A Blog Of Ice Cream

Ice Cream Passion Poll - A Call To Ice Cream Lovers!

2009-07-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! July is here - National Ice Cream Month has arrived. A great time to talk about Ice Cream Passion!

Here's the thing .... the number of visitors to ice-cream-recipes.com builds year on year by an average of 33%. I don't think the percentage of people around the world getting connected to the Net every year is as high as that in fact, and if I am right, it can only mean one thing - that the popularity of ice cream is growing. This is backed up by the fact that from the 1.15 million people who visited ice-cream-recipes.com in 2008, 4 out of 5 were new visitors.

People search consistently for "vanilla ice cream", "homemade ice cream", "strawberry ice cream recipe" all clearly indicating a passion for learning more about ice cream making.

So I've been asking myself how I can appease this passion a little more .... how can I make people feel like they are making a contribution to ice cream know-how?

The answer - "The Ice Cream Passion Poll"

I have opened up this blog post to comments and invite anyone with a passion for ice cream to CAST YOUR VOTE. Want to take part?
Sign in via your Google account and just state the following information:

1. The country where you live
2. If you are male or female
3. Your favorite, all time ice cream flavor
4. Your favorite ice cream topping/sauce
5. If you have a favorite ice cream memory

This is an exciting experiment for SERIOUS ice cream fans and if it proves popular (and doesn't get abused with junk posting!) then it will be an endorsement of the good side of the Net - allowing people around the world to share their ice cream thoughts with each other. So climb on board and join the Ice Cream Passion Poll!

Raspberries & Ice Cream With Fleur's Flair

2009-06-25T02:44:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year for enjoying fresh fruit and ice cream. Personally, I think there's nothing better than fresh, ripe strawberries with a scoop of ice cream! Here's a picture of some fruit picked freshly from my own garden. My strawberry patch is quite small but VERY productive as is my raspberry patch and rhubarb patch and I only have 2 cherry trees but these alongside there are blackcurrant bushes, redcurrant bushes, gooseberry bushes, blueberry plants plus several apple trees, 2 plum trees and a pear tree, meaning that the summer months offer me and my family plenty of opportunity for enjoying fresh fruit - whether with ice cream, in fruit salads or even in fruit pies.

This brings me to a conversation I had recently with a dear friend who lives in London; it was one of those conversations where we found ourselves digressing from one subject to another. It had just been released in the news that the American painter and writer Fleur Cowles had died, aged 101 and I knew that she had been a good friend of my friend in London. Though I had never met Fleur, I knew of her and her delightful husband Tom, having read one of Fleur's books "She Made Friends And Kept Them" - a fascinating read. So naturally my friend and I chatted about Fleur a little and she volunteered a wonderful story which she has happily consented to my sharing with you here .... "I'm sure Fleur would have approved" she said.

One of Fleur Cowles' passions was arranging regular dinner parties at her London home and weekend get-togethers at her Sussex home to which she would invite her 'famous' friends -artists, actors, politicians, writers and so on. Luciano Pavarotti, Yehudi Menhuin, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Laurence Olivier, James Stewart, Cary Grant ... these are just a few who appeared on the guest list. My friend in London was invited to spend the weekend at Fleur's Sussex home on several occasions and remembers very fondly the pride with which the home-grown fruit was served as a dessert - when in season, it would be raspberries freshly picked from Fleur's garden served with ice cream. Although quite a few years ago now, my friend insists she can still recall the wonderful taste and how it represented a definitive "English Summer". A marvellous memory and a reflection of how Fleur Cowles touched the lives of many people - even mine!

My friend paid a delightful tribute to Fleur Cowles recently in her own "Letters From London" blog - called simply "Dear Fleur" it offers an intriguing insight into one of the most fascinating, individual women of the 20th century.

Connecting Ice Cream, Famous People & Dyslexia

2009-06-23T02:47:00.000-07:00

I've written before about famous people and ice cream such as Elvis Presley, Jackie Chan and others as well as a number of former US Presidents who enjoyed ice cream. It's an interesting connection but there are lots more connections that are just as fascinating. Such as famous people (including US Presidents) who have been/are dyslexic. Walt Disney suffered from dyslexia but it didn't stop him founding one of the biggest and best entertainment corporations the world has ever seen. Here is an interesting list of dyslexic famous people - it spans centuries from Da Vinci through to Tom Cruise.

