Festive Ice Cream Recipes by The Meringue Girls!

Let's not lie, there is always an ice cream tub lurking in the freezer, even on the coldest of days. So this winter, why not try these festive ice cream recipes created by The Meringue Girls for Green & Black's Organic...

• 500ml tub Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Orange ice cream

• 120ml Bourbon Whiskey

• 1 pint of milk

• A few splashes of Angostura Bitters (optional)

• Whipped cream

• 4 long strips of orange peel, twisted

• 4 maraschino cherries

• Half a bar of Green & Black's Organic Orange Chocolate, grated

• 4 jars to serve

1.  Scoop the Green and Black's Chocolate Orange ice cream into a blender. Add the bourbon, milk and a couple of splashes of Angostura Bitters. Whizz up until smooth and fluffy.

2. Pour the mixture equally into the four jars. Top with a good dollop of whipped cream and the cherry. Sprinkle the top with twisted orange peel and shavings of Green & Black's Orange Chocolate to finish.

Vanilla Caramel Nut Ice Cream Pudding (with salted caramel and hot chocolate sauce)

This pudding is simple to make, looks (and tastes great) and...get this...can be prepared up to two weeks before Christmas. Now that's organised.

Ingredients for ice cream pudding

• 3 x 500ml tubs Green & Black's Organic Vanilla Caramel Nut Ice
• Cream (1.5 litres)
• 100g chocolate covered raisins
• 100g chocolate nougat bar, chopped into little chunks
• 100g honey roasted peanuts
• 150g Oreo biscuits bashed up into a mix of chunky bits and fine dust
• 1 chocolate honeycomb bar (40g), bashed up into a mix of chunky bits and fine dust

• 125ml double cream
• 75g Green & Black's Organic 70% dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tsp instant coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water

• 125ml double cream
• 75g butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 50g golden syrup
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Maldon Sea Salt

Hot chocolate sauce:

1. Break up the chocolate and put into a heavy-based saucepan.
2. Dissolve the instant coffee powder in 1 tbsp of water and add this, along with the rest of the ingredients, into the saucepan.
3. Place the pan over a very gentle heat and let everything melt together.
4. Once melted, stir and take off the heat.

Salted caramel sauce: NB: This sauce can be made up to one week in advance and stored airtight in the fridge.

1. Melt the butter, both sugars and the syrup in a small heavy based pan. Simmer until all the sugar has melted and the caramel becomes golden.
2. Add the cream and the Maldon Sea Salt. Stir until combined and take off the heat.

Ice cream pudding: NB. This can be made up to two weeks before eating.

1. Let the ice cream soften slightly in the fridge, for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line the inside of a deep fluted flan tin, bundt tin, or pudding bowl, with cling film, so that it overhangs at the top. This will make it easier to pull out when set.
2. Decant the slightly softened ice cream into a new mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the peanuts, half of the chocolate raisins, half of the chocolate nougat chunks, half of the Oreo crumbs and all of your bashed chocolate honeycomb bar and stir. If making this in advance of Christmas day, keep the remaining crushed up confectionery in plastic wrap bags and store.
4. Scrape the ice cream mixture into the lined bowl, pushing it all down firmly and smoothing the top. Cover the top with cling film and place in the freezer to set completely.
5. On the day of serving, put your cake stand or serving plate in the freezer, to get it really cold. Pull the cling film gently away and place on the cold stand or plate. Gently re-heat your salted caramel and hot chocolate sauces as required and lather them over the top.
6. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the Oreo crumbs bashed up chocolate pieces.
7. Serve any extra sauce in jugs on the table. An instantly pleasing Christmas pudding is served.

Green & Black's Organic Ice Cream flavours are available at major retailers RRP £4.49 (500ml) and £1.69 (100ml). For more information please visit www.greenandblacks.co.uk