Herb Ice Bowl

An ice bowl is a stunning centerpiece for a dinner party. It is easy to make and can be filled with a fresh fruit salad, ice cream, sorbets or iced soup. Can be decorated with fresh nasturtiums, borage flowers, mint leaves and chamomile blossoms. Make sure you stand the ice bowl on a large dinner plate to catch the drips as it slowly melts.

1- Use two glass freezerproof bowls which, when fitted one inside the other, leave a gap of about 1 in between them. Fill the larger bowl with cold water ot a depth of about 1 1/2 in and add a handful of fresh herb flowers and leaves. Place carefully in the freezer, ensuring the bowl is level, and leave until frozen.

2-  Place the smaller bowl on top of the frozen layer of water and weight it down by placing a heavy weight inside the smaller bowl. Fill the gap teween the two bowls with cold water and add more flowers and leaves. Make sure they are pushed well down in the water to decorate the sides of the bowl. Return to freezer until frozen.

3- To release the ice bowl, wipe the inside of the smaller bowl with a cloth wrung out in hot water and twist the bowl gently to loosen. To remove the larger bowl, dip in tepid water and twist to loosen. Return the ice bowl to the freezer until reday to use.