Ice Cream News December 2018 Compiled by Carpigiani UK
The superb weather throughout 2018 has made it a record year for ice cream sellers and manufacturers. What does 2019 hold? We have compiled our favourite news stories relating to ice cream.
SCORCHING SUMMER SEES £2M FUNDING FOR ICE CREAM EQUIPMENT BUSINESSES
Carpigiani made the news this month. Reported in BQ Live:
Summer weather and rise of dessert lounges see ice cream machine sales soar
Hereford-based ice cream equipment business, Carpigiani UK has provided over £2 million in asset funding to its customers via its specialist finance partner, Academy Leasing, following record summer temperatures and the rise of dessert lounges in the UK.
Carpigiani UK is the leading manufacturer of soft serve ice cream, artisan gelato, shakes and blended drinks machines and currently supplies some of the UK’s biggest high street cafes, restaurants and dessert lounges.
The company, which not only provides equipment, but also development facilities, recipe guidance and display design services, has experienced a huge demand for its products over the past 12 months. This coincides with the significant rise of dessert lounges, waffle houses and ice cream parlours in the UK, twinned with the uncharacteristically warm summer weather.
The finance facilities are provided by Academy Leasing, an asset-based lender and part of the 1pm plc group of specialist finance companies. It allows both new and established businesses to spread the cost of the state-of-the-art machinery across a number of years, making the equipment more accessible, and payments more manageable against cash flow, which can often fluctuate in seasonal hospitality businesses.
Scott Duncan, sales director at Carpigiani UK, said: “The rise in popularity of dessert lounges on the UK high street and retail parks has seen a huge surge in demand for our equipment, recipe development and shopfitting services. The prolonged summer weather has also boosted urgent enquiries for new and upgraded ice cream and gelato machinery to meet the British population’s appetite during the prolonged heatwave.
“Working alongside Academy Leasing allows our customers’ fast access to the highest quality machines to meet demand driven by the weather, which as we know doesn’t always stick around. This finance facility also allows us to work with a larger number of companies during the peak summer season, which can see sales enquiries rise four-fold.
“The process of developing a concept, designing a product and creating a place to sell it from can take months before the first sale is made, so flexible finance is required for the majority of our customers.”
Michaela Dodd, from Academy Leasing, said: “Naturally when the sun is out, Brits flock to buy ice creams, so businesses need to be ready to meet the demand, however, taking on the expensive equipment can be a big financial risk.
“Carpigiani have a rich heritage and history of supplying to the best quality cafes and restaurants and we’re pleased we can support them to continue to do this when the British appetite for ice cream increases. The state-of-the-art equipment, by nature, is expensive to buy outright and companies of all sizes will need assistance in purchasing it. Our specialist finance options allow them to offer the best quality products at affordable prices.”
Pecan pie in ice cream is even better than ice cream on pecan pie
The marriage of ice cream and pie is one of the nicest pairings in the dessert world. But why not take it further?
Originally reported in food52
Winter is upon us and as the temperatures plummet, we turn to “comfort food”, such as pies. Which is perfectly fine with us. We love pies — eating it, baking it — but it is a bit of a labour of love. Unless you shape and freeze your crust, or make your dough in advance, baking a pie takes some time and elbow grease. But every time I do it, I remember why it’s worth the effort.
Pie is a study in contrast. A crisp, buttery, flaky crust cradles a soft filling of cooked fruit or silky custard or the gooey base of a pecan pie. Pie is good warm and exceptionally good cold. And pie practically cries out for a scoop of ice cream.
The marriage of ice cream and pie is one of the nicest pairings in the dessert world. But why not take it a step further? I’ve seen pie shakes on menus (where a slice of pie is blended with ice cream into a milkshake), but that loses all the delicious texture of the pie itself.
This year I realised what I should have been making all along: pie ice cream. Not only do you get the fun of eating both together, but you cut down on some of the trickier elements of pie-baking, like rolling out the crust and shaping it. I highly recommend making this for holiday parties this year — it’s such a novel approach to a classic dessert.
