Serves 4

Making your own sherbet is super-easy, but you will need to visit a chemist or a pharmacist to buy some powdered citric acid which is sold in small quantities and quite inexpensive. We usually make a big batch at the restaurants for our desserts. If you do double the recipe, store any remainder in an airtight container to make sure it keeps. Alternatively, buy a Sherbet Fountain, eat the liquorice stick and use the sherbet for the recipe.

For the lemon jelly
150g granulated sugar
40ml water
Finely pared zest of 1 lemon
150ml fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
3 long sheets of leaf gelatine (or 3 tsp powdered gelatine)

For the ice-cream
250ml whole milk
250ml double cream
85g caster sugar
6 large free-range egg yolks
Juice of 2 lemons, strained of pips

For the sherbet
25g icing sugar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp powdered citric acid

1 Start with the lemon jelly. Place the sugar, water and lemon peel into a pan over a low heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a slow simmer for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave the zest to infuse in the syrup as it cools slightly.
2 Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water. Remove and discard the lemon zest from the sugar syrup. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine and add to the warm sugar syrup. Stir gently to dissolve, then mix in the lemon juice. Pour the mixture to half-fill the bottoms of four serving glasses, skimming off any bubbles or froth on the surface. Allow to cool completely, then chill in the fridge for 6 hours, or overnight, until set.
3 For the ice-cream, put the milk and cream into a heavy-based saucepan with a tablespoon of sugar. Bring to the boil. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar and egg yolks. As soon as the cream and milk begin to bubble up the sides of the pan, remove from the heat and gradually trickle the hot liquid over the sugary yolks, beating continuously. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve back into the pan and stir over a low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to a light custard which thinly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
4 Remove the pan from the heat and strain the custard again through a fine sieve. Leave to cool completely, stirring every once in a while to prevent a skin from forming. Once cooled, transfer to an ice-cream machine and churn until firm. Scrape the ice-cream into a sealable container and freeze for a few hours or overnight.
5 To make your own sherbet, combine the icing sugar, bicarbonate of soda and citric acid, then keep in an airtight container until ready to use.
6 To serve, sprinkle a thin layer of sherbet over the set jellies, then top with a scoop of lemon ice-cream. Serve immediately.

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