Most of us enjoy a good ice cream and the majority of people can pinpoint the best ice cream they’ve ever had and where it was. Whilst we’ll always enjoy a Mr Whippy on the beach despite fighting off seagulls, those who work in the industry are constantly thinking up new inventive ways for us to enjoy this frozen luxury. Here are some ideas thought up by creative entrepreneurs who have made a living selling some of our favourite treats.
1) Visit the cows who make your ice cream possible
Brymor ice cream is nestled in the heart of Yorkshire, in the rolling hills of lower Wensleydale. They’re the only ice cream producers in Yorkshire who have their own herd of Pedigree Gurnsey Cows and make all of their ice cream by hand on the farm. Their cows all live nearby in Wensleydale and the public can visit their calves at the parlour. Brymor boasts over 25 flavours of ice cream and sorbet and their flavours include delights such as Lemon Meringue, Fudge Brownie and, Black Cherry Whim Wham – which won two gold stars at the 2017 Great Taste Awards. They even offer a diabetic option so even more people can enjoy their product.
2) Halo Top’s guilt-free ‘Scoop Shops’
The word has made its way around fitness fanatics and now its hit the general public, Halo Top has joined the healthy ice-cream revolution and created delicious guilt-free flavours which are all under 400 calories per tub and packed with protein. They’ve adopted some of the nation’s favourites such as vanilla, choc chip and chocolate alongside the decadent peanut butter cup, cinnamon roll and choc chip cookie dough. Having started in a kitchen at home, Halo Top has now embarked on the next step of its journey and opened a range of ‘Scoop Shops’ in the US, serving up soft serve and scoop ice cream offerings in-between ice cream sandwiches, tacos or in shiny gold waffle cones. We’ve got our fingers crossed these take off in the UK soon enough to get our own guilt-free ice-cream fix.
3) Ice cream on clouds of candy floss
A café in London called The Milk Train Café is serving ice cream wrapped in clouds of candy floss, and they’re a marvel. They’ve hopped on the Instagram-able food train with their soft serve ice creams in a variety of flavours including vanilla, matcha and a variety of themed/seasonal flavours. Customers then have the option to have them wrapped in candy floss and topped with biscuits, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, waffle sticks and a plethora of other delights. If you want to try their ice cream, you will need to be prepared to wait because the queues can get very long, especially during peak times.
4) The fine art of the chocolate fountain
Italy is, of course, famous for its gelato and you could say it’s very hard to improve on – however, Venchi has managed it. They’re artisan chocolatiers by trade with gelato parlours across Italy. One of their stores in Rome fills an entire wall with a chocolate waterfall and you can buy their chocolate to take home, or snack on during the day if you can’t wait. They dip their cones into melted chocolate giving you the option to add nuts, fill it inside the cone itself then stuff it with premium gelato, which includes a wide range of flavours and sorbets.
5) Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream or ‘Nice Cream’
There has been a recent rise of ice cream parlours where they make the ice cream from its base ingredients, using liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the contents in front of your very eyes. This not only makes for a great spectacle but actually creates a smoother, velvety texture of ice cream. The potential for flavours is limitless and if you want to test run a new flavour, it won’t take long at all to whip up a batch and see if it works. The only drawback is that making ice cream in small batches on a ‘per customer’ basis can be time-consuming and can mean a longer wait for guests, but good things do come to those who wait.
If you’re already running an ice cream business or are looking to open one and want to know more about how Bennett Christmas Insurance Brokers can help you find suitable insurance, get in touch today.