WATERMELON & MINT ICE LOLLIES

use up a whole watermelon, rinds and all.’ The flesh has been blended, mixed with mint infused sugar syrup and lime, then frozen into ice lollies. The rinds were pickled, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for years. I had some at a mate’s BBQ at the weekend and decided enough was enough, I could no longer live without them. They’re special. I’ve used the recipe from the Pitt Cue Co. cookery book if you want to have a bash yourself. The very top layer of skin is removed when making the pickles, so that went into the
wormery to compost, and – ta da! – the whole fruit has been accounted for (except seeds) and I revel in the feeling of satisfaction that comes from being really thrifty. These lollies are most excellent,and yes, I know what you’re thinking, a boozy tequila version would be really nice. I’ll try it soon. See also: kaffir lime. These are just lovely, though, so refreshing and perfect for this weather when it’s preferable to have something icy in hand at all times. If you want to mix things up a bit, then they’re interesting when dipped or sprinkled with salt (I used black lava salt…yes I know), perhaps spiked with chilli, or extra mint. Watermelon and Mint Ice Lollies (makes about 10-12 lollies, depending on the size of your moulds) 125g caster sugar
1 pint watermelon juice (I used one of those small, paler skinned watermelons and it yielded 2 pints of juice, instructions for juicing below)
125ml BRITA filtered water
Small handful of mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes In a small pan, combine the sugar, water and mint. Over a medium heat, cook until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then strain through a sieve, discard the mint, and chill in the fridge if you have time. To juice the watermelon, cut it open and remove the seeds, remove the flesh, cube and process in a blender. Strain through a sieve, pushing through as much as possible. Combine the syrup with the watermelon juice, and mix well. Pour the mixture into ice lolly moulds, and freeze.

    Recipe adapted from: helengraves