Lime & Ginger Ice Lollies

Or popsicles, as you may know them.

Can I talk for a moment about limes?

I love limes. I’m fairly certain, that on the whole, I prefer them to lemons. Not that there is anything wrong with lemons. Not at all. But . . .

As the seasons change and summer looms ever nearer, I read many a recipe / blog post from people lamenting the wonderful, fresh virtue of lemons and how, as the weather warms up, they can’t seem to get enough of the tart citrus flavour. To them it signals the start of sunshine and less layers of clothing.

But not for me. For me, limes are the citrus fruit of the summer.

For a start, they are green. Bright green. A pretty, vibrant shade (hopefully, unless you have forgotten about them and they have turned that strange shade of patchy brown). The same colour, more or less, as fresh summer grass (before the inevitable dry spell that will turn it instantly to straw).

Secondly, they are not as lip-puckeringly tart as lemons.

Thirdly, they taste ever so slightly of coconut. Which is probably why lime and coconut is such a popular combination.

So for me, it will always be limes that win over lemons. A lemon after all is only lemon in colour and lemon in flavour.

So far I have kept my use of limes to a minimum with regards to recipes posted here. I used them in this salad but a quick scan of my recipes has revealed that the lemon has had much more than its fair share of exposure.

With temperatures set to remain warm (or rise depending on who you believe. According to the Met Office there will be a high of 24 degrees Celsius in this part of the UK this week, yet my phone is telling me that it is going to get closer to 30 degrees Celsius . . .) we need things to keep us cool.

Whereas ice cream can be eaten at any time of the year, ice lollies (or popsicles) are most definitely only ever eaten in the summer, with the sun shining and temperatures so warm that you have to rush to eat them before they melt and run down your hand, slurping them somewhat unattractively from the bottom in order to catch the drips before you turn into a walking human shaped piece of fly paper.

As a grown-up (supposedly) I am not interested in those ice lollies moulds that come with built-in drip catchers and mini straw with which to suck the ‘juice’ up. It has to be a wooden stick. And if there is the added danger of the whole thing coming away from the stick and either landing on the floor or worse, protruding from your mouth like a giant frozen tongue, all the better.

These lollies are incredibly simple to make – an agave syrup base infused with lime zest and pieces of ginger, diluted with a little water and then frozen. Feel free to substitute the agave syrup for sugar if you wish.

The result is an icy treat that initially tastes of lime and then fades to leave you with the delicate heat of ginger. Perfect for hot summer days.