© David Loftus
lolly pops
method
My lovely nan and grandad used to run a village pub called the Plough and Snail in Paglesham in Essex. When I was a kid they used to send me and my sister, Anna-Marie, a huge box of about 200 ice lollies at the start of the summer holidays every year. The ice lollies would arrive with the deliveries from the same butcher that we’ve always shared and we would keep them in the big chest freezer outside the store shed. This was great, as it meant I had a constant supply I could help myself to whenever I wanted. I was always quite popular with the local kids because of this. So much so that my supplies would dwindle very quickly. So, I started to make my own lolly pops.
The nice thing about them was that they weren’t full of a thousand E numbers because I would make them out of apple juice, orange juice, lemonade, pineapple juice – all sorts of stuff. Even cocktail combinations are good. I would also sneak into the pub for some cider shandy to make lolly pops!
All you need to do to make lolly pops is buy a couple of those really cheap ice lolly sets. You can find them in most kitchen shops. Fill them up with your chosen juice and put the stick in before freezing. It’s nice to have something cold and fruity to hand in your freezer when it’s a scorcher outside.
• from Happy Days with the Naked Chef