My children, my partner and myself are huge fans of ice cream, although I liked the idea of being able to make ice cream which wasn't full of artificial colours and preservatives so that ice cream was healthier overall and even more tasty. I wanted an ice cream maker that was pretty easy to use and didn't make a huge meal out of making ice cream. I was recommended the Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L by the sales assistant in a House of Fraser store - although I actually bought it online from Amazon as it was considerably cheaper. I managed to pick up the Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L for just £41.00 from Amazon (which included postage and packaging) which I thought was pretty reasonable value. Although there are cheaper ice cream makers on the market I do think that this one looks professional compared to the cheaper models.

When I bought it, it all came together in a box and I didn't have to do any DIY in order to put it together. The ice cream maker consists of a bowl, a paddle and a lid. It is made of a mixture of heavy duty plastic and stainless steel and therefore it is very sturdy and is capable of coping with some pretty heavy use. Before using it, you need to freeze the bowl - and then it's a matter of pouring in the ice cream mixture which you make depending on the flavour you want, and then turning on the motor in order to drive the paddle and agitate the mixture. I have found that it's best if you mix the ice cream for about 45 minutes because I find that this makes the smoothest ice cream. Once the ice cream has been mixed, I then transfer it to a tupperware box in order for it to be put in the freezer for about 3 hours.

The major drawback of the Magimix Le Glacier 1.1L is the fact that you need to preplan as you need to put the bowl into the freezer before hand in order to ensure that the solution which sits between the metal and plastic sides of the main bowl is frozen solid in order to cool the ice cream mixture to the desired temperature. The instructions recommend that the bowl is put in the freezer for at least ten hours, but I have found that it does work if it's been in the freezer for about six hours, although for optimal use I would try to put it in the freezer for longer. This is fine if you are making the ice cream for a special occasion, but if you just want to make the ice cream on a whim then this can be a bit of a pain. I have taken to keeping the bowl in the freezer between uses so that it's ready in there when I want it. Sometimes I get a build up of ice on it when I do this, but I find that rinsing it off before use gets rid of any ice build up.

I find the paddle works well, but it can be difficult to get the paddle into the neccessary locked position.....there is definitely a knack to it which I think I know have down.

However, overall, the machine makes really good ice cream which is smooth and a really good consistency. It also makes a good quantity of ice cream in one go - about 1 litre, which is a decent family size portion.

My favourite flavour is coconut ice cream which is made by mixing 300ml milk, 90g castor sugar, 300ml double cream, the flesh of one coconut and some mint. I mix all the ingredients together over a low heat - and then transfer this to the mixer.

I do recommend the Magimix Ice Cream Maker, but it is not without it's problems!