The big chill: frozen desserts that don’t need anice-cream machine

In the absence of a machine, the obvious solution to frozen dessert needs is granita.

-  Anna Berrill

"That's the easiest," says Kitty Travers, owner of La Grotta Ices in London. "All you need is a tray and a fork." Berries will always be delicious in granita, but Travers suggests going off-piste and infusing a bag or two of jasmine tea in a simple sugar syrup, then combining that with fresh watermelon juice.

Alternatively, "soak almonds in water, then blend with sugar and lemon peel. Make a simple syrup with coffee beans, add to the whizzed-up almonds and freeze." Half-frozen slab desserts (think semifreddo and parfait) also come into their own here.