• 3 eggs
• 120 g(4¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250 ml(9 fl oz/1 cup) milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 500 ml(17 fl oz/2 cups) pouring (single) cream

Whip together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Put the milk in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthways, scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a teaspoon and throw the bean in, too. Heat gently so that the vanilla bean and seeds flavour the milk. Just before the milk comes to the boil, remove it from the heat and whisk a ladleful into the eggs to acclimatize them. Whisk in another ladleful and then tip the whole lot back into the saucepan with the milk. Put it over the lowest possible heat and cook for a minute or so, whisking all the time, just so that the eggs cook through. Remove from the heat, whisk in the cream and pour into a bowl or container that has a lid. Leave to cool completely, whisking now and then while it cools so that you get the maximum flavour from the vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean and rinse and dry it for another use.

Put the lid on the bowl and put it in the freezer. After an hour give the mixture an energetic whisk with a hand whisk or electric mixer. Put it back in the freezer and then whisk again after another couple of hours. When the ice cream is nearly firm, give one last whisk and put it back in the freezer to set.

Alternatively, pour into your ice cream machine and churn, following the manufacturer’s instructions.