Strawberry Ice Cream With Bought Custard

Our answer

Nigella's Strawberry Ice Cream (from Nigella Summer and on the Nigella website) uses 500ml (2 cups) home-made egg custard. It would be possible to replace this with the equivalent amount of a store-bought custard but we would suggest that you look for a good quality one that is sold in the chilled foods section, and not a canned or ambient carton version.

The egg yolks are important for the richness, taste and texture of the ice cream so check the ingredients of the carton to make sure that it contains some eggs. The sugar content could also be different in a store-bought custard. When you make the strawberry ice cream base you should taste it before you churn or freeze it, bearing in mind that when frozen it will taste less sweet. The mixture should taste slightly sweet but not too sweet - you may need to add some icing (confectioner's) sugar if it is not sweet enough or a little lemon juice if you feel that it is too sweet for your own taste.