This is a most English dessert. It’s light, easy to make and a lovely way to end a meal.

I love stem ginger. It’s quite intense stuff so a little goes a long way. The juice in the jar is also wonderfully aromatic and carries a punch.

You can make this in advance, which makes this a good contender for a dinner party.

Ready

• 7oz caster sugar
• 7fl oz dry sherry
• Finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
• 1 Tbsp of very finely chopped stem ginger (and a little of the juice from the jar)
• 1 pint double cream

Set

• 2 medium to large bowls
• Glasses to serve

Go

1. In the large bowl, add together the sugar, sherry, lemon zest and juice. Stir it well.
2. In a second bowl, lightly whip the cream. It should only be slightly thickened… not thick at all.
3. Into this, very gently fold the sherry mixture until it is just combined. Don’t over-work it.
4. Then fold in the chopped ginger with a little syrup from the jar.
5. Line up some small glasses (small martini glasses, shot glasses, whatever you like) and spoon in the syllabub.
6. Refrigerate for an hour or so.