Makes about 1 litre

Ice-cream makes a great picnic food. Simply pack it in a wide-necked Thermos flask or in the frozen bowl of your ice-cream maker, and take the whole thing with you. If you pack it into the bottom of the cooler, it will keep everything else cold, too.

250ml milk
250ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split
Olive oil, for greasing
75g brown breadcrumbs
75g dark brown sugar
6 free-range egg yolks
50g caster sugar

1 Place the milk, cream and vanilla in a medium-sized pan and bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 1 hour.

2 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

3 Grease a baking tray with a little olive oil using a pastry brush. Spread out the breadcrumbs, sprinkle over the brown sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sugar caramelises. Allow to cool completely. Break up with the back of a knife or rolling pin.

4 Remove the vanilla from the milk and cream mixture. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a bowl and whisk in the milk mixture. Transfer to a thick-based pan and cook gently over a low heat until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Pass through a sieve.

5 Pour into the ice-cream churn and, just as it starts to set, add the breadcrumbs. Leave to freeze completely.

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