Hello hello! I was a little bit busy/slack with scheduling posts before I left for an amazing week in Malaysia, but I really wanted to share this recipe with you. If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll already know how I feel about Pimm’s. It’s the perfect summery drink for sharing with the girls, but I also love experimenting with it in desserts too, which inspired this boozy little roundup. If you haven’t had Pimm’s before, I hope these ideas can persuade you to try it soon!

Drink it…

Picture Credits: Spicy Icecream & Ichigo Shortcake
1. If you haven’t tried Pimm’s before, the first step is to make a Pimm’s Cup cocktail with all the traditional accompaniments – strawberries, lemon, cucumber and mint leaves, mixed with lemonade or ginger ale. It’s one of my favourite cocktails, especially on a warm summer day. Take a sip and pretend you’re at a garden party.

2. I also love Ichigo Shortcake’s Christmassy adaptation of the traditional Pimm’s, to become a Gingery Pimm’s Cup. Yum! I think it would go down a treat at a summery Aussie Christmas, especially with the addition of seasonal strawberries and blueberries!



Picture Credits: Modcloth & BBC Good Food

3. I love the sound of this Pimm’s & Orange Soda Float from the Modcloth blog. It looks like such a fun drink for movie night with friends. If you click through to the post they’ve also made a very cool gif!

4. Another recipe that combines a few of my favourite things, this Pimm’s Iced Tea from BBC Good Food sounds right up my alley! I think it would work really well using a black tea with a hint of orange or bergamot. It’s definitely going on my list of things to make!

Bake it…

Picture Credits: Raspberri Cupcakes & Dr Gateau

5. This recipe is very special to me because my gorgeous friend Steph from Raspberri Cupcakes (who shares my love of Pimm’s) made me this Pimm’s Cake for my birthday last year. It was so thoughtful and perfect, not to mention totally delicious! I especially loved the hint of cucumber in the buttercream.

6. This recipe for Pimm’s and Orange Cupcakes with Bitter Orange Cucumber Gel Sticks from Dr Gateau reads more like a science experiment than a normal cupcake recipe, but it’s an interesting read nonetheless about why some people are more sensitive to bitter tastes. Check it out!

Picture Credits: Seven Spoons & Spicyicecream

7. How beautiful do these Grilled Strawberries with Pimm’s and Ice Cream from Seven Spoons look? With a little vanilla, mint leaves and stem ginger, I think this sounds perfect. PS, I love this blog. Beautiful writing and photography, if you haven’t already visited, go and check it out!

8. This Cherry & Pimm’s Pie comes from my own archives, when a funny little lightbulb moment (and some imported cherries) inspired me to make it. While the taste of Pimm’s turned out a little bit subtle after baking, it was still a delicious pie, served with a big scoop of ice cream on top.

Chill it…

Picture Credits: Bron Marshall & Woman and Home

9. This Pimm’s Granita from Bron Marshall looks so beautiful and refreshing! I had my fair share of crushed ice desserts in Malaysia and they will always be a favourite on a stinking hot day! And of course, being me, I love the idea of boozing it up a little with a splash of Pimm’s!

10. This beautiful Orange Cheesecake with Strawberry Pimm’s Jelly is courtesy of Woman and Home. I can just imagine how good this would taste, especially with the little strawberry and mint salad that accompanies it! This would make an elegant dinner party dessert, or served individually for a ladies high tea.

Picture Credits: The Design Files & Spicyicecream

11. A Cucumber, Apple, Mint & Lime Popsicle may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but imagine how good it would taste dunked into a fruity glass of Pimms as it slowly melts. The smart cookies from Liana Raine came up with this stunning combination for one of my favourite blogs, The Design Files. A delicious grownup treat, yes please!

12. One of my earliest forays into cooking with Pimm’s was these Pimm’s Jellies, adapted from Jamie Oliver, and which I’ve also used as a component in the trifles below. This recipe actually became one of my most popular posts, and for good reason too, it was delicious.

13. And finally, my latest creation – the Pimm’s Trifle! From the bottom up – Pimm’s jelly, sponge cake soaked in a lemon, lime & Pimm’s syrup, topped with fresh strawberries and a ginger and vanilla custard. Get all the elements together in the one spoonful and it’s delicious!

I would have loved to make a ginger sponge cake from scratch, but I ran out of time and used a leftover store bought sponge, which worked well anyway. Baking sponge cakes makes me nervous, and you only need a small amount for these trifles, so the store bought cake worked well for me. The recipe below might seem like a lot of work, but as with most trifles, most of the elements can be made in advance, and refrigerated until ready to serve.

After a stinking hot (but totally amazing) week in Malaysia, I was so happy to come home to a warm sunny and not humid day! I think these trifles are the perfect goodbye to what has been a fabulous summer! I’ve been editing photos all day, so stay tuned for a recap of what we got up to in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang coming soon!

Pimm’s Trifle
Serves 4

1. Pimm’s Jelly
• 4g powdered gelatine
• 75ml Pimm’s
• 225ml Lemonade or Ginger Beer
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
• 2-3 mint sprigs, leaves picked
• 4-6 strawberries, finely chopped

To make Pimm’s Jelly, sprinkle the gelatine over 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to soften. Gently heat the Pimms, lemonade, sugar if using and mint sprigs in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is just starting to steam. Do not allow it to boil. Remove the mint stalks, add softened gelatine and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Divide the strawberries between 4 serving glasses and then add the Pimm’s mixture evenly. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

2. Sponge Cake
Use your favourite sponge cake recipe or a quality store-bought one. Cut small cubes of the cake and place carefully on top of set jelly layer in the serving glasses.

3. Lemon, Lime & Pimm’s Syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup Pimm’s
• Zest of 1 lemon & 1 lime, removed with a vegetable peeler

To make the syrup, place sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Add Pimm’s and stir, and return to boil. Add lemon and lime zest. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup in volume. Refrigerate until ready to use. Drizzle syrup over sponge cake until soaked. You may have a little syrup leftover which is great on ice cream. It will keep for several weeks in a bottle or air-tight container in the fridge.

4. Fresh strawberries

• 420ml pouring (single) cream
• ½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• Thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced
• 5 egg yolks
• 60g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornflour

To make the custard, place cream and vanilla bean seeds and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to the boil. Cover and allow to infuse for at least 20 minutes. Place the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture over the eggs and whisk to combine. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla bean and ginger and allow custard to cool completely. When cool, spoon custard on top of trifles. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.