JO PRATT

Tropical

Ice Pops

Celebrate the natural sweetness and all-round goodness of fresh fruit by blending it to a purée, adding a few extras and making your own personalised frozen ice pops. You can be super-flexible on what you choose and it’s a great way of using up fruits before they deteriorate, extending their shelf life and reducing waste. If you’re short of decent fresh fruits to use, make the most of already frozen ones or even tinned fruits in natural juice. Once you’ve blended your fruit choices, always have a taste before pouring into ice-pop moulds to check the balance of flavour, adjusting when needed. You shouldn’t require any added sweeteners, but if you do find something a little too sharp, add a little honey or agave.

TIME TAKEN 15 minutes + 4–5 hours freezing MAKES 6–8

Mango, passion and watermelon double decker

2 medium ripe mangoes, peeled, stone removed and roughly chopped 3 tbsp coconut water or fresh fruit juice pulp of 2 passion fruit 250g / 9 oz watermelon, roughly chopped and large pips removed 10-12 raspberries

Blend the mango and coconut water or fruit juice until smooth.

Stir through passion fruit pulp and pour into 6–8 moulds, filling roughly halfway. Freeze for around 1 hour. Blend the watermelon and raspberries until smooth and strain through a sieve to remove any seeds if preferred. Pour on top of the mango passion layer and freeze for around 4 hours or until fully frozen.

Raspberry and lychee

400g / 14 oz tinned lychees 200g / 7 oz fresh or frozen raspberries

Blend together the lychees with their juice, and raspberries until smooth. Strain through a sieve and pour into 6–8 moulds.

Freeze for around 4 hours or until fully frozen.

The Flexible Family Cookbook by Jo Pratt, £20 Frances Lincoln Photography Malou Burger

Watermelon and kiwi

1 x 400ml /14 fl oz tin coconut milk 1 ripe banana, peeled and roughly choppedd 150ml / 5 fl oz / ⅔ cup fresh pineapple juice grated zest of 1 lime

Blend the watermelon until smooth and pour into 6–8 moulds, filling about ¾ full. Freeze for around 1 hour.

Blend together the kiwi and apple or pineapple juice and pour on top of the watermelon. Return to the freezer and leave for around 4 hours or until fully frozen.

Coconut, lime and pineapple

600g / 1 lb 5 oz watermelon, roughly chopped and large pips removed 3 ripe kiwi, peeled and chopped 4 tbsp fresh apple or pineapple juice

Blend everything together and pour into 6–8 moulds. Freeze for around 4 hours or until fully frozen.

FLEXIBLE...

Adult upgrade Why not experiment by adding a splash of your favourite tipple. Gin, vodka and rum all work very well with the tropical flavours. Do make sure you label the alcoholic ice pops in the freezer to avoid a mix-up.

Fruity yoghurt pops Fruit, natural, dairy or plant-based yoghurt can be mixed into blended fruits and frozen in the same way. As with the fruit ones, have a taste before freezing and adjust according to preference.

BLANKET

Water-resistant back and faux leather straps. £39

sophieallport.com

RUBBISH

Portable, reusable rubbish bag with roll top closure sealing contents safely. £12

jack-wolfskin.co.uk PLATES

Argon Enamel White Dinner Plates. £17.99 wayfair.co.uk

Picnic Essentials

CUPS

Melamine cups £16.75 for 6

campfirecooking.co.uk

NAPKINS

Pure cotton, relaxed feel, take home and use again and again. £25 for 4

thewhitecompany.com

COOL

Go big or go home. £349.99

yeti.com GAME

Add some colour and competition to your picnic with this giant toppling tower. £35

whsmith.co.uk

On the Table

LIEWOOD OLAV SILICONE SNACK BOX £32

en.smallable.com

OYOY FOLLOW THE RAINBOW PLACEMAT £11.95

scandiborn.co.uk

MOUSE SILICONE MUG £4.99 COOKING GREEN

Aimed at 7-14 year olds, Green Kids Cook by Jenny Chandler is about teaching children to cook and eat food that’s good for them and the planet. Virtually all 60 recipes are plant-based and include exciting tastes such as Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Butternut Bean Burgers. You’ll also find sewing projects, a few foraging tips and even instructions on how to sprout your own pulses. Published July.

pavillionbooks.com

Guilt-free snacking is the holy grail and SOS Natural Fruit Snacks go some way to meeting this need. Each packet contains a flat fruit snack in the shape of a marine pop out puzzle, a collectable card with sea life facts, is one of your five a day and is high in Vit C and fibre. Wrapped up in Good for Planet produced packaging, and it’s a winner for us. Available in Holland & Barrett. Thumbs up from our testers too.

soskidssnacks.co.za

What’s New

FEARNE & ROSIE JAMS

We do love a jam at CKHQ and these Fearne & Rosie pots of joy have hit the mark. Strawberry Super Berry was a particular favourite and the children really couldn’t tell that these are a reduced sugar, healthier alternative.

fearneandrosie.co.uk TOMMY K

Surely nobody entertains the idea of a BBQ without tomato ketchup? Real Good Ketchup has 78% less salt than regular ketchups, uses naturally occurring sugars and is free from artificial flavours and preservatives. Also available in BPA free, 100% recyclable easy squeezy bottles. Our ketchup connoisseurs were very happy!

realgoodketchup.com

PRIVATE TOURS NOW AVAILABLE

Contact us to arrange a visit Hawkesdown House School

A Preparatory & Nursery School for boys and girls aged 2-11, Kensington W8

Please contact the School Office to arrange a private tour with the Headmistress

Register here: www.lyndhursthouse.co.uk/tour

0207 435 4936 office@lyndhursthouse.co.uk 24 Lyndhurst Gardens, Hampstead, London, NW3 5NW

Durston House

A LeADInG LonDon PreP sCHooL

CHARACTER | CURIOSITY | CAPABILITY

Durston House, in Ealing, is a leading London prep school, for boys aged 4-13 years, which has a fine record of preparing boys for future success. Founded in 1886, Durston House continues to enjoy a strong reputation for academic, sporting and cultural excellence. A boy is shaped by the development of his character, his curiosity to learn and discover more, and his expanding capability. These three concepts, Character, Curiosity and Capability are the cornerstones of his success at Durston House and his success in life. Find out more by visiting our website, attending an Open Day or touring the school. 27 Edge Street, Kensington, London W8 7PN Telephone: 0207 727 9090 Email: admin@hawkesdown.co.uk www.hawkesdown.co.uk