Toasted Pinhead Oatmeal and Vanilla Crystal Ice Cream

By Lady Claire Macdonald
Serves 6-8

75g (3 oz) Hamlyn’s Scottish Pinhead Oatmeal
50g (2oz) Granulated Sugar
3 tablespoons Water
450ml (¾ pint) Double Cream,
75g (3 oz) sieved Icing Sugar
½ teaspoon best quality Vanilla Extract

Dry fry the oatmeal over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan, to toast the oatmeal.

Whip the cream together with the icing sugar and vanilla extract.

In a saucepan stir the granulated sugar and water together over moderate heat until all the sugar granules have dissolved completely. Only then let the syrup boil, and boil for 2 minutes, boiling fast. Stir the dryfried pinhead oatmeal into the syrup and scrape this onto a baking parchment lined baking tray - it will become hard and crystalline. When cold, bash with a rolling pin into crumbs.

When the crisp sugar-coated crumbs are cold, fold them into the vanilla flavoured whipped cream, and freeze this mixture in a solid polythene container with a lid. Bring the ice cream from the freezer to room temperature just as you sit down to eat the savoury courses. It should then be easy to spoon into a serving bowl. This is good with all types of soft summer fruits.