Green, black, big or small, every olive will bring its own unique flavour to a dish. Here are just a few of the ways Letitia uses them in her cooking

Olive oil ice cream with Seville orange zest

PHOTOGRAPHY © MATT RUSSELL

My love of olive oil knows no bounds, it’s true, but this is utter genius. The oil lends a rounded lusciousness to the ice cream and, as olive oil goes well with chocolate, nuts and fruit, this goes beautifully with puddings based around any of these. Here, I’ve paired it with the aromatic zest of Seville oranges. If you can’t get hold of any (they’re in season in January, but freeze well) use a mandarin.

SERVES 6

• 4 egg yolks

• 200g caster sugar

• 500ml double cream

• 250ml full-fat milk

• Pinch sea salt

• 60ml best quality, fruity olive oil, plus extra to serve

• Zest of 1 Seville orange

1. Using an electric whisk, mix the egg yolks with the sugar, until pale and mousse-like.

2. In a saucepan, over a medium heat, warm the cream and milk until they just come to a simmer, then pour over the yolks in a steady stream, whisking all the time.

3. Return the mixture to a clean pan and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, until the custard begins to thicken, enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If you like, you can use a thermometer to check this. It should read around 72C/162F