I know several people personally who are dyslexic and one of them, David Allen who is a successful chartered accountant and businessman, was recently presented with a 'Businessman Of The Year' award in recognition of his energy and commitment within the local business and sporting communities. David is one of those people who is always coming up with new ideas, wanting to move forwards and make progress with everything he does.

He even writes an accountants blog where you can read about some incredibly diverse things .... the progress of the football club that he owns .... the fibreglass cows installed on the lawn outside his business premises ... and lots more. Of course David has also written about living with dyslexia on his blog. It's a great post and makes for inspiring reading.

I know that David likes ice cream too which made me wonder just how many successful people with dyslexia also enjoy ice cream. An interesting thought .... some research to be done there I think .... and another blog post for another day!

Ice Cream Inspirations

2009-06-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how people who make ice cream are always looking for new recipes and new sales angles? I have come across 2 very different approaches to this ....

1. Using other foods to inspire new ice cream creations - such as Gino Soldan the master gelatiere did in the summer of 2008. Gino took some traditional British foods and made ice cream out of them. That may not sound very inspiring in itself but look at the foods he worked with and you'll realise what a challenge it was - Yorkshire Pudding, Sausage & Mash, Wensleydale Cheese! Needless, to say it got Gino into the headlines - indeed, sufficiently enough for me to contact him to ask him personally why and how he rose to the challenge. Read my interview with Gino Soldan.

2. Using famous people to inspire new ice cream creations - such as Ben & Jerry's and Baskin-Robbins have already done. "Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road" consisting of chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks was launched for a limited period in the summer of 2008 as a tribute to and with the permission of Sir Elton John. Similar ice cream creations have been produced as tributes to Barack Obama, Willie Nelson and John Lennon. Read more about Elton John's ice cream.

I shall keep on the lookout for more in this vein - it makes for such interesting reading!

Recipes & Videos Including Ice Cream Videos

2009-06-09T03:17:00.000-07:00

We all like to learn new things and it depends upon our interests and natural inclinations as to which direction we go in. For anyone interested in homemade food, it's got to be learning how to cook or bake something new - in other words ... RECIPES.

However, once you've got your recipe together, it's not always easy to know exactly how to go about it. I suppose that's why TV cook series have become so popular ... watch the tv chef at work, record it if you like and learn exactly how the recipe should be followed through. That's fine if you're happy to go with the tv chef's own recipes.

But what about recipes you download from the Web? Well, thanks to the wonderful, continual development of web resources we can all now view video clips of how to do things, including how to follow through with a recipe. Here are 2 examples ....

BBC Interactive Recipe Videos

Gourmandia Catalog of Cooking Videos

And of course if you want to watch a video of how to make homemade ice cream ... you can watch my very own ice cream videos
Note: filmed using an ice cream maker

Knickerbocker Glory, Gordon Brown & National Ice Cream Week

2009-06-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

As I reported in my last Blog Of Ice Cream post, 1 June 2009 sees the start of Britain's first National Ice Cream Week. Today could go down in history you never know .... if the British enter the spirit of celebrating ice cream this week, we could see all sorts of things never seen before!

Imagine it .... Members of Parliament taking a welcome fresh-air break from the House of Commons and rushing to queue up at the nearest ice cream van for a vanilla ice cream cone - paid for of course out of their own pocket! That's provided of course that their local ice cream van has not been banned by the local council. Banning ice cream vans sounds a crazy idea but it has been happening in Britain recently!

Continuing on with the idea of what we might see this week in Britain's National Ice Cream Week, I would like to think that everyone will join in, even the British Royal family. HM The Queen is known to sometimes offer delicious ice cream on the menu at formal dinners in Buckingham Palace and many of her grandchildren have been photographed enjoying ice cream cones at outdoor events.

What about the British Prime Minister? Will he allow himself to be seen eating ice cream this week? C'mon Mr. Brown, have an afternoon out with your family and visit an ice cream parlor - after all President Obama (clearly an ice cream cone fan) didn't mind being photographed doing just that with his family last year on the Presidential Campaign.

Tell you what Prime Minister Brown, if you go out this week and visit a British ice cream parlor, I will personally pay for your Knickerbocker Glory! Just email me the receipt. I sincerely mean that - it's time you had something to smile about and what better than a great British ice cream tradition.

Long live the Knickerbocker Glory!

Britain's First National Ice Cream Week

2009-05-25T02:24:00.000-07:00

Celebrating ice cream is done by many people every day all over the world - just eating an ice cream cone whilst walking in the park is a great example. Recognising the importance of ice cream is, I believe, very important; after all, it's a part of our cultural heritage and for many people is a great 'escapist' food - I've yet to see anyone with an ice cream cone that doesn't smile at some point in the experience!

