When last — if ever — have you seen a dessert called a syllabub on a local restaurant menu?

I certainly haven't even heard mention of the word for years, which is why I was intrigued when I found today's hand-written recipe in an old cooking scrapbook I've had for years.

I had a vague idea that it was a milk or cream-based dessert often made with a little dash of liqueur or some other tipple.

The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary refers users from syllabub to sillabub which is duly described as… "dish of cream or milk mixed with wine etc. into a soft curd and sometimes whipped or solidified with gelatine". So now we know!

When I read the simple recipe I remembered a friendly old lady who lived two houses away from where I grew up who every second Sunday would deliver a few syllabubs for "after your Sunday lunch" to our front door. This recipe was probably her original version.

I loved it as a child and now that I have re-discovered it I am going to use it as a base for further experimenting. You should do the same.

Ingredients:

For four portions of today's basic lemon and yoghurt syllabub you need:

Whisk yoghurt in a bowl with the honey and lemon rind.

Keep stirring and gradually trickle in the lemon juice and sherry.

Divide into four serving glasses and chilled.

Just before serving decorate with a few sprigs of mint, sliced fruit, grated chocolate or whatever grabs your fancy.

Optional extras: Use the above recipe as a foundation, then construct your own syllabub with fruit of your choice (thin slices of mango are particularly tasty), a sprinkling of cinnamon powder or cinnamon sugar and try rum or one of citrus-flavoured liqueurs.