Amanda’s Lemon Meringue Ice Cream — Inspired by a Stay on Hadrian’s Wall
Some recipes carry a place inside them.
Every time I take a bite of this lemon meringue ice cream, I am back in Northumberland — standing on ancient ground, the green fields rolling out to the horizon in every direction, sheep dotting the hillsides, and Hadrian’s Wall stretching ahead of me as far as I could see. The air had that particular quality that only exists in England — cool and soft and somehow ancient, like it belongs to a different century entirely. I have never forgotten it.
For our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband and I had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to England and Scotland with his aunt and uncle. It was the kind of trip that changes you — the kind where you come home a slightly different person than you left. We explored Hadrian’s Wall, wandered through excavation sites that had been untouched for centuries, and hiked through fields where friendly sheepdogs ran ahead of us like they were showing us the way. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced in my life. I mean that completely.
We stayed at Carraw B&B in Northumberland — a remarkable property that sits quite literally on the foundations of Hadrian’s Wall itself. The farmhouse is Georgian, with stripped floorboards, exposed stone walls, and window seats looking out over horizon-stretching views of the Northumberland National Park and the North Pennines. Our hosts were warm and gracious in the way that only the very best hosts are — the kind of people who make you feel like a house guest rather than a customer. The kind of place you spend the whole trip home already planning to return to.
While we were there, our host served a lemon ice cream that stopped me mid-bite.
I knew before I had finished the bowl that I needed to know how to make it. She was generous enough to walk me through it.
I have been making it ever since. I named it after myself. Some recipes deserve to carry the person who fell in love with them.
Bringing It Home
When I got back to Texas, I did what any practical home cook does — I converted the ingredients to ones I could find easily at Trader Joe’s, and I doubled the recipe because one batch is simply not enough once you have tasted it.
The Trader Joe’s lemon curd is silky, perfectly tart, and exactly the right color. The vanilla meringues — light as air and just the right size — are the ingredient that makes this recipe completely its own. You break them into rustic pieces, not crumbs, and fold them gently through the cream base before freezing. Overnight they soften into these little pillowy pockets of sweetness throughout the ice cream that are genuinely impossible to describe until you taste one.
It is a no-churn recipe. No ice cream maker. No complicated technique. You whisk, you fold, you freeze — and what comes out the next morning is something that tastes like it required considerably more effort than it did.
Making It With My Girls
There is something so satisfying about making this recipe with my daughters. The steps are gentle enough that little hands can help — breaking the meringues into pieces, zesting the lemons, folding everything together carefully. And while we make it, I tell them about the trip. About England. About Northumberland. About Hadrian’s Wall and the sheep and the fields and the way the light looked in the late afternoon over the countryside.
I want them to feel connected to that place even before they have been there. I want them to know that this recipe has a story — that it came from somewhere real, from a stay in a farmhouse that sits on two-thousand-year-old Roman foundations, from a moment on a trip that changed the way I understood what a beautiful life could look like.
Someday I hope to take them there and walk those same fields. And when we sit down at a long table in a warm stone farmhouse after a day on the Wall — if we are lucky enough to find our way back — I want them to already know this taste. To say they have been making it at home for years.
That is what food does when it is worth keeping. It carries a place inside it until you can get back there.
A Note on the Ingredients
I adapted this recipe to use ingredients easily found at Trader Joe’s — my personal shortcut to making this as accessible and repeatable as possible. The two stars of the Trader Joe’s list are the lemon curd (one full jar — do not hold back) and the vanilla meringues (one full bag, broken into pieces).
If you do not have a Trader Joe’s nearby, any good quality lemon curd works beautifully, and vanilla meringue cookies from your local grocery store are a perfect substitute.
One important note — use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt. The thicker consistency of Greek yogurt changes the texture of the finished ice cream. Regular plain yogurt gives you that lighter, creamier result that makes this recipe so special.
This recipe is already the doubled version. One batch — half these amounts — makes one smaller pan or container. We learned very quickly that one batch disappears too fast.
