But a couple of years ago I stumbled on a recipe that I’ve adapted since and it is not only easy, but only takes about 15 minutes, no custard and no mess.

If you really can’t be on with making your own then buy the good stuff – because with ice cream less really is more. Eating less of it and eating it less often means there is less of you – so buy something decent that isn’t made with pig fat! 

Home Made Coffee Tortoni

There’s a myth that to make ice cream or sorbet an ice cream churning gadget is essential. It isn’t. There is also no need to take the stuff from the freezer at intervals to stir and avoid ice crystals. Not only does this recipe make all that redundant, it can also be the basis for lots of variants.  For the purists, it is really a semi-fredo rather than an ice cream, but that’s splitting hairs.

• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 30g flaked almonds
• 110g caster sugar
• White of an egg
• 250ml of double cream
• 1 teaspoon of instant coffee
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

Dissolve the coffee in one tablespoon of hot water. Toast the coconut and the almonds till golden brown then zap in a food processor for a few seconds. in a metal bowl beat the egg white to sort peaks then add half the sugar gradually and continue to beat  to stiff peaks. In another metal bowl whip the cream then combine with the remaining sugar. Using a metal spoon fold the egg white mixture into the cream followed by the nut mixture and the coffee flavourings. Put the mixture into a one litre container or individual moulds, depending on the presentation that’s intended ,and freeze (allow 8 hours or overnight).

Booja-Booja Range

(5.99, 500ml)

Organic, diary-free, gluten-free, no refined sugar and apparently suitable for vegans. If all that doesn’t put you off entirely, it’s well worth a try if, like me, you struggle with diary but still crave an ice cream fix. Available locally from Garlands in Pangbourne.

Waitrose Seriously Creamy Range – Stem Ginger

(£3.49, 500ml)

If you really can’t make it yourself then this is a good alternative. Reassuringly brick like if left in the freezer for any time, it’s best eaten quickly.

Haagen-Daz – Pralines and Cream (£3.99, 500ml)

I don’t care if it is all banding and image, some things can’t be faked and while some of the range doesn’t work, pralines and cream always hit’s the spot.

Enhanced Vanilla

Not so much of a recipe as a serving suggestion adapted from a Jamie Oliver idea. You need: 

• Decent vanilla ice cream (Green & Blacks, Loseley, Carte D’Or or even Booja-Booja is you are particularly guilty)
• Maltesers
• Maple syrup

Smash up the maltesers and use as a topping for the ice cream, dribble over maple syrup and eat. Best late at night after a visit to the pub. Seriously bad for you, don’t say you weren’t warned.