By the time you are reading this we will have passed the providence of Pancake Tuesday and all the deliberate consumption of cake, ice cream, and sweets leading up to it. Yes, we are well into our 40 days of forfeiting sugar at its finest.

In yet another newly adopted tradition, I am now attempting to surrender something that I find far too easy to indulge in during Lent. This is an observance that I deeply respect, yet had never witnessed it being taken so seriously until marrying into my new family.

I was raised Catholic, but as with many young Americans some religious rituals weren’t necessarily followed into adulthood. I remember being a child and having to give up television and video games, but not food. At that time, sweets and ice cream were extra special treats; allowed only for the purpose of being rewarded or to celebrate an occasion.

In our home now, ice cream could nearly be deemed a food group in its own right. I love experimenting with different flavours and trying to emulate some of the popular pints available in the supermarket, using raw milk and cream from our cows. So, with ice cream on such heavy rotation in this kitchen, it almost always gets the axe at Lent. As a dairy farmer’s wife this irony is not lost on me.

Coincidentally, in recent weeks I have been exploring sweet snacks that are low on (or without) sugar in nature. Lately, you can’t fork through a food magazine without paleo-palate, gluten-free, dairy-free, raw, celiac-friendly, fermented or foraged popping off the page. As food allergies are lining up to introduce themselves, so are creative ways to combat feeling ill from the food we’re eating.

On a Monday morning, I stumbled upon a particularly appetising Instagram feed from Australia (@alouette_). Every post revolves around a raw diet which is mostly derived from fruits and nuts. The poster makes it all look amazing, but knowing we were soon to be an ice cream free house it was the ‘nice cream’ that particularly intrigued me. Scoops of what looked like luxurious dairy ice cream sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and cacao nibs made my mouth water. When the description said it was made from frozen bananas I couldn’t believe it.

I went to our freezer where I keep a stash of frozen bananas for baking, grabbed two, popped them in the food processor and pressed blitz. My taste buds sang an opera when that first teaspoon of frozen ‘nice cream’ melted in my mouth. Sure, this icy delight is not the real thing, but it’s just as dreamy and creamy and has a natural sweetness that truly satiates.

Dark Chocolate ‘Nice’ Cream

Makes two

1 1/2 peeled medium bananas, sliced into coins and frozen on a parchment-lined tray until solid

3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp of coconut cream?(not milk, avail at oriental market)

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Blend bananas in food processor until they are the consistency of soft serve ice cream.

Blend in cocoa powder, coconut cream, and vanilla. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until solid. Swap the chocolate for two strawberries, or any berries or citrus fruit, Nutella, peanut or almond butter or whatever flavour you fancy.