Lemon verbena ice cream with poached peaches

Method

1. For the ice cream, put the milk into a pan and bring just up to the boil. Take off the heat, stir in the shredded lemon verbena leaves, cover and set aside for 1 hour.
2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a heatproof bowl until pale and thick. Bring the milk back up to just boiling, then gradually strain the milk over the egg yolk mixture. Stir well, return to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula. Take care not to let it boil. Strain the custard into a bowl, cool slightly, then stir in the cream. Cover and chill overnight.
3. The next day churn the mixture in an ice cream maker, then transfer to a container and put in the freezer. (Alternatively, pour the mixture into a shallow freezerproof container and freeze until almost firm. Scoop into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Return the mixture to the box, cover and freeze once more. Repeat 2-3 times until the mixture is very smooth, then freeze completely.)
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4. For the peaches, put 600ml water, the sugar, vanilla pod and lemon zest into a pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring. To skin the peaches, put them in a large heatproof bowl or deep pan, cover with freshly boiled water and leave for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of iced water with a slotted spoon. When cold, the skins should peel away easily. Add the skinned peaches to the syrup. Cover and simmer, carefully turning them now and then, until just tender and they can be pierced easily through to the stone with a cocktail stick. This will take 10-15 minutes, depending on their ripeness.
5. Lift the peaches with a slotted spoon into a serving bowl. Return the pan of syrup to the heat and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Add the lemon juice, then strain back over the peaches and serve warm or chill until needed. Serve with the ice cream and sprigs of lemon verbena.