Summer lolly recipes: From watermelon and kiwi to mango and pomegranate

‘The Lolly Book’ provides the best and healthiest way to cool down this summer

From fruit-fuelled colourful snacks to frozen boozy fun, Lickalix ice lollies are a super-quick dessert, look fabulous and, best of all, they are healthy. The duo pride themselves on inlcuding no artificial flavours, sweetners or any other nasties inside them and have 14 times less saturated fat than their shop-bought counterparts.

The rest of the book has frozen yogurt options, child-friendly treats to make themselves, dreamy chocoholic-friendly recipes and cocktails frozen on a stick, as well as tips on how to think outside the lolly mould.

White wine sangria

Serve this lolly to wow your friends and garnish with any leftover edible flowers!

Serves 4 | Prep 10 Mins | Freezing 6 Hours or Overnight

80ml white wine (the sweeter the better)
220ml white grape juice
A small handful of of hulled and diced strawberries
A small handful of pitted and diced peach
A small handful of diced blueberries
A small handful of peeled, diced orange
A small handful of diced red grapes
A small handful of chopped fresh mint
A few edible flowers (optional)

In a jug, stir together the wine and grape juice. Place a few pieces each of the fruit and mint into each mould. Pour the wine mixture into the moulds, leaving a 3cm gap at the top. Place more of the fruit, mint and flowers, if using, into each mould. If needed, top up the moulds with any remaining wine mixture to leave just a 1cm gap at the top. Insert the sticks with the stick-holders and place in the freezer.

Try tying ribbons around each lolly stick before presenting them to your guests to make the lollies look extra special.

Mango & Pomegranate

This great-looking lolly is the perfect light dessert to serve – your friends and family won’t have seen anything like it!

Serves 4 | Prep 10 Mins | Freezing 6 Hours or Overnight

200g mango, peeled and chopped
4 teaspoons natural unrefined sugar
4-8 teaspoons pomegranate seeds

Put the mango, sugar and 100ml of water in a blender and whizz together. Divide the mixture between the moulds, leaving a 2cm gap at the top. Spoon 1–2 teaspoons of pomegranate seeds into each mould. If needed, top up the moulds with any remaining mango mix to leave a 1cm gap at the top. Insert the sticks with the stick-holders and place in the freezer.

Fun Fact: Pomegranates contain around three times more antioxidants than green tea!

Watermelon and Kiwi

This lolly looks like a frozen slice of watermelon!

Serves 4 | Prep 15 Mins | Freezing 3 Hours + Overnight or 6 Hours

170g watermelon. rind and seeds removed, chopped (dark green ones with faint stripes often have fewer seeds)
0-4 teaspoons natural unrefined can sugar
50g kiwi, peeled

Put the watermelon in a blender and whizz. Taste the mixture to see if you need to add any extra sugar; this will depend on the sweetness of the fruit. Add a little sugar at a time until the sweetness is to your taste. Divide the watermelon mixture between the moulds until they are three-quarters full. Insert the sticks with the stick-holders and place in the freezer.

Freeze for about three hours or until the top of the mixture is quite frozen. For the second layer, whizz the kiwi and 25ml of water in a blender, again adding sugar to taste. How much sugar you need depends on how ripe the kiwis are; the riper they are the less sugar you’ll need. Take off the stick-holders and pour the kiwi mixture into the moulds, leaving a 1cm gap at the top. There is no need to put the stick-holder back on. Return the moulds to the freezer.

Tip: Buy your kiwis at least four days in advance because they will ripen slowly.

Mango Lassi

A perfect lolly any time of the day, but try having this as a dessert after a spicy meal to refresh and cool down your taste buds. To make them look extra special, try doing some quick layers…

Serves 4 | Prep 5-15 Mins | Freezing 6 Hours or Overnight

80g mango, peeled and chopped
4 teaspoons natural unrefined cane sugar
140g natural yoghurt

You can make this lolly recipe in two ways:

Option 1: If you’re pushed for time… Whizz all the ingredients together with 60ml of water in a blender, then divide the mixture between the moulds, leaving a 1cm gap at the top. Insert the sticks with the stick-holders and place in the freezer.

Option 2: If you have a little more time… Whizz the mango, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and 60ml of water in a blender and set aside. Then whizz the yogurt and the remaining sugar in a blender and set aside in a bowl.

Pour the mango mixture into each mould until it is a quarter full. Next, carefully spoon in a layer of the yogurt mixture; you want it to sit on top of the mango layer, so don’t pour it. Alternate the mango and yogurt mixtures until you have four layers, leaving a 1cm gap at the top. Insert the sticks with the stick-holders and place in the freezer.

Tip: Did you know that mangoes come from the same plant family as cashews and pistachios?

The Lolly Book by Karis and Dominic Gesua. Published by Kyle Books. Priced £9.99. Photography by Rita Platts.