British Cherry Season - Bakewell inspired Cherry and Almond Ice Lollies Recipe

For me, nothing screams 'British Summer' more than a bowl of plump, ripe, juicy red cherries.  Move over strawberries, step aside watermelon, for me Summer is all about the cherries.

Carefree summer drives around the Kent countryside, stopping at roadside stalls to load up on paper bags bursting with magenta red deliciousness. Gleefully shooting the stones from my mouth through the open car window into the verges - now, I don't approve of spitting per se, but legend has it that the origin of most of our wild cherry trees in Britain is from Romans doing this exact same thing from their chariots or marches along the country roads, so I see it as doing my bit to preserve this heritage.

Whether you pick yours up in the local supermarket in a huge crate, or a paper bag from the farmers market, you can be sure with all the different varieties of fresh cherries available you'll be able to find enough to see you through right from June to September. 

What better way to enjoy fresh cherries, and cool off in this exceptional summer heat than making these cherry and almond ice lollies.  Inspired by one of my favourite desserts - Bakewell Tart (which is sadly a very rare treat for me to find since becoming gluten-free), it is the perfect pairing of almond and cherries.

It's gluten free, and can easily be made vegan / dairy-free too.  Have a stash of these in the freezer ready to cool off the kids over the holidays. Made with only a tiny amount of sugar, they are a much healthier alternative than the lollies you buy in the shops.  Did you know that cherries are packed with vitamin C and are a rich source of antioxidants and melatonin which helps healthy sleep patterns?


Ingredients to make approx 6 lollies:

200g ripe cherries (de-stoned)
300 ml almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter (optional, but it does enhance the nutty flavour)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water

To decorate:

100g white chocolate or dairy-free / vegan alternative
100g chopped toasted almonds

Method:

Pop the cherries, sugar and water into a saucepan and heat on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the cherries soften and the juices are released.  Set aside to cool.

Toast your almonds lightly in the oven on 180 degrees for approx 10 mins, keeping a careful eye on them so as not to burn.  Blitz in a blender to chop.

Once cool, whizz up the cherry mix with the almond milk (and almond butter if using) in a blender until smooth.

Pour into lolly moulds and freeze.

Once fully frozen, melt the white chocolate and leave to cool for a while.  Remove lollies from moulds, dip into the melted chocolate and then quickly into the chopped nuts.

Lay on greaseproof paper and freeze again for at least 10 minutes before serving.

The crunchy bite of the frozen chocolate and nuts is a delight against the fruity flavour of the ice lolly, just perfect for cooling down after a hot afternoon in the garden!

This post is an entry for the BritMums #lovefreshcherries Challenge, sponsored by Love Fresh Cherries (Instagram: @LoveFreshCherries)

David Attenborough Officially Opens the ABA Rare Book Fair, Battersea, London

Now, clearly I'm not a serious collector - I don't have the cash to pursue rare book collecting, but I will openly admit that I have a passion for books.  I was blessed that I grew up in a house with  shelves groaning under the weight of books stacked three deep, and we've always tried to ensure that there are plenty around for Ruby to pick up whenever the mood takes.  It seems to have worked as she has a constant and ever-growing pile on her bedside table.

I'll happily lose hours on end in second-hand bookshops, soaking up the aroma that you only get from  musty old dust jackets, so when I got an invite the the ABA Rare Book Fair today I was intrigued. But when I heard who would be opening the fair, well I couldn't turn down the opportunity to be in the presence of the great man.

We've all heard Sir David Attenborough's voice on the TV, veering from soothing tones to passionate animation and hearing him speak live was a real honour.

Not surprisingly, the first book he ever remembers purchasing was a copy of Darwin's classic The Origin of the Species. He recalls buying it in a shop in Leicester at the age of 15 for one shilling. This wasn't a First Edition, but the 13th edition, notable as this edition was first time in any of his books he used the word 'evolution', and with a run of only 1,250 copies it is now considered quite rare.

Aptly, this ABA Rare Book Fair, now in it's 61st year, is held in Battersea's Evolution in the heart of Battersea Park and just a hop across the bridge from Chelsea if you happen to be visiting the Flower Show this weekend.

If you're thinking that maybe this isn't for you, please don't be put off attending a fair like this thinking it will be full of earnest and stuffy bibliophiles. People were more than happy to chat to a mere amateur like me and where better to start than attending one of their 'visiting your first book fair' talks.  In fact there is a wide range of talks and workshops sure to interest everyone, from the BBC's Antiques Roadshow book expert Matthew Haley guiding you on a search of the 'pleasingly affordable and collectible' delights on offer (10:30 Saturday), to the hand-press printing stand situated near the entrance with the St Bride Foundation - find out more about the original Fleet Street printers and their fascinating history.  I can recommend spending some time in the very good company of Mark Cockram  who knows all there is to know about book-binding.  In his intimate workshops he'll guide you through the principles of making a pamphlet book, and in a short 25 minutes you'll have made your very own creation to take home.

Wondering around the stalls is a feast for the eyes with ancient manuscripts and maps on display, exquisite coloured plates, all manner of ephemera, beautiful book-binding patterned and marbled papers and ornate calligraphy.

If huge leather-bound gilded tomes are not your thing, then you can marvel at the modern classics like a set of first edition Fleming Bonds or Terry Pratchett works.  For those of us more financially endowed, perhaps peruse the First Edition JRR Tolkien's Hobbit, one of only two copies produced so that the nervous new author could show it to his local publisher.  This particular one was then bound and bejewelled and is now for sale for a cool £100,000.

The fair is totally free to enter, the workshops are free too, and families attending on Saturday can go along to the children's tour at 3pm.  Go to the website to sign up for free tickets to enter. The fair is only on until Saturday 26th May so do try to make it. Open from 10am-7pm on Friday 25th and 10am-5pm on Saturday 26th.  Combine it with an afternoon in the park, a visit to the boating lake cafe, or a wonder around Chelsea and Sloane Square soaking up the Chelsea Flower Show excitement and the spectacular floral arrangements on show at numerous Chelsea shops this week.

Thank you to the ABA for inviting me along.