Now, if you want all the fun of pie ice cream with none of the fuss, you can go the store-bought route. Take a slice of leftover pie, smoosh it up with a fork — taking care to leave large chunks of crust intact — fold it into slightly softened ice cream, then refreeze. Voila! Instant pie ice cream.
But if you want to make a full batch of pie ice cream (and you really should), here’s how I do it. My favourite is chocolate pecan pie ice cream: the gooey, sugary interior of a pecan pie makes a nice ribbon-like swirl in ice cream, while the nuts add a delightful crunch. Throw in some chopped chocolate for good measure, and it’s downright addictive.
First, I make a half-recipe of my favourite all-butter pie crust. I roll it out (and here’s where it gets easier than pie), not worrying about the shape and keeping it thick, about 1/4-inch.
I prick it with a fork and bake it at 180 Celcius on a parchment-lined baking sheet until it’s golden brown. While it cools, I make the base of my ice cream and the pecan filling. I like to use a simple eggless ice cream base here, which is a bit less rich than its yolk-laden counterpart. Feel free to use your favourite vanilla ice cream recipe.
For the pecan pie swirl, I simply cook all the ingredients you find in a pecan pie filling on the stovetop. A few extras steps—adding a splash of brandy and toasting your nuts first — make all the difference. Churn your ice cream according to your machine’s instructions, then about 5 minutes before it’s ready, add in the pecan filling, a handful of chopped chocolate, and your crumbled pie crust.
And there you have it: pie and ice cream, all in one bite. Give those store-bought pints a run for their money this year.
Chocolate Pecan Pie Ice Cream
Makes: 1 quart
IngredientsFor the ice cream:
2 cups heavy cream, very cold
1 cup whole milk, very cold
3/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher saltFor the mix-ins:
1 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold
3 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted lightly
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon brandy
2 eggs
1/4 cup (57g or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped dark chocolate
Ice cream man fined for selling outside Bristol shopping centre the during summer heatwave
An ice cream man who set up his van in the middle of Broadmead during the hottest part of the 2018 summer heatwave might have made a mint – but it has now cost him hundreds and almost thousands of pounds report Bristol Live.
Dominic Abruzzo parked his Salvatore’s Mr Whippy Ice Cream van in Broadmead and on Penn Street outside Cabot Circus and sold ice cream, lollies and drinks to a sweltering population back at the end of July and the beginning of August.
But he did not have a street trader’s licence for that particular area.
In fact, the centre of Broadmead and Penn Street are ‘prohibited zones’ for street trading – so someone with a general licence isn’t allowed to sell their wares there – even if it’s 32C and you’re selling ice cream.
Abruzzo, from South Liberty Lane in Ashton Vale, Bristol, pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates Court to six charges relating to six different days – July 19, July 21, July 22, July 24, July 31 and August 1 – after he was prosecuted by Bristol City Council’s Neighbourhood Enforcement Team.
It is unknown how much money the 50-year-old made on those six days but the resulting fines and court costs mean he has taken a hit.
For each of the six days, Abruzzo was fined £200. He then also was ordered by magistrates to pay £750 in costs, and a £30 ‘victim surcharge’.
It means Abruzzo, who hit the headlines three years ago after he switched his ice cream van to a hot chocolate van during the winter, will have to pay a grand total of £1,980, with magistrates giving him two weeks to pay.
Here’s the scoop on a new avocado ice-cream
Hundreds of kilograms of blemished and imperfect Australian avocados will be converted to a dairy-free ice-cream and sold in Perth retail outlets and restaurants from next week reports the Western Australia.
The new business, Gelavo, has been launched by food technologists and business partners Andrew Tilley and Anthea Rodoreda, who developed the idea three years ago as part of their food science studies at Curtin University.