Imagine a world without ice cream? No thanks, that would be incredibly dull!

Q: So how do we recognise the importance of ice cream?
Q: How do we say: "Thank you ice cream for making life that little bit extra special" ?
A: We have special ice cream days!

In the USA of course there's been a tradition of National Ice Cream Month (July) and National Ice Cream Day (3rd Sunday in July) since Ronald Reagan was in office - back in 1984 he proclaimed National Ice Cream Month an official, annual celebration. Nice one Mr. President! But what about other countries?

Well, although it's not been endorsed (as yet!) by the British Government or HM The Queen, 2009 sees a "National Ice Cream Week" for the first time in Britain. Admittedly, it's the brainchild of a British ice cream manufacturer who undoubtedly is looking to see their sales increase, but hopefully during the week of 1 June people all over Britain will enter the spirit of the idea and enjoy some of the fun that ice cream offers. I shall watch with interest how the British react to this new idea. Hopefully, they will embrace it and demand that we celebrate with an even more special week in the summer of 2010.

As one of my favorite singers James Taylor occasionally sings:

"If you're down and troubled and you need a helpin' hand .... and nothing is going right ...."

My advice? Go get some ice cream!
Moreover, make your own ice cream if you can, it's not that difficult. Here are some of my easy ice cream recipes.

Beach Ice Cream

2009-05-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

Eating ice cream on the beach .... what a wonderful picture that conjures up in the mind. Children and adults alike love eating ice cream by the sea.

Why is that? Well, let's take a look at it.

To my way of thinking there are a few reasons for this but the main 3 main reasons are:

Most of us go on a beach when it's sunny and warm and on a warm day an ice cream is a really welcome treat - cool and refreshing.
Eating ice cream can be a bit messy. Let's face it, how many of us have never dripped an ice cream cone onto our clothes? I don't see many hands up in the air for that one! So where better to not worry about messing up your clothes than when you're on the beach - most people are in their casual clothes or swimwear so it's not a big deal to clean up any ice cream that's gone astray.
On many beaches, even on those without major facilities for buying food and drink, you can usually find an ice cream seller that comes by during the day. Sometimes on foot but very often in a small motorised ice cream cart, these ice cream sellers doing a roaring trade.

Here's a photograph of one in Zandvoort where the beach stretches for miles on end, giving the ice cream seller a vast sales patch. It must be good business - look at how well organised this ice cream seller is with a tractor and beautifully attractive pink ice cream cart. Hard to resist!

Zandvoort, like many other seaside resorts, is abundant with opportunities to eat ice cream off the beach as well.

It has some great ice cream parlours and some of the best ice cream display cones I've ever seen.

If you know of a great beach for ice cream and want to share it with others I have left this post open to comments. No junk mail please - this is a serious blog for people seriously interested in ice cream. Thank you on behalf of all the good bloggers that are out there!

Ice Cream Vans Threatened With Ban - What Do You Think?

2009-05-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday I wrote a blog post called "The Prospect: No More Ice Cream Trucks On Our Streets" and yesterday I was asked by the BBC to join in a radio debate about the threat that currently exists in some parts of the UK to ban ice cream vendors from having licences to park in residential streets to sell their ice cream.

The reaction from not only myself but others taking part including the radio presenter himself was that it is an absurd idea. People also called in afterwards and sent text messages to the same effect. No-one said anything to the contrary! Such is the strong feeling that people have when it comes to ice cream, especially the ice cream van (in the US of course it's the ice cream truck).

As my friend Mary said to me this morning:

"Not only do they supply ice-cream, but they form a social function. They provide a touch of humanity amongst the welter of anonymous traffic."

However, there is always the risk that politicians and policy makers don't listen to 'the common man'. Therefore I'm going to open up this post to comments and invite you to cast your vote:

IS IT IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE ICE CREAM VANS ON OUR STREETS?
YES OR NO

Please no junk - only serious comments from people interested in ice cream. Thank you.

The Prospect: No More Ice Cream Trucks On Our Streets

2009-05-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

It was with total disbelief that I read a news item the other day about how in Britain there is a move towards banning ice cream trucks from parking in residential streets to sell their ice cream. Crazy or what?!

Apparently, some local councils are fearful that ice cream trucks may cause a public nuisance and could even contribute to childhood obesity. So some are no longer issuing street vending licences to ice cream sellers.

