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Wednesday 29 May 2013

Making Artisan Ice Cream at The Ice Cream Farm

The Cheshire Farm's Ice Cream Farm is a wonderful attraction in the heart of the Cheshire countryside.  It is free to enter and an excellent day out for families.  Over the years, the farm has expanded and developed from a simple dairy farm to a brilliant tourist attraction for all ages.  You can come to meet the animals, such as the miniature ponies, alpacas, rabbits and pigs, watch the cows being milked and sample the delicious ice cream freshly made on site.

It also boasts Quad Bikes, Mini Golf, Adventure Playgrounds, Indoor Soft Play area, Gold Panning, a cafe, gift shop and a Games Loft, so it has something to please everyone. (Some activities are chargeable such as £1 for the quads and golf, £2.50 for 30 minutes unlimited play in the games loft and £3.50 for Crazy Daisy's Fun Factory soft play.  It is the farm's policy to provide top of the range activities at very reasonable prices.)  Kids can have parties at the Ice Cream Farm in one of the amazing themed party rooms, the Ice Cave or in The Loft.  It is a fantastic venue!

The Ice Cream parlour serves up tubs or cones of their delicious Cheshire Farm ice cream in over fifty different varieties from traditional Vanilla, to the very British Strawberries and Cream to the unique Blackcurrant and Liquorice.  My favourite is a scoop of Mocha and of Salted Caramel in a double waffle cone. Yum!

farm, attraction

The newest attraction on the farm allows visitors to see the ice cream production process in action from the viewing gallery.  You can even make your own bespoke ice cream in the amazing Artisan Room.  We were invited for a tour of the farm and had the opportunity to have a go at making our very own ice cream using an ingenious Cattabriga machine which churns and freezes the ice cream.  The freshly churned top quality  ice cream base can be flavoured with a combination of flavours, fruits, sauces, toppings and other additions such as chocolate beans, marshmallows or biscuit crumb.  The polystyrene tub of ice cream is then blast frozen in a freezer and is ready to take home in half an hour.  The packaging keeps it in perfect condition for the journey home.

We made a fruity peach and raspberry ice cream which is absolutely stunning!  Making the ice cream is an experience in itself.  It is really fun to do and the freedom to make your very own combination of flavourings means you can make an ice cream to perfectly match any meal.  I love the idea of having a special dinner and finishing it of with a specially made ice cream that I have designed and made myself!!  It costs £10 to create and make one tub of ice cream, £15 for two, which I think is an excellent price for doing something so cool using top quality ingredients!  Children can get involved as they are supervised and assisted by a member of staff who will help them scoop the base into the tub and mix in the flavourings. Pre-booking is required.

cheshire farm ice cream

For parents wanting a healthier,lower fat treat for their children or for those who avoid dairy products, the Cheshire Farm Ice Cream Farm have perfected an amazing frozen fruit treat, the Frozen Fruit Smoothie. Made using real fruit pulps they are churned to create an ice cream like consistency which is smooth and creamy.  The individual pots come with a spoon under the lid so they can be enjoyed straight from the tub.  We sampled a Triple Berry and a Tropical flavour Frozen Fruit Smoothie and they were delicious, intensely fruity and flavoursome. The ingredients list consists of lots of real fruit purees with a little added stabiliser to create the desired, scoopable texture.  It really is a healthy treat!

Cheshire Farm Ice Cream

The Cheshire Farm Ice Cream Farm really is an excellent family day out with free admission and with some amazing extra activities which won't cost the earth.  It is clearly signposted from the A41 Chester/Whitchurch road and is open every day except for Christmas, Boxing day and New Year's Day.

Take a look at the website for further details:

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