Jon Lee is the owner of Feel Good Ice Cream Co, which will be setting up stall in Jarrolds Food Hall, Norwich from today. Here, he explains how he became a convert of real fruit ice cream whilst living in New Zealand
It began back in 2012 whilst residing in Nelson, New Zealand, at the heart of real fruit ice cream – where me and a few mates would always make sure we stopped off at the farm for an ice cream – it was like nothing I’d ever tried before. If someone asked if I fancied a strawberry ice cream, I’d usually brush it off, but this real fruit ice cream did it for me and my friends! So, When I had the opportunity to bring it back to England in Spring 2023, that’s what I did. And I thought if all else fails I could sell off the horsebox I’d converted, make a profit and have a nice ice cream machine for the pantry. Thankfully it hasn’t gone that direction. I’m Norfolk raised and having spent a good seven to nine years away, I can now appreciate what Norfolk and the surrounding areas has to offer. I absolutely love it.
So real fruit ice cream is a blend of vanilla base ice cream (it’s worth doing your research for the one that compliments the fruit best) and real summer fruits which are frozen and blended into the machine which is like an auger and smashes it into a soft serve ice cream without any bits in the mix. Delicious!
I’ve chosen Lakenham Creamery for the vanilla base as their Aldous product is creamy and subtle enough to bring out the flavour in the fruit too. As for the fruit, I’ve gone to a specialist soft fruit growers who fresh freeze all their produce in Hertfordshire. I’d liked to have used a local producer for this however I’m not at the minimum order stage of 1 tonne per item.
The three originals are strawberry, raspberry and blueberry and every so often I’ll introduce a guest fruit and tinkering with the flavours. Low and behold, Chuckleberry is the one. It’s a hybrid fruit which is a combination of gooseberry, redcurrant and blackcurrant and let me tell you it’s sweet and tangy on two levels – with the creaminess from the ice cream it has become our flagship product.
The machine is from New Zealand and, I believe, developed by Kiwis many moons ago and has been a staple for them for decades. It’s lever system which engages the auger creates a wonderful theatre as each ice cream is made in front of you.
Having a stall in Jarrolds is something I’m very proud to be a part of given their history for providing high quality, local products. The team there are amazing to work with I’m pleased to announce I’ll be there from 7th June from Friday to Sunday and then every day during the summer break. I’ll also be doing some local and UK events with the horsebox.
For now the future is busy and bright so I’ll be putting all my focus on providing excellence in service and getting to know all the new faces I’ll come across in 2024. From there, I’ll be brainstorming future endeavours for 2025. I’m excited to say not least for Feel Good Ice Cream Co.
The Feel Good Ice Cream Co can be found in Jarrolds Food Hall, Norwich from 11am today (Friday June 7), Saturday and Sunday, (also from 11am); then every day during the summer holiday. Visit feelgoodicecreamco.co.uk.
Featured images – supplied
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