I grew up looking forward every week to the ice cream truck coming down our street, parking within easy walking distance of our house and being allowed by my parents to go and enjoy a special treat of a vanilla ice cream cone sometimes smothered in raspberry sauce or with a chocolate flake. The memories come flooding back as I begin to reminisce. Some of the happiest days of my childhood were ice cream days like that. Moreover, I didn't become obese as a result!

I know I'm not alone in my feelings too - many people eat an ice cream cone and can't help but smile as they do so, recalling fond memories of enjoying ice cream when they were younger. Like John who owns some Cumbria self catering cottages and writes a great little blog - in one of his posts about a walk in the Eden Valley he mentions eating an ice cream cone. Then there are movies where eating ice cream cones is portrayed as no less than a part of our cultural heritage - take for example 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' (1951 original with Michael Rennie). There's a scene where the man from outer space spends a day out in Washington getting a taste of what human life is about and he gets to eat an ice cream cone. Speaking of Washington, President Obama has a love ice cream that he's happy to share with his family, as witnessed last year during the presidential elections. Read about it in my US Presidents and Ice Cream blog post and also how Senator McCain reacted excitedly upon hearing an ice cream truck whilst he was out campaigning. Very pointedly, none of the people mentioned are obese.

So come on Britain, let some common sense prevail please and leave the ice cream man alone!

Mother's Day Ice Cream

2009-05-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

Most countries have a 'Mother's Day'. In Britain it's in March each year yet in the USA it's in May - this year 10 May is the day.

I'm not going to linger over any complicated suggestions of what to do on Mother's Day this year, simply to say that if your mother likes ice cream, you could do worse than to give her a special ice cream surprise.

Make some homemade ice cream fresh that morning - such as vanilla ice cream - or take her out to an ice cream parlor for a special ice cream sundae. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be a great big serving of ice cream. Then again if she really likes ice cream sundaes then order her something like a Knickerbocker Glory! Just as long as i'ts something you know she likes.

After all, Mother's Day is about showing that you care and how better to do that than recognise that she deserves a little treat occasionally. That's the magic of ice cream!

Homemade Ice Cream - Great DIY

2009-05-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

If you ever thought that DIY (Do It Yourself) was restricted to putting up some new shelves or installing new roller garage doors, think again because DIY also applies to foods that you might never think of making for yourself ... but can!

Let's face it, when most people think of ice cream they think of going out to buy a pack of Ben & Jerry's or Walls (or one of many others depending upon which country you live in). Few people actually stop and think about making their own homemade ice cream. Yet it's not that difficult. Granted, it's easier with an ice cream maker but you can also make ice cream without an ice cream maker. What's more, when you make ice cream yourself it always tastes better and it's such a satisfying experience.

So if you've ever done any DIY around your house or garden but never made ice cream, think of it like this .... just as you get a kick out of seeing those shelves installed and carrying your books or dvds with the satisfying knowledge that you've done it yourself, imagine eating a bowl of delicious, fresh ice cream made by your own fair hand. Now that's what I call 'tasty' DIY!

Ice Cream - To Freeze Or Not To Freeze - ?

2009-04-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Think of ice cream and most people imagine a frozen food ... but you would be wrong, well partly wrong. Why?

Homemade ice cream is at its best when freshly made. Having made lots of ice cream at home, tested and tasted it freshly batched and having also eaten it after it's been stored for a few days in the freezer, I can tell you there is simply no comparison - both in taste and texture.

Gelato, the popular 'artisan' ice cream originating in Italy, is acknowledged to be enjoyed at its best on the day it is made, not after it's been frozen. Although gelato means frozen, it's a little ironic that gelato ice cream is known more for being a 'soft' ice cream. In most gelateria (ice cream parlors specializing in gelato), making gelato is done that day actually on the premises and although it's usually served from an ice cream freezer, it is a different kind of freezer to what you normally see for American style ice cream. It's a "forced air freezer" which prevents the gelato from becoming too frozen.

Left is a photo of a typical ice cream display freezer used for serving gelato. There are lots of ice cream display freezers on the market today for commercial ice cream sales. Some are large with numerous ice cream pans and others can be split-level ice cream display units. There are also some small countertop ice cream display freezers as well as upright display freezers such as the UFG1380 display freezer.

