Strawberry jelly with lime-basil syllabub

Serves 4

Uplifting, heralding summer: little tumblers of scarlet jelly topped with scented cream.

— 6 gelatin sheets (G Costa

or Supercook brand) — 500g strawberries, hulled — caster sugar, to taste

For the syllabub

— 200ml double cream — juice and grated zest

of 1 lime

— 2 tsp caster sugar

— 10 basil leaves, torn into small pieces, plus a few small leaves to decorate

Put the gelatin leaves into a bowl of cold water and leave to soak until soft.

Cut about one third of the strawberries into quarters and set aside in the fridge.

Put the remaining strawberries into a pan with 150ml water and bring to a simmer. Cook until soft then blitz to a smooth purée in a food processor. Taste and add a little sugar if needed.

Squeeze the gelatin leaves to rid them of excess water and put them in a saucepan with about four tablespoons of water. Melt over a very low heat – do not let the mixture boil at all. Add the puréed strawberry and stir well. Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Divide the cut strawberries between four glass tumblers, then pour the gelatin mixture over the fruit to cover by about 1cm. Place in the fridge to set.

To make the syllabub, put the cream in a bowl and add the lime juice and zest. Whisk slowly until the cream thickens (not too much) then stir in the sugar and basil leaves. Just before serving, spoon a heaped tablespoonful of the syllabub over the strawberry jellies and top with a basil leaf or two. These puddings store well in the fridge for about an hour.