Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati

Twelve years after the first edition of this book, Caroline and Robin Weir return with a new edition of the ultimate ice cream book. Since its publication Ices the definitive guide has been critically acclaimed as the most comprehensive, thorough and authoritative work on the subject - and is regarded by chefs, food writers and home cooks as the bible.

Over a decade of research and millions of calories have gone into this new book which has over 400 recipes covering ice creams, gelati, graniti, bombes, parfaits, wafers, biscuits, punches, even ice creams for diabetics and vegans.

Every chapter has been expanded and updated; there are revelations on the history of ice cream as well as the origin of the ice-cream cone, plus dozens of previously unseen pictures and illustrations from the authors' constantly expanding collection.

There is a comprehensive section of the physics and chemistry of all ices as well as enough information to enable you to make almost anything into an ice. Using alcohol in ice-cream is well explained, as are all the underlying scientific dimensions for freezing different types of mixtures to create a perfectly balanced texture: neither grainy nor watery.

If you have never tasted home-made ice cream, you are in for an experience. These are pure unalloyed ices, easily made from readily available ingredients without additives. Everyone with an ice-cream maker should buy this book; but all recipes explain how they can be made without.

All the recipes and techniques are written in the clearest terms with measures in metric, imperial and US cups. There are recipes for almost every ingredient you can think of from many, subtly different, versions of old favourites - such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry - to the exotic such as gin and tonic, lychee and lime or rosewater sorbets; saffron, green tea or avocado ice-creams. No better recipes exist anywhere for the ultimate expresso coffee or brown bread ice creams.

So whether your taste is for Cornish clotted cream, Scottish rhubarb or English stilton; or dulce de leche, spiced pumpkin or tequila or more global ices with a fall-safe kulfi, an excellent halva and a mai tai sorbet there is something here for everyone be you beginner, enthusiast, expert or professional chef.

The authors wrote Ices the definitive guide as Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir; since their last book they have married and now write as Caroline and Robin Weir.

Caroline has spent her entire life teaching, writing and photographing food in her own right as well as for some of the most highly regarded names in food and is the author of several other cookbooks.

Robin is the managing director of a pharmaceutical distribution company and is an advisor to The East India Company. He demonstrates and lectures all over the world about ice-cream making from the 17th century up to the present day. He is acknowledged as one of the foremost experts on ice cream and is also the author of The Mustard Book, co-written with Rosamond Man.

Caroline and Robin have a vast collection of ice-cream books, prints, machines, equipment, ephemera and memorabilia. The authors live in West London.