Not many arable crops are grown in Cornwall due to the climate conditions there. But the lush grass of the region is ideal for dairying, bringing us the famed Cornish clotted cream which has found its way into not only cream tea and fudge, but ice cream as well!
I was initially excited to see that Cornish ice cream was available at Cold Storage. But, upon taking a closer look, I soon realized that the mass-manufactured product could never recreate the authentic Cornish ice cream experience. Take a look at ingredients inside Wall's Cream of Cornish, a product found in Tesco's outlets all over Britain which has given those outside Cornwall a taste of "Cornish ice cream":Reconstituted Skimmed Milk, Water, Sugar, Glucose-fructose Syrup, Butteroil (8%), Whey Solids, Cream (1.3%), Emulsifier (E471), Stabilisers (Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan), Flavouring, Natural Colours (Curcumin, Annatto.)Where's the Cornish clotted cream? Is the paltry amount of cream inside even clotted cream?
While I have to admit that the artifical flavorings in those inferior imitations are somewhat resemble the taste of authentic Cornish ice cream, their high overrun and hence fluffy texture is a far throw from the real thing. What makes Cornish ice cream special is its use of Cornish clotted cream, which gives it its thick and rich consistency, unique flavor and yellowish tinge.
My first Cornish ice cream was from Callestick Farm, in clotted cream vanilla (above). I had this on my first afternoon in Cornwall and I chose this flavor because I was curious about how the famous dairy export would taste in ice cream! The ice cream was richer and slightly thicker consistency than the ice cream I'm used to, and while I can't put the flavor of the ice cream in words- you've got to try it for yourself to find out- I felt that the flavor or the vanilla matched pretty well with that of the clotted cream.
While reading up about Cornish ice cream, I learnt that several Cornish ice cream producers like Callestick Farm, Helsett Farm and Roskilly's were set up in response to the introduction of an EU quota limiting the milk production and sales of dairy farmers, but which fortunately excluded ice cream production. Interesting!
My first Cornish ice cream was from Callestick Farm, in clotted cream vanilla (above). I had this on my first afternoon in Cornwall and I chose this flavor because I was curious about how the famous dairy export would taste in ice cream! The ice cream was richer and slightly thicker consistency than the ice cream I'm used to, and while I can't put the flavor of the ice cream in words- you've got to try it for yourself to find out- I felt that the flavor or the vanilla matched pretty well with that of the clotted cream.
While reading up about Cornish ice cream, I learnt that several Cornish ice cream producers like Callestick Farm, Helsett Farm and Roskilly's were set up in response to the introduction of an EU quota limiting the milk production and sales of dairy farmers, but which fortunately excluded ice cream production. Interesting!
At the Big Weekend at Trevaskis Farm, I was delighted to see a stall by Treleavens, a relatively new maker of luxury Cornish ice cream and sorbets. It's served at top restaurants such as Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Restaurant at Watergate Bay, and has garnered a handful of awards as well. Take for example, one of the flavors I had, Rhubarb Crumble and Clotted Cream won a Gold at the Great Taste Awards 2007.
Rhubarb Crumble and Clotted Cream & Strawberry
I didn't know that rhubarb is supposed to taste really tart but fortunately for me, there was only a mild presence of rhubarb which gave the ice cream a delicious fruity twist, well complemented by bits of crumble here and there. You could really taste the fruit in the strawberry ice cream, though its intensity still can't beat the stawberry gelato from Mashuko Dowa. What I liked most about Treleavens ice cream was how rich, creamy and luscious it was, especially the rhubarb crumble and clotted cream flavor- naturally thicker because of the clotted cream!
During my last afternoon in Cornwall, I visited the popular ice cream parlor, Mr B's, at Hayle. K's friend had described the ice cream here to be divine, and K's cousins love Mr B's so much, they take a 15 minute car ride here for ice cream every week.
Teddy cones, waffle cones, fudge sticks, Flake bars... snooping around their Twitter account revealed that Mr B's flavor list rolls 166 deep as of May 2010. No doubt the wide range of flavors the ice cream parlor offered- a rarity in Cornwall- is a main reasons behind their popularity.
Ferrero Rocher & White Chocolate Honeycomb
The rich consistency and smooth texture of the ice cream was perfect for a dreamy, milky white chocolate ice cream mmm! Ferrero Rocher featured chocolate hazelnut ice cream generously studded with chocolate chunks- a winning combination which I still reminisce about today. Though I have only tried the ice cream from a few Cornish ice cream parlors, I wouldn't be surprised if, as reputed, Mr B's sells the best ice cream in Cornwall. In addition, while I can't remember the exact price of my ice cream, but I recall that the serving size was pretty generous for the price. No wonder there is apparently always a queue at Mr B's!