I avoid ultra-processed food - my 3-ingredient lemonade tastes better than Schweppes

I love cooking and experimenting with new flavours. But, probably like most of us, I make far more meals than I do drinks. In fact, I only really ever drink four things: water, coffee, beer and wine.

I never drink fizzy drinks and almost never drink fruit juice either. The former are usually packed full of sugar and ultra-processed ingredients and the latter can cause big blood sugar spikes which, if you've got poor blood sugar control like me, can be a problem if repeated over a long period of time.

Then I came across a recipe for a drink that "everyone" is apparently making this summer: whipped lemonade. And I immediately liked the sound of it. Firstly, it contained only three ingredients (plus ice) so would be simple to make in a flash from things I already had in the kitchen.

Secondly, it sounded like not only would I enjoy it but so would my young children. And third, it sounded like it could be frozen and transformed into ice cream with no extra effort.

So I decided to make a batch as soon as I got home from work on one of the hottest days of the year so far. I'm not a big fan of lemonade (or any soft drink, really) - it feels like I'm just pouring fizzy, sugary water down my neck for no real result other than massively increasing my calorie count and sugar intake. But I found this version well-balanced and delicious - though there's no getting away from the fact that it still contains a lot of sugar, which I try to avoid most of the time.

I only had a few minutes between getting home from work and needing to dash back out again but even that was plenty of time to get the drink made and tested. As a result of making more than I could drink, I popped it in the freezer and the next day my kids had it as an ice cream dessert (again, with far fewer ultra-processed ingredients than standard shop-bought ice cream).

You could easily turn this into an adults-only drink by adding some white rum, some vodka or maybe even some Jack Daniel's. Here's how you make it.

Ingredients

• Ice cubes
• Condensed milk (I used half a can of Carnation but you could use more)
• Double cream (I used an entire 300ml pot)
• Lemons (around three or four will be plenty)

Method

1. Put a few good scoops of ice cubes, half a can of condensed milk (or a little more if you like), around half the pot of cream and the lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

2. In a separate bowl, pour in the rest of the cream and whisk until thick like whipped cream (or you could just buy the squirty whipped variety in a can and avoid this step).

3. Pour the drink from the blender into a glass, then generously spoon the whipped cream on top. You can also grate on some lemon rind for extra flavour and colour.

That's all there is to it! And don't forget you can freeze it and turn it into lemon ice cream that's healthier than any ice cream you buy in the supermarket.