Whether you enjoy making your own ice cream recipes or going out to an ice cream parlor, it's worth remembering that freshly made ice cream will always be the best. Ice cream freezers are great for minimal storage of ice cream such as in gelataria but if you make your own ice cream you should be aware of the do's and don'ts of storing ice cream properly.

Ice Cream & Roulade

2009-04-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting thing I learned today - a roulade can be not only sweet but also savoury. With its origins being European and its name obviously a French word, it's not surprising then to learn that savoury roulades are popular in France, Germany (known as Rouladen), Italy (known as Braciole), Hungary (known as Szüz) and Poland (known as zrazy).

In England, the roulade is definitely associated with the sweet kind, a good example being coffee roulade. There are lots of other variations on a theme for sweet roulades but coffee roulade springs to mind as I write this post because a friend recently told me that one of her longest standing friends Tina was a very good cook who happened to enjoy coffee roulade with a serving of ice cream. Now I'm not sure what kind of ice cream Tina put onto her roulade (it was probably vanilla ice cream) but if any of my readers want to try some coffee ice cream, I actually have a fresh coffee ice cream recipe that you can try. Whether it's with or without roulade doesn't matter. Good ice cream is great on its own or with other food - makes no difference - not to me anyway!

Coffee is a fascinating subject - I even have a coffee history page where you can read about the East African shepherd that many people believe was the first to make a coffee drink.

April 15 - Tragedy, Greatness & Ice Cream Connections

2009-04-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

April 15 is a date synonomous with both great and tragic events in the world's history. Two notable ones at opposite ends of the scale are:

1. The sinking of the RMS Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of over 1,500 lives.

2. The birth of Leonardo da Vinci - a man who left a legacy of incomparable genuis that the world still admires 500 years after his time.

So what's the ice cream connection?

In the case of RMS Titanic, ice cream was on the menu for first and second class passengers on the last day the ship ever saw daylight - April 14 1912. Described as 'French Ice Cream' for first class diners and as 'American Ice Cream' for second class, this alone portrayed vividly the class distinction that existed at the time. Read my Titanic Ice Cream blog post from 2008 for more details and links to see scans of the menus.

In the case of Leonardo da Vinci, well as much as he was a brilliant inventor, one thing he did not come up with was a design for an ice cream maker! No, my ice cream connection with him is much simpler. I have been fortunate enough to visit Vinci in Tuscany where Leonardo's family came from and, indeed, to visit the house in Anchiano where Leonardo was born just up the hill from Vinci. It was the most beautiful sunny day and the carpet of red poppies that lined the hillside as we drove up to it was a sight I will never forget. Returning back down the hill to Vinci once more, we stopped for coffee and ice cream at a small cafe near the museum. For some reason, that ice cream tasted more delicious than any I had had for a long time and whenever I think of Leonardo's birthplace that is one of the memories that comes to mind. If you ever get the chance to go to Tuscany it is the most wonderful place - whether you like ice cream or not!

Easter Ice Cream - With Chocolate, Nuts & Honey

2009-04-11T02:41:00.000-07:00

Every Easter I'm aware that many of my readers will be thinking of doing some home entertaining or, at the least, a little home cooking. So Easter recipes are high on the agenda for Internet searches around this time of year - and I don't want to disappoint anyone who is looking for ideas!

Last Easter I suggested a rich white chocolate ice cream recipe. Great for using up any white chocolate easter eggs you might have left over. The same applies to milk chocolate too - here is my chocolate ice cream recipe using real milk chocolate. So if your family gets a lot of chocolate this Easter, remember they don't have to eat it all at once - make some ice cream with it or, indeed, keep some of the chocolate until after the holidays and then make ice cream with it. After all, the 'best before' date on chocolate is usually pretty good. In fact I met a chocolatier a couple of years ago who told me that, generally speaking, chocolate can be good for up to as long as a year after it's been made. Even so, you should always check the manufacturer's date on the packaging.

However, I digress .... back to Easter ice cream!

This Easter I'm going to suggest 2 ice cream recipes:

Something 'nutty' - my crunchy pecan & maple syrup ice cream recipe. The reason? It has proven to be one of the most popular with people I know which makes it a pretty good bet for when you have visitors over the holidays.

Something 'sweet' - my honey ice cream recipe. The reason? Most people like honey. It also gives a great texture to the ice cream and, funnily enough, is an ice cream flavor that many people have yet to try. So the reaction to be offered it is usually one of surprise and interest.

Honey is always great to have in your kitchen at Easter anyway - it's delicious served on hot cross buns or scones!