Although nothing happened initially — mainly because a tight supply of avocados meant very little waste — the pair dusted off the idea a year ago and developed it into a new business under Curtin Accelerate, a 10-week program providing support and guidance to commercialise a business idea.
Ms Rodoreda said rapid growth in WA avocado production in recent years had increased waste volumes to the point where they could source enough to launch their business.
Mr Tilley said the ice-cream, to be made in their new Osborne Park facilities, would use south-west growers-supplied good quality Hass avocados that were considered second grade for aesthetic reasons such as blemishes on the skin or size or shape.
Ms Rodoreda estimates Gelavo will use about one tonne of these less attractive avocados in the first year, but volumes are expected to multiply in future.
“Some of these avocados would be sold to Perth cafes for use in guacamole or prepared avocado dishes, but a lot would also be thrown out,” she said.
“We aim to reduce that waste, while providing a good value-added vegan product to the dairy-free segment and to those with allergies or intolerances.”
The ice-cream mixture contains about 22-25 per cent avocado, depending on the flavour, along with water, sugar (16 per cent), canola oil, and lime juice to stop the fruit browning.
Flavours include the flagship avocado and vanilla, which will carry a mild nutty avocado flavour. In the chocolate and coffee flavours, the avocado taste is not recognisable.
“The difference between this ice-cream and other dairy-free alternatives is the avocado makes it much creamier,” Mr Tilley said.
Gelavo is targeting premium farmer’s market-type stores, while some Perth restaurants and cafes have also shown interest.
Ms Rodoreda said plans included looking at uses for other WA produce that would otherwise be wasted, including apples, oranges, bananas and strawberries.
Gelavo’s next planned flavour is Jaffa, using waste oranges alongside the avocado base. Although the plan is to mix other fruits with avocado, Gelavo will eventually also use these in non-avocado sorbets.
Both Mr Tilley and Ms Rodoreda plan to keep their day jobs working as food technologists at other companies, making their artisan product out of normal business hours.
How much each ice cream van pitch will cost in Plymouth in 2019?
Ice cream vans are a welcome source of relief when the sun beats down. But have you ever wondered how much sellers have to pay for the best pitches? The Plymouth Herald explains all.
The most expensive slots in Plymouth are not surprisingly at the Hoe – but the vans are going to have sell a lot of 99s with a flake to cover the £11,265 cost for the 12 months from April at two sites on Hoe Road.
Next most expensive is a site on Hoe Road/Grand Parade at £5,675, followed by two on Madeira Road at £4,566, Pier Street at £1,357 and Cliff Road at £1,104.
The cost of ice cream trading consents for next year from Plymouth City Council are going up by 1.5% – the same as for other street traders.
There are 14 official street trading sites in the pedestrianised part of the city centre and one for an ice cream van – ranging from £7,699 at the sundial to £2,984 at the top of New George Street.
Elsewhere, alongside the seven ice cream van pitches, there are seven sites for food and non-food sales on the Hoe and Madeira Road which have been frozen at £3,000 to encourage new traders.
If all the trading sites are filled, they would raise almost £140,000 to be spent on enforcement and prosecuting illegal traders.
A report to the council says the rise in costs has been kept below inflation to try to support the traders.
It says there has been a drop in visitor numbers to the city centre, and a recognition that there are closed shops near the street trading sites.
The report adds: “This has led to even more of a need to keep street trading to keep vibrancy and life to the high street and also to allow our, mostly, local traders to keep their prices affordable to visitors to the city.”
Traders already in place are given a “degree of preference” when new consents are decided, the report to the licensing committee says.
The new prices for the sites were agreed at a meeting on Tuesday, December 4th 2018.
December 2018 Ice Cream News:
What a crazy month for news involving ice cream and ice cream vans. With the Met Office long-range weather forecast indicating a good Summer – we await more crazy ice cream stories during 2019
Topics from this blog: News Carpigiani Finance Pecan Pie Ice Cream Carpigiani News ice cream van pitch avocado ice cream