To prepare the ice cream: split the vanilla pod using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape out its seeds then add both seeds and pod to a non- reactive pan, along with the milk and sea salt (and cream if making the richer version). Stir often using a whisk or silicone spatula to prevent it catching. Once the liquid is hot and steaming, whisk the egg yolks and both sugars together in a separate bowl until combined. Sunlit flavours and far flung traditions pervade Kitty's ice creams as well as her ultimate inspiration: nature.

Now Kitty's recipes are available to you. La Grotta Ices offers over 100 inventive flavours, each perfected over years of experimentation and testing, that demonstrate the true artistry of real ice cream, sorbet and granita. This is the culmination of the years of work and research that has made La Grotta Ices. A life-long ice cream enthusiast, Kitty got her training in New York, after which she worked with Mario Batali at Otto before returning to London as a pastry chef. She spent five years at St John, before buying an old Piaggio Ape and setting up La Grotta in 2008. Throughout these years, every spare moment she had was used for travel and exploration – from France, Sicily, Rome and Naples to Iceland, Istanbul and Brazil. Add the crème fraîche and rum and whisk into the custard. Speed up the cooling process by stirring the mix every so often. Once the custard is at room temperature, scrape it into a clean container, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge. Pour the custard into an ice cream machine and churn according to the machine’s instructions until froŽzen and the texture of stiff whipped cream, about 20 – 25 minutes.

Essential kit

The sunlit flavours and far-flung traditions of these places pervade Kitty’s ice creams, as well as her ultimate inspiration: nature. La Grotta Ices captures the flavour of the purest and most delicious offerings available to us, unsullied by additives or faddy substitutes. From ripe seasonal fruits to perfumed herbs and foraged blossoms, La Grotta encourages you to find that fragrant lemon verbena bush hiding behind a bus station, or notice the flourishing fig tree in a public park. Pour the hot milk over the yolks in a thin stream, whisking continuously. Return all the mix to the pan and cook over a low heat until it reaches 82°C, stirring all the time to avoid curdling the eggs and keeping a close eye on it so as not to let it boil. As soon as your digital thermometer says 82°C, place the pan into a sink of iced water.