Thai milk tea ice-cream
Cool down with this delicious treat that only requires four ingredients!
MAKES 480ML ICE-CREAM Combine 2½ cups of heavy cream and ½ cup of Thai tea mix in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Cover and chill for a minimum 6 hours to allow cream to infuse. Once cream has chilled, remove from fridge and pour through a fine-meshed sieve or cheesecloth into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk cream on medium speed 5 mins until it forms stiff peaks. Add 1 cup condensed milk and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Fold to combine. Transfer ice-cream mixture to an airtight container. Cover and place in freezer for minimum 4 hours, or until chilled. Allow ice-cream to sit at room temperature
15 mins before scooping. The texture of homemade ice-cream is best when consumed within 1 to 2 weeks.
Cool down with fun new flavours
Magnum has given its bestsellers a tasty upgrade with the new remixed range! Featuring Gold Almond, Berry & White Choc and Chocolate Classic, the extra indulgent trio takes a new spin on classic flavours. Magnum Remix range, $10.50 per pack, Coles
Connoisseur has launched three premium new flavours guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth. Inspired by popular laneway snacks, from Salted Pretzel to Triple Choc Cookie, these tasty treats are rich in flavour. Connoisseur Laneway Sweets range, $9.50 per pack, Woolworths
Road trip snacks are sorted thanks to Bulla’s Choc Top range! With fan favourites including Mint and Vanilla, there’s also a new flavour on offer, Blue Heaven, which tastes like raspberries and vanilla. Yum! Available for $5.50 at Ampol service stations nationwide
While busy running a multimillion-dollar business and raising two children, Sonny, eight, and Rudy, five, Zoe Foster Blake, 42, still managed to sit down and write a book. And while her new tome is aimed at kids, the story is particularly close to her adult heart…
How did you come up with the idea for
Battle Mum? I think a lot of parents and carers feel guilty for knocking back an overexcited child that wants to engage them in imaginative play at a time when they really don’t have the energy or are distracted with work. I certainly do. So, I imagined a world where the roles were reversed… the mum is desperate to play, and the kids are not.
Have your kids read the book yet? What do they think of it?
To my utter delight, they have requested it a few nights in a row without me placing it conveniently by their bedside. My son Sonny, who is both the inspiration and the one most likely to sue me for plagiarism, loves all the games, names and moves in the book… since he invented most of them in the first place.
All of your picture books include some element of humour. How do you channel that in your writing?
It’s a huge privilege to get a laugh. Fiction, even in picture book form, teaches kids about the world, how to empathise, how to respect others and themselves, and deal with life events. It also encourages them to imagine and play and believe. But I’m primarily here to make them giggle. I may subconsciously or subtly try to encourage kids to think about the world from a different perspective, but that’s secondary to making an entertaining story.
What books did you grow up reading?
As a kid, I loved Roald Dahl and Morris Gleitzman and Cole’s Funny Picture Books – and as a parent buying books, I still do because laughter wins for me. I also aim to make it enjoyable for the parent or carer. After all, they’re the ones who will have to read it aloud 200 times.
Do you keep a daily journal or have a regular writing practice?
No journal. But writing infuses everything I do. I get so much joy from writing every day, whether it’s emails or Instagram captions, writing permits me to be playful in areas that have no right to be.