Make Jack Monroe's brown bread ice cream

Make Jack Monroe's simple and budget-friendly sweet treat.


  • Total time

  • Prep time

    80

  • Amount

    Eight portions

  • Ingredients
    • 100g wholemeal or brown bread
    • 200ml whole milk
    • 3 egg yolks
    • 100g sugar
    • 300ml double cream
    • a fistful of sultanas
    • 2 tsp breadcrumbs
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • a few pinches of ground cinnamon
  1. Soak the bread in the milk and stand to one side for an hour or so.
  2. Beat the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. 
  3. Add the sugar and beat well. 
  4. Pour in the cream and whisk until the mixture has almost doubled in size. Run a finger through: it should feel airy, light and fluffy, and not fall off your finger. A common mistake is to beat too hard, knocking the air out of it as quickly as you beat it in - you want a firm and rhythmic hand, but not too much vigour. It should stand in soft peaks when you lift your whisk out. If you scrimp on this step, your ice cream will set rock hard, and while it won't be unpleasant, it will be that bit more difficult to eat.
  5. Drain the milk from the brown bread, give it a gentle squeeze and tear it into small pieces. Fold it through the whipped cream mixture with the sultanas.
  6. Pour it into a loaf tin or plastic container. Mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar and cinnamon and scatter over the top (if you forget this stage, you can do it just before serving). Cover the container with a lid or cling film to seal, and freeze for at least 4 hours.
  7. Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving, to allow it to soften a little.

Cooking on a Bootstrap

by Jack Monroe

Book cover for Cooking on a Bootstrap

'These are wonderful and inspiring recipes' – Nigella Lawson

Award-winning cookery writer and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe is back with Cooking on a Bootstrap: a creative and accessible cookbook packed with affordable, delicious recipes, most of which are vegetarian.


Winner of the Observer Food Monthly Best Food Personality Readers' Award.

Jack Monroe is a campaigner, food writer and activist and her first cookbook, A Girl Called Jack, was a runaway bestseller. The sequel Cooking on a Bootstrap makes budget food fun and delicious, with 118 incredible recipes including Fluffy Berry Pancakes, Self-Love Stew, Marmite Mac ‘n’ Cheese and Hot Sardines with Herby Sauce.

Chapters include Bread, Breakfasts, A Bag of Pasta and a Packet of Rice, Spuds and Eat More Veg. There are vegan meals, sweet treats and what Jack calls ‘contraband’ dishes here, as well as helpful money-saving tips.

With her trademark humour and wit, Jack shows us that affordable, authentic and creative recipes aren't just for those with fancy gadgets or premium ingredients.

This beautiful edition contains illustrations and original full-colour photographs to really make your mouth water.

'She understands first hand what it's like to be skint and have the desire to put something delicious on the table' – Nigel Slater