Indeed, if you serve honey in any shape or form over Easter, you might like to share with your guests a few, fascinating facts about the wonderful honey bee. The link I've given is to a great BBC web page - nothing too scientfic or overbearing, just some great information.

Happy Easter ice cream making!

Ice Cream School

2009-04-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

In the last year I have got to know 2 master ice cream makers, both Italian, who are making a name for themselves in the world of gelato. Interestingly enough, neither of them lives and works in Italy for they have found a demand for their specialist skills outside their home country.

One is Gino Soldan, the master gelatiere in charge of the very special Harrod's ice cream parlour in London (Morelli's Gelato). Gino hit the headlines in the summer of 2008 because of the unusual ice cream he was making for a special, sponsored and limited edition of ice creams. These included an incredible array including wensleydale cheese ice cream. Wallace & Gromit fans will recognise Wensleydale as being Wallace's favourite!

The other is Marina who lives and works in Barcelona. Having run her own, very popular ice cream parlor in the city she recently told me about her latest venture - her ice cream school. It was fascinating to learn what gave her the idea and who her students are. Although I haven't tasted her ice cream (not having been to Barcelona yet unfortunately!), the photographs of her stracciatella ice cream and her fig ice cream are sufficient to make you believe that she is a lady who knows her gelato! Here is a freshly made batch of her stracciatella gelato.

If, however, you cannot get to her ice cream school - and that will apply to many of you of course - then you can always have a go at making gelato yourself. Here is my gelato recipes page. Enjoy!

Beach Sunset & Ice Cream

2009-04-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

As my regular readers know, I love it when I come across people and places with strong ice cream connections.

One place I wrote about last year that seems to abound with ice cream kiosks, ice cream parlors and large ice cream display cones is Zandvoort, a delightful beach resort in the Netherlands. One of the best ice cream display cones I have ever seen was there - a smiling polar bear holding a giant ice cream cone of chocolate and mint choc chip ice cream! Read more about the bear and where I found him on my big ice cream cones post.

If you ever get the chance to visit the Netherlands, especially in the summer months, then Zandvoort is a great place to visit for a day trip or weekend.

The reason for writing this post is that I just came across a fantastic video of a summer sunset filmed on Zandvoort beach. It's a wonderful, relaxing piece with a soundtrack only of what was happening live at the time - the natural sounds of a busy summer's days coming to a close (during which no doubt many an ice cream cone had been eaten!) and the gentle sound of the sea lapping up onto the beach.

This kind of thing is what makes the Internet so enjoyable and such a positive means of sharing good experiences. Let's have more please!

View the Zandvoort video

A Spring Wedding Venue - With Ice Cream!

2009-04-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and many couples in love will 'tie the knot' and get married in the coming weeks and months. From a recent report I read, April to August is the key time for weddings. Not surprising then that on many wedding menus you will find ice cream. Why is that?

Well, apart from being a refreshing dessert in warm weather, ice cream is one of the most popular dishes for both children and adults alike and with many weddings needing to entertain guests with families, choosing ice cream as part of the wedding celebration meal is a safe bet.

I was privileged to be able to visit a super wedding venue in England called Eastnor Castle. Just two and a half hours' drive from London, it is a magnificent and quite unique piece of archictecture nestled in thousands of acres of stunning countryside close to the Malvern Hills (Edward Elgar country). Its setting is truly romantic - for anyone lucky enough to get married here it must feel something like fairytale.

I was intrigued to discover whilst there that when the castle and its beautifual gardens are open to the public, they have an ice cream kiosk in operation close to the castle's own shop.

It seems that no matter where I go there's always an ice cream connection. Long may that be the case!

PS. If you don't get the chance to visit Eastnor Castle they have a super little online store with some wonderful, exclusive gifts.

Ice Cream In The Family

2009-03-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned an ice cream making family business that has been in operation for over 100 years - Luchini's homemade ice cream in the English Lake District. That is just one example of many families around the world whose passion for making their own ice cream has been passed on from generation to generation.

Another way in which I have come across a family tradition connected with ice cream is when I have read about famous people who seem proud to mention their family having had an ice cream business or operating an ice cream truck. Two such people whom I've written about before in a Blog Of Ice Cream are:

1. Ronnie O'Sullivan - last autumn I had just read the autobiography of this snooker genius and in the book I was struck by a photograph of him as a young boy sat on the bonnet of an ice cream truck which was run by his family.

2. Anthony Minghella the Oscar winning movie director who sadly died last year was from a family with a long established ice cream business.

