When you think back to your childhood, what was your favourite sweet treat? It’s a fair bet that ice cream would be pretty near the top of the list.
Was there anything better than being allowed a Mr Whippy (with a Flake in it) on a trip to the seaside, and then rushing to eat it before it melted?
During the summers of my childhood, at precisely 10 to seven in the evening, a diesel engine would rumble in the distance, swiftly followed by the discordant chime of Greensleeves.
My brother and I , and the rest of the kids in the road, would be waiting excitedly, pocket money gripped in hand, for Bernie the ice cream man to arrive and serve us up cornets topped with fluorescent coloured lime syrup or chocolate nut sundaes.
Back then ice cream tended to come in just the three flavours, traditional vanilla, strawberry and chocolate – or if you were feeling daring, Neapolitan, which was a combination of the three.
Since then, ice cream has gone upmarket, thanks to the likes of luxury brands like Ben and Jerry’s, Haagen Dazs and Jude’s. And when it comes to flavours, the only limit is your imagination.
Lakenham Creamery, which is tucked away just off Hall Road in Norwich, was started back in 1921, by the splendidly named Christmas Aldous.
A century ago, the ice cream was made in a wooden tub packed with ice, which had to be spun by hand as the ice cream mix was poured in.
Christmas would deliver his Aldous Ices, as the company was then known, on his motorcycle and sidecar, ringing a bell to announce his arrival.
By the end of the 1930s, he had adopted more modern production methods, with electric driven machinery.
Today the company still makes traditional Aldous Ice Cream – based on the original 101-year-old recipe – along with their award-winning fresh cream Norfolk County Dairy Ice Cream, which they started making in the mid 1980s.
As the Norfolk County range began to grow, the decision was made to re-name the firm Lakenham Creamery – reflecting the fact that the ice cream had always been produced in the Lakenham area of the city.
Damian Hunt is general manager at Lakenham Creamery. He has worked there since he was 15 when his dad, who was the company book keeper, got him a job helping out during the six weeks school holiday.
“In 1993, at age 17, I joined Lakenham Creamery, officially in a full-time position as a general assistant in the factory,” he says.
They have been supplying their award-winning Norfolk County Dairy Ice Cream to world-famous luxury department store Harrods for 25 years, and it is also stocked at the royal Sandringham Estate and delicatessens across the east of England.
And their Aldous Ice Cream, which has been loved by generations in Norfolk, celebrated its centenary last year by bringing back their Creamy Pops lollies for a limited edition run.
“Our Norfolk County Dairy Ice Cream is made using fresh cream, egg yolks, sugar and natural flavourings. We produce over 20 different flavours ranging from the classic French Vanilla, Belgian Chocolate, and Double Strawberry to more unique flavours such as Gooseberry and Elderflower, Mascarpone and Fig, and Blueberries and Cream,” says Damian.
“And our Aldous Ice Cream is a very special range to us.”
As Damian explains, making the ice cream, using the traditional batch method, is a two-day process.
When it comes to ingredients, their milk and cream is from Meadow Foods based in Peterborough.
They source some of their flavours from family-run local business Essence Foods, who produce jam and chutneys in Norfolk and other ingredients, such as flavouring pastes, come from businesses renowned within the ice cream industry.
“Day one is what we call ‘a boil’. This involves pasteurising the milk, cream and other ingredients. Day two is what we call ‘freezing’, which is when we produce the ice cream ready to be frozen down and sent out to our customers,” says Damian.
On a busy day during the summer months, they could be making up to 2,500 litres of ice cream a day.
“The demand has been high this summer, as we’ve seen some amazing weather throughout August which has helped massively with sales. In the quieter months, our average size production run is around 500 litres a day,” says Damian.
The Norfolk County Dairy Ice Creams have won more than 120 awards, including 39 Great Taste Awards, which are like the Oscars of the fine food industry. This year their French Vanilla and Peaches and Cream (developed to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee) won one star and their Rich Butterscotch won two.
“Winning Great Taste Awards is hugely important to us as it’s recognition that what we make is of outstanding quality and tastes amazing,” says Damian, adding that flavours which have proved particularly popular this summer have been the Norfolk County Peaches and Cream and their new range of Aldous 500ml tubs, particularly the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake.
Of course, ice cream is no longer just for summer – and the team is starting to think about developing a new flavour for Christmas, although Damian’s not giving away the scoop on what that will be.
“We could potentially be looking at a new flavour for the festive season. All we can say is it will contain some sort of alcohol!"
It takes two months to develop a new flavour to tickle the tastebuds – and the whole team gets involved. Testing ice cream flavours? It sounds like pretty much a dream job.
“All of the staff members get together to discuss any new trends, or any flavour ideas they have had and from there, we finalise the new flavour,” says Damian.
“We then make samples of the flavour and each staff member gets to try the ice cream and give their verdict. Nine times out of 10, the flavour we have created works excellently with our ice cream and we begin production ready to supply shops and restaurants.”
So, what’s his own favourite Lakenham Creamery flavour?
“The Norfolk County New York Coffee – the coffee flavour with the fresh cream base is the perfect combination. I would highly recommend everyone to try it,” he says.
Lakenham Creamery has had a stall on Norwich Market since the 1930s – and a selection of Aldous Ice Cream and Norfolk County Dairy Ice Cream is available on Stall 8.
Their Factory Ice Cream Shop, in Trafalgar Street, off Hall Road, Norwich, is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. See lakenhamcreamery.co.uk or follow them on Instagram and TikTok @lakenhamcreamery
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