SF_April2022

That growing awareness by consumers of what they’re eating has seen an expansion of certain ranges, says Young, who offers a range of vegan and dairy-free products at Hooray’s. “People are more aware of what they’re eating, doing more research and trialling what they’re eating. People are choosing to eat differently and having that range is creating an inclusive environment for them.” New Forest’s Veal, whose company has introduced three additions to its certified vegan range to cater to the vegan diet, including two sorbets, agrees, saying: “Catering for all audiences is key when it comes to ice cream. Retailers need to make sure they provide a selection of innovative, exciting flavours. Offering a selection of both flavours and varieties means you cater for each individual who steps foot into your store.” The value of NPD When it comes to innovation, it’s not just about healthier products, but those that will meet the need of an audience endlessly on the hunt for the next best thing. “New product development is really important to ensure we are keeping up to date with trends and always bringing something new to the table to excite customers,” adds Veal. “All of our ice cream recipes are carefully developed and we are constantly thinking of new flavours and ways of mixing it up!” The same goes for Hackney Gelato, which recently launched a limited edition Hot Cross Bun gelato. 36 W hen it comes to food with universal appeal, it doesn’t get much better than ice cream. From young to old, as a sweet treat or a comfort food, the category is a firm favourite with British consumers. According to some figures, an estimated 3.15 million people in Britain ate ice cream two to three times a week in 2020 – with 4.57 million eating it once a week. Like many categories, ice cream and frozen desserts thrived during the Covid pandemic, withmany of us turning to them for comfort. The change in the way we snack has seen ice cream sales continue to rise, with figures fromKantar showing that take-home sales of ‘handheld’ ice creams and desserts like sticks and filled cones grew in 2021, taking the category’s worth to £1.3 billion. And it’s not just sales of sweet treats for home that have risen over the past few years, but our enjoyment while out and about, with PwC noting a 20% CHRISTINA VEAL NEW FOREST ICE CREAM SAM NEWMAN HACKNEY GELATO SASHA YOUNG HOORAY’S BRITISH GELATO KITCHEN SUSIE DAVIS ODI AND MOO VIV THYER & LYNNE JOHNSON GALLONE’S KATHRYN BRICKEN DOUGHLICIOUS COMMENTATORS HOWTOSELL: ICE CREAM Far from a season-specific indulgence, 2022’s ice cream scene shows that there are opportunities aplenty in the frozen dessert sphere, finds Ellen Manning year on year rise of ice creamparlour openings in 2020. Ice cream: the ultimate treat Britain’s love affair with ice cream and frozen treats is a long-running one, but what drives it? For Christina Veal, director at New Forest Ice Cream, which supplies to stockists including farm shops and delis as well as restaurants, pubs, cafes and kiosks, it’s about finding the “ultimate treat”. “Despite the recent surge in demand for healthier ice creams, those looking for luxury and indulgence when it comes to a take- home treat still remain one of the largest subcategories in ice cream,” says Veal. “Many consumers still look for that ultimate treat when it comes to ice cream.” SamNewman, founder of Hackney Gelato, which sells direct to consumers as well as via larger multiples, agrees. “Ice cream brings unbridled joy to children and adults alike. In our minds truly happy holiday memories revolve around strolling along the seaside in the sunshine with a cone of the good stuff in your hand. It’s the feeling we hope to bring to everyone when they eat our gelatos. Whether they’re strolling in the sun or eating it in their pyjamas in their living room, it should be a pleasurable, happy experience.” Sasha Young, who runs Hooray’s British Gelato Kitchen in Stratford- upon-Avon, Warwickshire alongside mumSara, thinks one of the keys to ice-cream’s ongoing popularity is its universal appeal. Hooray’s produces Italian style gelato using entirely British ingredients sold in their shop as well as to other outlets. “Our customers are anyone and everyone,” says Young. “It’s grandparents who love a knickerbocker glory, a child with their first taste of ice cream and everyone in between. We get people coming here on dates, we’ve had a couple who had their first date with us then we hosted their engagement party and did a party after they got married. School groups come in, we do lots of children’s birthday parties, baby showers, hen parties. Ice cream is great for celebration so our customer base really is lots of different people.” On top of that, the Covid pandemic reminded us of the value of an edible treat, adds Young. “People felt they were missing out on a lot so they grasped on to the treats that they could have. There was a lot you couldn’t do, but you could give your family a treat by coming in for an ice cream or having ice cream at home.” A changeable feast Sales may be buoyant, but the popularity of ice cream and frozen desserts are still affected by various factors – including seasons. Situated in a popular tourist area, Hooray’s has felt the loss of international tourists in recent years, but the local community has stepped in and helped it thrive, says Young. There’s also the difference between summer and winter trade. “We have quite a short season which starts in April and ends in September, with a huge quantity of our sales during that time.” Seasonal variations are something Viv Thyer and Lynne Johnson, who run the Leamington Spa branch of Gallone’s, notice. As well as serving traditional Italian ice creammade at Gallone’s in Northampton, they serve bubble waffles, pancakes and other sweet treats. In summer, they have queues out of the door but while trade dips off in winter, they make up with ice creamparties for children. They have also benefited from the surge in use of delivery services, says Thyer, with people keen to order ice-cream delivered to their door. The love of ice-cream and frozen treats may be longstanding, but that doesn’t mean its producers have stood still. Changes to our diets – including the rapid growth in vegan and free-from eating, as well as a constant search for the new and exciting, has helped drive innovation. In 2020, UK ice creamparlours were asked by the Ice Cream& Artisan Food Showwhat their best-selling products were, prompting 36% to say vegan ice creams were the most significant new product varieties, followed by dairy-free and reduced sugar at 5% each. At the time, Zelica Carr, CEO of the Ice CreamAlliance, said the range of flavours were “testament to the creativity of the industry”. In her words, ice cream makers were “in tone with prevailing taste trends” given the number producing ‘free from’ products such as vegan, dairy-free and reduced sugar – as well as reduced calorie and gluten-free. “We have always used our knowledge of flavour combinations to drive innovation and coming from a chef’s background has helped us take those ideas andmake them into something delicious,” says Newman. “Having both grown up in Italy, some of the recipes we’ve developed are a love letter to the gelatos we grew up eating there. Other times we’ve been driven by the desire to create something unusual and show off our craft, like when we took a classic British cake like the hot cross bun and turned it into a gelato.” Susie Davis, founder of Birmingham-based Odi andMoo, which was born in the first Covid lockdown when she and business partner Jimmy Thewlis borrowed an ice creammachine from their local pub, offers a core range but adds regular seasonal specials such as a Cadbury Creme Egg flavour for Easter and tangerine and Prosecco in warm weather. “Our range is by no means traditional,” says Davis, who supplies to farm shops as well as other outlets including pubs, restaurants and vegan cafes. “We are handcrafted and quite quirky. Some of our core range consists of white chocolate pistachio brittle, blueberry maple syrup cheesecake, brown sugar vanilla, toast and Honey, chocolate chip cookie dough and our very first flavour – Jammie Dodger. Our vegan range just keeps growing, our most popular flavours are dark chocolate sorbet and peanut butter banana crumble. Christmas is a fun time for us – we make homemade mince pie, Whether [customers are] strolling in the sun or eating it in their pyjamas in their living room, [eating ice cream] should be a pleasurable, happy experience Retailers need tomake sure they provide a selection of innovative, exciting flavours. Offering a selection of both flavours and varietiesmeans you cater for each individual who steps foot into your store @specialityfood