I’ve got a new ‘instant’ ice block maker. It’s not the kind of kitchen gadget anyone could really claim to ‘need’ but boy does it make ice-block making more fun. The trouble with the old-style ‘put them in the freezer and wait for them to freeze’ technique is that it takes so long. By the time the kids have opened the freezer 500 times and poked them and asked ‘are they ready yet?’ everyone’s lost their rag and the whole thing seems like too much hassle so you all pile down to the dairy for jelly-tips.

So I’m feeling pretty good about my new piece of kit. Yesterday we squeezed fresh oranges and blended the juice with some raspberries – the kids were so excited watching them freeze before their eyes I didn’t dare try and delay the eating by taking a photo. Today we simmered some frozen blueberries and strawberries in a bit of water with chia seeds and a spoon of honey , blended it  and 10 minutes later here it is.