Refreshing sorbet with citrus and wild fennel. The sorbet was so good at the end of a meal on a warm day. The wild fennel adds a really nice flavour with the citrus. I have also added a lemon and elderflower sorbet recipe i made a few years ago at the bottom of the post.

I picked some wild fennel fronds to create this recipe, but if you are able to buy fennel with the greens still attached you can use that.

Sorbet is so easy to make if you have a ice cream machine, but you can freeze it in a shallow pan and then break it up and blitz it in a food processor if not. It might not have the same smooth texture that way, but its still delicious.

The tangy citrus flavours hit you first and then it finishes with the aniseed like notes from the fennel.

It is fun to serve it in hollowed out lemons like they do it parts of italy.

Wild Fennel, lemon & pink grapefruit sorbet 

50g wild fennel fronds (a large bunch use the stalks too) (start with 30g and taste and add more if you wish)

3 large strips of grapefruit peel (use a vegetable peeler and ensure there is no pith)

1 tsp fennel seeds lightly bashed

350g water

245g caster sugar 

1 tbsp runny honey 

Juice from 2 very large pink grapefruits and 2 large lemons (or more as needed) to make  up 300ml of juice 

1 or two tbsp limoncello or gin to taste (optional) 

Add the water, sugar chopped wild fennel fonds, fennel seeds and honey in a pan and bring to the boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool and infuse. 

Add the juice of the pink grapefruits and lemons and mix. 

Taste the mixture, I found I wanted more fennel flavour because I love it. So I added the mixture in a blender and pulsed it a few times to break up the fennel fronds. 

Strain the mixture and chill. 

Add the limoncello or gin (alcohol helps it from freezing too solid, I would suggest one to two tbsp. but it’s optional). Then Churn in an ice cream machine. Freeze until ready to serve. 

Here is a lemon and elderflower flavour sorbet that i made before. It is equally refreshing.

To make it I used

Lemon and elderflower sorbet adapted from letitia clarks book
250ml lemon juice- from around 5-6 large lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
250 g sugar
100 ml still water
200 ml carbonated water (like San Pellegrino)
3 tbsp elderflower cordial
(Alternatively use 200ml sparkling elderflower press or 200ml san Pellegrino for just lemon)
Remove the zest from one lemon, I used a knife and cut off strips of the zest being careful not too remove any pith rather than use a grater. Place the zest in a small pan with 100ml still water and the sugar and bring to the boil then simmer for around 5 minutes until syrupy.
If you want to serve it in the lemons then cut the tops off and scoop out the insides. put that in a sieve over a bowl and squeeze out to remove all the juice. I just did three and squeezed the other lemons as normal until l had 250 ml lemon juice. Place the lemon shells in the freezer so they are frozen when you come to serve the sorbet.
Strain the syrup into the bowl with the lemon juice chill for two hours. When cool add 200ml sparking water and the elderflower cordial and churn in your ice cream machine. Once churned serve in the lemons shells or on its own. Pour the rest into a lidded freezer safe tub and freeze.
If you don’t have an ice cream machine then pour into ice cube trays or a shallow pan and freeze. Once frozen
blend in a high power blender until it is smooth.