Watermelon Lemonade recipe - ultimate thirst quencher

This is the one I bought but mine was the same without the slice!

During the week we grabbed a quick lunch locally and as the heat was overwhelming we opted for Watermelon Lemonade instead of the usual glass of rose. I have never tried this drink before (seems to be big in the USA) but as all my local shops are bursting at the seams with watermelons, and as it was both delicious and refreshing, I decided to make my own as it really is a fabulous summer recipe.

It was almost impossible to find an English recipe for watermelon lemonade but I do own a set of american measuring cups so I'm afraid the measurements are in those. But really you just need to be roughly accurate and use a bit of common sense. The secret is not to over-sugar the lemonade and to sieve it to get rid of the bits.

I used...

half a large watermelon with the flesh scooped out and the pips removed
2 cups of water
3 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar
4 lemons

I liquidised the watermelon flesh then using the two cups of water, dissolved the sugar over a low heat. I then squeezed the lemons and added the lemon juice, the 3 cups of water and the sugar water to the watermelon which I had put through a sieve to get rid of the bits and extra pips.

Put in the fridge until really cold and serve with lots of ice. It's nice with some fresh mint leaves and of course if you have any left over melon it looks extra pretty with a slice. I can imagine it makes a brilliant mixer for vodka on a summers evening.

Nigel Slater Apricot Cake...

I've taken this from Appetite by Nigel Slater and it's called A simple cake to serve with summer fruit.

Ingredients 250g butter, 250g caster sugar, a lemon (unwaxed), 75g ground almonds, 100g plain flour, 100g soft dried apricots, 4 large free range lightly beaten eggs.

You'll need a shallow 23cm cake tin lined with baking parchment or greaseproof paper and to set the oven at 180degrees C or gas mark 4.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until white and fluffy. Grate the zest from the lemon and squeeze its juice. Mix the ground almonds and flour together and whizz the apricots in a food processor until finely chopped.

Add the eggs to the butter a little at a time with the beater on slow. Turn the machine off and add the lemon zest and a third of the almonds and flour, then turn the mixer on slow until the dry ingredients are all mixed in.

Add the second and then the third lot of almonds and flour, switching the machine off each time otherwise you will get a heavy cake.

With the machine still on slow mix in the lemon juice and the apricots. Transfer to the lined cake tin, preferably with a rubber spatula and gently smooth the top as you go. Bake until firm and a skewer comes out of the middle clean (about 35/40 mins).

I served this with a fruit compote made with raspberries, strawberrys, blueberries and redcurrants (all frozen) mixed with sugar and boiled with a cup of water and thick creme fraiche!

The simplest Summer Pudding from Nigel Slater's Taste

We have an abundance of summer fruits at the moment - all ripened early due to the April heatwave but you still need to either eat them within a couple of days of buying them or they will mould, even in the fridge. I had a large punnet of raspberries and they were selling off blackcurrents and redcurrants cheap so a Summer pudding was the perfect way to use up the fruit that wasn't eaten this weekend.

I know perfectionists will use a bowl lined with bread and filled with the fruit and weighted down - but I like things simple and easy and that's why this recipe from the fantastic Nigel Slater taken from his book Taste is the one I always turn to.

After washing and carefully removing all the stalks from the fruit, add to a pan with a tumbler of water and about 100g of sugar. For 6 people you will need around 850g of fruit. Bring the berries to the boil and allow them to go pop and release their juices. Cut the crusts off a white loaf of bread and line the bottom of a dish. Cover with the fruit and layer bread and fruit until it is all used up. There should be enough fruit to really soak through while it is cooling and then again when it is in the fridge. It should be in the fridge for at least an hour.

We had it with thick double cream and the bowls were scraped clean.