Beetroot Ice Cream

1. Put a pan of water on to boil. Scrub the beetroot clean, but don’t peel. When the water is boiling, add the beetroot. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 1 hr till the beetroot is tender when your pierce it with a skewer. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside till it's cool enough to handle. If you have a microwave, you can scrub the beetroot and pierce all over with a fork then place in a microwave-proof bowl. Add 4 tbsp water to the bowl, then microwave for 10 min on High. Carefully flip the beetroot over, then microwave on high for 8-10 mins again, till cooked through. Set aside to cool.

2. Peel the beetroot, roughly chop it and blitz in a food processor or blender till smooth.

3. Pour the cream and milk into a pan. Add a pinch of salt. Gently heat the cream, stirring often, for 5 mins till the mixture comes to the boil. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

4. Crack the egg yolks into a bowl (keep the whites for meringues) and whisk in the sugar. Whisk them together till the mix turns pale – this will take a few mins with an electric whisk, or around 10 mins if you're using elbow grease.

5. Slowly trickle the cream mix into the eggs and sugar, whisking as you add it. Once all the cream is added, stir in the beetroot purée.

6. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to churn. No ice cream mixer? Pour into a freezerproof tub and freeze till solid, stirring with a fork every 2 hrs to break up any ice crystals till the ice cream is smooth. Store in a freezerproof tub in the freezer for up to 3 months.

7. To serve, take the ice cream out of the freezer 5-10 mins before you want to serve it to let it soften a little. Serve in scoops topped with grated dark chocolate or warm chocolate sauce. This ice cream is also great served in cones with a chocolate flake.