Meet the Producer : Sally Newell , owner of Simply Ice Cream
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 .
To what extent is your product seasonal ? Do you work around the clock in summertime and take a break during winter ? We produce 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 services 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 .
What ’ s changed for Simply ? We were delighted to introduce a vegan ice cream . We have also launched a franchise which will hopefully see our ice cream in farm shops and independents across every county of the UK .
So ... 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 ’ s the strangest flavour you ’ ve ever produced ? We were asked to run a competition to celebrate LEC ’ s 100th birthday . The public got to choose four 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 ?
MEET THE FACE BEHIND | 47