keep your cool.

Ice cream is all well and good, but when the weather’s really hot, you need something even more refreshing. Head of food Tom Shingler’s sorbets and granitas are how we’re keeping cool – and you don’t even need an ice cream machine

RECIPES TOM SHINGLER

PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW HAYES-WATKINS

FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND AND EMILY GUSSIN

Lemon meringue pie sorbet

Coconut and blueberry granita

“ This is a cool way (literally!) to serve granita. The deep, almost wine-like flavour of blueberry contrasts with the refreshing coconut water-based slushy to create something balanced. I like to keep the crystals quite big in the blueberry granita to create a crunchier finish ”

Xocolatl sorbet

Ilove everything about the summer months apart from one thing – the heat. As someone with an ‘English rose’ complexion (a nice way of saying ghostly pale), I just don’t get on with harsh sun and any temperature over 20°C. Thankfully, the modern wonders of refrigeration mean I can cool off with iced drinks and frozen treats whenever I like.

I’ve been making homemade ice creams for years now, and while I still love them, I can’t quite match the fluffy texture of proper gelato. Sorbets and granitas, however, are easy to master at home. Since they’re water-based rather than dairy-based, you don’t need to churn them quite as intensely as milk or cream. With granita especially, crunchy bits of ice are actively encouraged, and you can get great results with both, even without an ice cream machine.