Read about both of these in my Tradition of the Ice Cream Man post.

This week it was the anniversary of the death of a famous British comedian, Tommy Cooper, who sadly died on stage during a performance 25 years ago. Amongst the press, tv and radio tributes to him and to his life, I picked up on a point that was mentioned more than once - about ice cream. Apparently, Tommy's parents used to operate an ice cream van, selling ice cream to the public at fairgrounds; Tommy also claimed he would sometimes even help sell ice cream from one of the windows of their house. Thankfully, Tommy did not take up a career as an ice cream salesman, for whilst he would probably have made a success of it, I believe he made the world a far better place by allowing us to share in his natural, comic genius.

I must share with you one of his best loved jokes which involved ice cream and a Knickerbocker Glory ....

So I went down my local ice cream shop, and said:
"I want to buy an ice-cream."
"Hundreds & thousands?" said the ice cream man
"We'll start with one." I said
"Knickerbocker Glory?"said the ice cream man
"Well, I do get a certain amount of freedom in these trousers, yes."

The ice cream world's loss was truly the real world's gain. Thank you Tommy Cooper.

Staying Small In The Ice Cream Business

2009-03-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Now I don't often write about commercial ice cream companies but today I'm going to. No, I'm not about to do any promotion or advertising for any of them in case you're thinking that! This is a little different and I hope you will agree with my conclusion.

At a time of recession, many people's minds are focused on the potential for business to stay alive. For the past few years, however, it has been the opposite - seemingly everyone focusing on the potential for business growth. Of course, in the last decade or so many small companies have grown large, some even into corporate giants but that does not tend to happen in the ice cream sector. Why is it that? Many small ice cream companies stay small - do they choose that or is it inherent in the nature of the business?

I was chatting recently with someone who runs a b&b in Carlisle close to the English Lake District and Scottish borders and we started to talk about the number of small ice cream companies in their area. Being a predominantly dairy farming area it would seem only natural that ice cream is made here and that certainly seems to be the case with a great "cottage industry" based around ice cream including ice cream parlors and tea shops catering for the many tourists that flock to the English Lakes each year. So why are there no large ice cream companies in the area?

I don't have the answer .... only a few thoughts:

Perhaps ice cream as a busines is just not scaleable - it must be difficult to maintain the quality yet retain the uniqueness above a certain level.

Perhaps each dairy farm has a limit to the dairy produce it can provide and the owners have no desire to expand.

Perhaps the cost of buying extra equipment to expand is prohibitive.

The above are what the business guru Michael Porter would call "barriers to entry". It think there's an important point here though - perhaps we are actually better off for these flaws in the way the economics of it all works.

Personally, I prefer the idea of staying small when it comes to ice cream - that way we can enjoy the benefits of a broad range of companies whose ice cream making is distinctive in its own way.

I was lucky enough to visit an ice cream parlor in Keswick called Luchini's and the experience backed up my point perfectly. A family run business making delicious homemade ice cream since 1901 - over a 100 years! A passion for ice cream that has lasted from generation to generation. Now that's something special worth preserving.

I hope to write about Luchini's again shortly and in more detail, sharing with you some of the super ice cream photographs I took.

Ice Cream Poke & Ice Cream Slider

2009-03-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today I heard two expressions relating to ice cream that I had NEVER heard before - ice cream poke and ice cream slider.

My family and I were visiting some dear friends (whose hospitality is always wonderful) and amongst our many topics of conversation - eg. the history of the Titanic, big band jazz, making ceramics and the technology of sonic horns - we started talking about ice cream.

Now these friends know about my passion for ice cream and indeed I helped them get an electric ice cream maker of their own which they use regularly to try out my ice cream recipes. So you would think that having discussed ice cream with them before, there could be no way of them using terms completely unfamiliar to me ... but they did. You see Don was born in Belfast (which I pronounce as "bellfast" but he insists should be said as "belfarst") and on recalling childhood memories of ice cream he suddenly referred to ice cream pokes and ice cream sliders.

The quizzical expression on my face must have said it all so he kindly explained ....

ice cream poke = ice cream cone

ice cream slider = ice cream sandwich (using wafers)

Having returned home, I had to look this up! Apparently, these expressions are used throughout Ireland and also parts of Scotland. The ice cream poke expression interested me most and after a little digging what I discovered made perfect sense. I had heard the expression "a pig in a poke" before but never stopped to think about it. Apparently, one meaning of the word 'poke' is a sack or bag - a definition dating back over 600 years to medieval England! So it's totally logical to use the word to describe a cone for holding ice cream.

