Ice-cream can be made with cream, custard, or a mixture of the two, and recipes with a large amount of butterfat produce the best results when made by hand. Most fruit ice-creams are made with a cream rather than a custard base as cream allows more of the fruit flavor to come through. However, a custard base produces smaller ice crystals and will result in a smoother ice cream. If using strawberries, their flavor may be diminished slightly, but can be intensified by adding some strawberry jam.

Soft fruits such as raspberries, strawberries or blackberries need no cooking before being incorporated into ice-cream, but you could also use fruit that needs cooking first, such as apples, apricots, pears, plums or rhubarb. Simmer them in a little water, with sugar to taste, until they are just tender, or longer for a puree (depending on how smooth you want your ice-cream to be), then continue with the recipe.

The short answer is no, although machines do make the job considerably easier, as it is essential to beat air into the mixture while it is freezing to break up the ice crystals and create a rich, smooth texture.

To make ice-cream by hand, pour the mixture into a metal or plastic container and put it into the freezer for about 1.5 hours. When it has started to freeze around the edges, you can either whizz it in a food processor for 20 seconds, or tip it into a bowl and beat vigorously by hand or with an electric whisk.

Return the slushy ice-cream to the container and pop it back into the freezer, and repeat the process another two or three times until you achieve the right consistency.