PRODUCEDINKENT
MEET THE PRODUCER :
SIMPLY ICE CREAM
Simply Indulgent , Truly Heavenly
NATURAL ICE CREAM LOVINGLY HANDMADE IN SMALL BATCHES IN THE HEART OF KENT USING ONLY SIMPLE , NATURAL AND FRESH LOCAL INGREDIENTS .
Multi award-winning Simply Ice Cream is a truly artisan business , making its ice cream in small batches in the heart of Kent near Ashford since 2005 , using British dairy products , Kentish seasonal fruits and ingredients from top suppliers sourced locally where possible .
Why the name ‘ Simply Ice Cream ’?
We wanted our name to reflect the fact that we use very simple , quality ingredients without the use of artificial flavourings , additives and preservatives . Our Strawberry Ice Cream is milk , cream , sugar and fresh Kentish strawberries , likewise our Raspberry Ice Cream - milk , cream , sugar , and fresh Kentish raspberries etc ...
To what extent is your product seasonal ? Do you work around the clock in summertime and take a break during winter ?
We make all year round , although it is much busier in the summer as all our seasonal outlets open up and there are usually lots of events , weddings and busy ice cream parlours , which tend to stop in the winter . However , theatres ( panto ), cinemas and food service are usually busy and keep us going throughout the winter months along with all our trusted retailers who do a fairly steady trade throughout the year . With our ice cream being so indulgent , it ' s a great dessert offering either served as an accompaniment or on its own all year round really !
You mentioned your trade with the events , entertainment and hospitality sector – all badly affected by Covid . How have you coped ?
When covid hit , we lost 70 % of our customer base overnight and I furloughed all my staff , determined to keep the business going so that as many of them as possible have a job to come back to – which is what we have done . Turnover is obviously dramatically reduced , but the retailers have kept us busy , and we also launched a direct to customer offer for those self-isolating . It ’ s been a very quiet year without events , but it has enabled me to work on aspects of the business that I hadn ' t had time for . A vegan ice cream will launch in May , we have partnered with a couple of companies and we will supply lollies along with our ice-cream for a one stop shop . We have also launched a franchise which hopefully will see our ice cream in farm shops and independents across every county of the UK !
Come on , tell us your personal favourite ice cream flavour !
I personally love our coffee ice creams and all our sorbets - Irish Coffee , Coffee , Coffee and Kentish Cobnut Fudge , and the Lemon Curd ; although we quite often have a bit of Honeycomb and Vanilla as a family and obviously have to sample all the flavours throughout the year to make sure they all taste wonderful !!
And what was the weirdest flavour you ever produced ?
We were asked to run a competition to celebrate LEC ' s 100th birthday . The public got to choose 4 flavours to put in an ice cream and as you can imagine we had some weird and wonderful suggestions – even putting the winning four flavours together was an interesting experience . We also worked with a chilli sauce and mustard brand who wanted to promote their sauces in an ice cream : anyone for Hot Mustard with Orange ?
www . simplyicecream . co . uk
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