Great to have an English lesson from an Irishman - thank you Don!

Beating The Recession With Ice Cream

2009-02-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

There's no escaping it, the world economy appears to be in a recession. There's hardly a country on earth that is not suffering its effects in some way BUT if a recent news article about food in Britain is correct, then McDonald's could be one of the few losers .... thanks to ice cream.

It seems that many British families are abandoning restaurants and opting for less expensive food with the knock-on effect that McDonalds has just announced its best year ever for its outlets in Britain. Serving no less than 2.5 million British customers every day, the giant food chain is understood to be claiming a 10 per cent rise in its breakfast sales during 2008 alongside a strong rise in its ice cream sales.

So what do we learn from this? That it takes a lot to diminish the British love of ice cream and even when pockets are tight and finances struggling, having an ice cream is not only inexpensive but it's a treat to brighten up even the darkest of gloomy economic times.

I have yet to see someone who, when eating an ice cream, fails to smile at some point!

Country Cottage Ice Cream - A Quickie Recipe

2009-02-19T02:41:00.000-08:00

Here is something I heard about this week that I just had to share with my Blog Of Ice Cream readers - an ice cream recipe that's quick and easy to make, that doesn't need an ice cream maker and uses just cream, sugar and yoghurt. No eggs, no milk. Interested? Read on!

Ingredients:

10 fl oz (300ml) heavy cream (double cream)
4.5 oz (140g) caster sugar
10fl oz (300ml) good quality, fruit yoghurt (from any store or supermarket)

Method:

Heat the cream and sugar in a small pan, ensuring the sugar dissolves but do NOT boil it.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the yoghurt and stir into well mixed.
Pour the mixture into small ramekins and leave to cool.
When cool, place the ramekins in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Remove from the refrigerator and place into the freezer until it becomes the right consistency.
Remove from the freezer and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: Serves 4

I have yet to try this one myself but John, whose recipe it is, assures me he's made it many times and it's always delicious. In case you're wondering who John is, he is not a professional chef but the owner of some super holiday cottages in a quiet country village on the edge of England's stunning Lake District. Perhaps most famous for being Beatrix Potter country, John tells me that there is a multitude of interesting sights to see and things to do in Cumbria. Follow the link to see the list of just 40 of them that he mentions on his site!

If you fancy making some more easy ice cream recipes you can download some from my website - vanilla ice cream, banana ice cream, chocolate ice cream.

Enjoy!

Baobab Ice Cream Anyone?

2009-02-16T01:29:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons that ice cream is such a delicious food is that it can be made with so many different ingredients - from all kinds of fruit to chocolate, wine, tea, coffee and lots more. The biggest category of ingredients has to be that of fruit. Standard popular fruits such as the strawberry are great for making ice cream that's deliciously creamy; the more citrus fruits lend themselves better to making ideal, refreshing sorbets.

I'm always on the look-out for unusual fruits to try in ice cream. Last year I made strasberry ice cream, publishing the first Internet ice cream recipe ever for that fruit - not often you get to achieve a 'world first'! It was such a strong tasting, aromatic ice cream that I can't wait to get my hands on some more strasberries this year when they are in season.

My mother recently sent me a newspaper cutting about .... the Baobab. I had never heard of the word before and yet it sounds like an astonishingly unusual and also beneficial fruit. Here's what the article claims about the Baobab tree:

it sometimes referred to as 'the upside-down tree' because of its root-like branches
it can live for up to 500 years with some living as long as 2,000 years
it has been known to grow up to a height of as much as 98 feet
hollowed out baobab trees in Africa are sometimes used as shops and barns
the baobab fruit looks like a coconut on the outside
its white pulp is powdery with a cheese-like texture
the pulp tastes slightly sour
it is high in iron, potassium and anti-oxidants
it is native to Africa
it has been revered in Africa for thousands of years
only specially trained people are allowed to climb the baobab tree to collect its fruit
in some parts of East Africa it is sold as a type of sweet with a red, sugar coating

The nutritious properties of the baobab's pulp apparently make it ideal as an ingredient for cereal bars and smoothies and it is now being imported into the EU for the very first time for that purpose.

So we have a new fruit to experiment with - and enjoy. I have yet to see any baobab fruit pulp in my local supermarket but I will keep looking as I would love to try some in an ice cream recipe. As and when I do you'll hear about it on this blog .... so watch this space!