Red berry sorbet with pistachio soil

For the sorbet, place the water, 230g castor sugar, lemon juice and zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir and simmer until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup.

Place the berries in a blender, add the syrup and blitz until smooth. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill, about 1 hour, before churning in an ice-cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze to firm up, about 4 hours. If you do not have an ice-cream maker, place the mixture in a freezer-proof bowl and freeze, about 2 – 3 hours. Just before frozen (it will be thick, but almost liquid), beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Return to the freezer until completely frozen and ready to serve.

For the sponge, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease a 20cm-diameter cake tin and dust with flour. Set aside until needed. Cream together the 300g salted butter and 250g castor sugar until pale and fluffy. Continue to cream while incorporating 1 egg at a time, until 5 of the eggs have been added.

Blitz the shredded basil leaves and the remaining egg together in a blender to a smooth paste. Incorporate this into the butter mixture (it will look curdled, but don't be alarmed by this.)

Combine the 300g cake flour and baking powder, and fold into the herb mix. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake, 30 – 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Turn out the cake and leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the pistachio soil, preheat the oven to 110°C. Mix 65g cake flour and the remaining dry ingredients together, then slowly add the 35g melted butter and rub it into the dry ingredients. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until dried out.

To serve, place a few tablespoons of the soil in small bowls, crumble over the basil sponge and add a scoop of berry sorbet.