Thinking cap!

Ice cream on its own doesn't look particularly exciting, even if it is home-made. Whilst the sundae mentioned previously does sound fab it's a little too much of a sweet hit for my personal taste and for that matter, for my guests and friend too.

With that in mind what better to go with a rich chocolate truffle ice cream than oranges – oranges are the best fruit! Surely one of the best marriages, chocolate and orange.

Orange segments are the answer – although creating the perfect one can be a tricky business.

There are three elements you'll need to tackle, the thick outer peel, the white pith on the inside and finally the thin, tough outer membrane of each segment.

Choosing the right type of orange also matters – “naval” fits the bill since it has no pips (or seeds if you like).

You don't need a fancy dancin' posh piece of kit for this chore either – I find that a serrated bread knife is just the job – naturally used CAREFULLY AND SAFELY!

Wear gloves if you are offended by sticky hands from the orange juice. You'll need a container for your segments.

Get yourself organised before you begin. Decide how many oranges you want to divide. As a guide you'll get 10 ish segments per orange – it will vary – at least you'll have an idea, depending on how many guests you're serving.

You can serve the segments as is or, if you are serving adults you can soak them in either Cointreau or Grand Marnier – add 1 tbsp of liqueur to 100mls of additional fresh orange juice per two segmented oranges.

Give a thought to decoration – small amaretti biscuits would meet the brief, as would tuile biscuits – a little added crispy texture.

Have I got your attention?