 |
|
|
ice cream Sunday First published in Lancashire Life,
June 2007 Ice cream evokes so many memories of childhood, something
that was a real treat on a hot summer's day out, or even to be taken when you were ill, because you couldn't manage to eat
anything else. But in our house, we always had a small bowl after a big roast Sunday lunch. It was the perfect foil after
a feast of hot juicy meat and gravy. The feel of the frozen product, sliding across your tongue and hitting the back of your
throat was invigorating and cooling at the same time, and cleared your palate. In its simplest form ice cream is just flavoured and
frozen cream, but it’s depressing to realise that most of the major producers make a product that contains no cream
at all. If you look at the labels you’ll see they're often non-dairy products, that don't even contain milk. The fat,
which is essential in making ice cream is from vegetable oil or even animal fat, and if there is milk, it is in powdered form.
When searching for the real thing, buy "dairy ice cream",
this guarantees that the fats are all dairy. The finest though, is made with whole milk and double cream, and sometimes with
egg or egg yolk added. The Ice cream should have a smooth firm texture and a rich
creamy, fresh, clean taste, and not be full of tiny tasteless icy particles, or be too sweet or eggy. Vanilla is by far the
most popular variety, and it is here you can tell if it's really good, as it doesn't mask the quality of the ice cream itself.
Of course there are flavoured ice creams too, using fruit, nuts or the finest chocolate, but these shouldn't over power the
cream taste. Huntley’s ice cream is the real thing; home made
with the creamiest whole milk from their own cows. Eddie Cowpe and his family have been farming in Samlesbury for over 800
years, and recently built a 750 sq ft farm shop selling amongst other things, sixty flavours of fresh home made ice cream.
They market this under the brand "Moo 2 You", and have won many awards including being celebrated as one of Rick Stein’s
Food Heroes. Their best, without doubt, is the Pistachio flavour. Other recommendations include Mrs Dowson's superb Blackcurrant and the new Sangria Sorbet made by Huntley's Moo 2 You - Samlesbury, Near Available from their farm shop and other fine food
retailers in the Dowsons Dairies - Clayton-le-Dale, Phone: 01254 812407 Website: www.mrsdowsons.co.uk Available from outlets and restaurants across the region,
call for further details. Phone:
01257 263154 Website: www.fredericksicecream.co.uk Availability: Supplied to the trade and
through their own ice cream parlours. |
|
 if you want to make a nice comment about my blog please e-mail me at cow@themoaningcow.com. Alternatively, if you violently disagree with what I have written or generally don't like the
bovine thing, e-mail bull@themoaningcow.com. Also see our disclaimer.
|