How to make Pimms sorbet

Summer and Pimms is like Romeo and Juliet, you can't have one without the other. That first glass of Pimms each year marks the start of the summer season, long hot days and cool hazy nights, parties, holidays and picnics (of course the weather will have something to say about that).

Whilst not ruling out the classic Pimms and lemonade, why not try it with a twist this year by making this simple Pimms Sorbet?

Ingredients

200g Caster sugar

300ml Water

200ml Pimms No.1

150ml Orange juice

Cucumber- to taste, roughly chopped

Strawberries - to taste, roughly chopped

A couple of sprigs of mint

Makes enough for a small party

Method

* Place the sugar and water in a pan and heat, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved and has formed a syrup.

* Place the cucumber, strawberries and mint in the syrup and allow to cool. The amount of cucumber, strawberries and mint you use is dependent on how strong you wish their flavours to be.

* Leave until completely cool, it is often better to leave it a while to give the ingredients a chance to infuse the syrup.

* Once cool, sieve out the syrup into a separate bowl and mix in the orange juice and Pimms.

* Churn in an ice cream maker according to instructions, then place in a container and freeze. If you do not have an ice cream maker allow the mixture to freeze in a sealed container for about an hour and then churn by hand before returning to the freezer. Repeat this process until it is smooth, then freeze once more until firm.

* Serve with a garnish of mint and chopped strawberries.

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* Image courtesy of www.humblecrumble.com