Serving Suggestions
This ice cream is beautiful served two ways:
Sliced — freeze it in a 9×13 pan and it slices cleanly into elegant squares. Place a slice on a plate with fresh strawberries alongside. It looks like something from a restaurant. The kind of thing you photograph before you eat it.
Scooped — freeze it in ice cream containers and scoop like traditional ice cream. Serve in a bowl or waffle cone with fresh strawberries piled alongside. My daughters prefer this version. I cannot say I blame them.
Either way — the fresh strawberries are not optional. The brightness of the berry against the lemon cream is everything.
Recipe Card
Amanda’s Lemon Meringue Ice Cream
Description
Silky, bright, and impossibly easy — a no-churn lemon meringue ice cream made with Trader Joe’s lemon curd, fresh zest, vanilla meringues, and a cream base. Inspired by a magical stay in Northumberland, England, and named after the woman who brought it home.
Ingredients
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together the plain yogurt, heavy whipping cream, lemon zest, and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Do not over whip — stop when the mixture holds a gentle peak.
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Gently fold in the broken meringue pieces. You want rustic chunks throughout — not crumbs. Fold carefully to keep the pieces intact. These softened meringue pockets are the signature of this recipe.
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Add the full jar of lemon curd and fold gently until just swirled through. A few ribbons of curd visible throughout is beautiful — you do not need it perfectly blended.
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Pour into a 9×13 pan for slicing, or divide into ice cream containers for scooping.
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Freeze overnight or for at least 8 hours until completely firm.
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Serve in slices or scoops with fresh strawberries alongside. Do not skip the strawberries.
Note
Use plain yogurt — not Greek yogurt. The texture difference is significant in the finished ice cream. Break meringues into rustic pieces, not fine crumbs — the softened meringue pockets are what make this recipe extraordinary. The 9×13 pan freezes faster and serves beautifully in clean slices for a crowd. Ice cream containers are better for scooping over several days. Fresh strawberries alongside are essential — the brightness of the berry against the lemon cream is everything. This recipe is already doubled from the original. Half the ingredients make one smaller batch — but you will wish you had made more. Inspired by a stay at Carraw B&B, Northumberland, England — sitting on the foundations of Hadrian’s Wall.
Tips for Perfect Results Every Time
On the meringues: Break them into rustic pieces — not crushed, not whole. You want chunks that will soften into pillowy pockets as the ice cream freezes. This texture is the whole point of the recipe. Do not skip it.
On the lemon zest: Zest all six lemons before you do anything else. The zest carries all the fragrant lemon oil that perfumes the entire batch. More zest than you think you need is the right amount.
On the yogurt: Plain, not Greek. This is the one instruction that matters most beyond the meringues. Trust it.
On freezing: The 9×13 pan freezes faster and is wonderful for serving a crowd in neat slices. Ice cream containers are better for scooping over several days.
On making ahead: This recipe is ideal for making the night before. Overnight freezing gives you the best texture and gives the meringues time to soften perfectly throughout the whole batch.
On sharing: Make more than you think you need. Share it with your mother, your neighbors, anyone who needs to taste something this good. Then watch them ask for the recipe. Tell them the story. That is half the point.
Make It a Memory
If you make this recipe, I hope it takes you somewhere too.
Maybe it will not be a stone farmhouse on Hadrian’s Wall in the English countryside. Maybe it will be your own kitchen on an ordinary Tuesday, or a summer afternoon that becomes something you will talk about for years. Food does that — when it is made with care and shared with people you love, it becomes a container for memory.
My girls make this with me now. They know the story of the trip before they have taken it. They know the name of the place. They know that someday we will go — and that when we do, this ice cream will taste different there, sweeter maybe, or sharper, the way things always taste when you eat them in the place that made you first love them.
Pass it down. That is what recipes worth keeping are for.
Did you make Amanda’s Lemon Meringue Ice Cream? Tag us on Instagram @thehomemakersdaughter — I would love to see it. And if you have a recipe that carries a place inside it, tell me about it in the comments below. 🍋
