I recently ran a workshop for local tourism and hospitality businesses on using foraged foods in their menus and visitor experiences. The event was organised by Snowdonia Active, a regional green business group, with the goal of encouraging participants to offer guests a genuine “Taste of the Llyn Peninsula” using locally sourced wild ingredients. The session was well attended and produced three very stimulating hours of discussion and tasting.
For the practical part I prepared a selection of dishes and brought jars and bottles from my store cupboard to show how preserved and infused wild ingredients can be used in small-scale food businesses.
The highlight was a gorse flower ice cream made from blossoms picked from nearby fields. The flowers carry a delicate aroma that many people describe as coconut or almond-like, while the ice cream itself develops a subtle, distinctive flavour that is hard to pin down but very enjoyable. The recipe is straightforward and well suited to small kitchens, so I’ve included it below for anyone who wants to try it.
This weekend I will be at the Llyn Land and Sea Food Festival in Pwllheli, talking about foraged food on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re attending the festival, do drop by and say hello.
Gorse Ice Cream Recipe
This recipe yields about 1 litre (roughly 1 1/2 pints) of ice cream. For best texture, make it the day before you plan to serve it so it has time to freeze and settle.
Pick the fragrant, open gorse flowers on a dry day and handle them gently to preserve their aroma.
Ingredients
1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) gorse flowers
350 ml (12 fl oz) full‑fat or semi‑skimmed milk
4 egg yolks
200 g (7 oz) caster sugar
425 ml (15 fl oz) cold double cream
Method
Place the gorse flowers and milk in a saucepan and stir to combine. Warm the milk to just below boiling, then remove from the heat. Cover and leave to cool for an hour or more so the floral flavour infuses into the milk.
When the milk is cool, strain out the gorse flowers through a sieve and return the infused milk to the pan. Discard or compost the spent flowers.
Whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar in a bowl until smooth and slightly pale. Set this mixture aside.
Pour the cold double cream into a bowl large enough to hold at least 1 litre and prepare a sieve over that bowl.
Heat the infused milk gently to a simmer, then slowly whisk a little of the hot milk into the egg yolk and sugar mixture to temper the eggs. Gradually add the tempered yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk. Warm the combined custard gently until it just coats the back of a wooden spoon. Take care not to boil or overcook the custard, as it should remain smooth and not curdle.
Pour the custard through the sieve into the bowl of cold cream and stir thoroughly to combine. Transfer the mixture into a freezer‑safe container and chill.
Freeze the mixture until set; overnight gives the best results. If you remember, stir the mixture once or twice while it is partially frozen to improve creaminess.
Before serving, transfer the ice cream to the refrigerator for 30–40 minutes to soften slightly for easier scooping and a better texture.