farming diversification
Treat yourself to Scottish ice cream By Janis Hopper
After a summer when temperatures rocketed it’s been a good season for those who’ve diversified into ice cream. We look at five examples of ice cream producers who’ve done things a little differently. ACHRAY FARM USP - GOATS MILK ICE CREAM Achray Farm lies in Brig o’Turk between Callander and Aberfoyle in the heart of the Trossachs, selling goats milk ice cream and fresh fruit sorbets. The flavours are often crafted from fresh herbs, fruits and foraged flavours, growing on or around the farm. The milk comes from Achray’s micro dairy where a small herd of Anglo Nubians/Toggenberg and mixed goats are milked daily. The goat house and milking parlour are situated in listed stone barns, and the ice cream is created on site in a small larch clad cabin. Each pan is individually made using the farm’s goats milk and cream. The idea came to farmers, Nicola Hornsby and Crispin
Achray Farm goat
40
Hoult, after visiting a ‘cheverie’ in France in 2017, where the couple accompanied a herd of goats on a foraging walk in the Ardeche National Park. Back home and inspired, they invested in their first pair of milking goats, Pan and Ria. Nicola and Crispin sell their ice cream directly from the farm at present from a newly refurbished, vintage horse trailer. Flavours have included blackcurrant, garden mint, elderflower, rhubarb & strawberry, jostaberry, lavender & lemon balm, barley malt, and bramble swirl. The Great Trossachs Path runs through the land so many customers are walkers and cyclists, but consumers also visit the Three Lochs Forest Drive by car. The goats graze on an area of land that
runs down to Loch Achray, and the smallholding is also home to a market garden plus a mix of fowl. The couple hope to take their ice cream horse trailer to foodie events such as the Scottish Wild Food Festival near Balfron, Foraging Fortnight (offering a weekend of foraged flavours at the farm) and Forth Valley Food and Drink Festival in October. Farm stays are also possible in Achray’s three bedroom farm house that sleeps six guests, and a newly renovated bothy should be available to visitors from Autumn 2021.
Nicola at Achray Farm
www.farmingscotlandmagazine.com
FOREST FARM DAIRY USP - ORGANIC MILK In the rolling green hills of Aberdeenshire is a long established organic dairy, creating organic milk, yogurt, handcrafted artisan gelato and sorbet. It’s also home to milk vending machines (buy a glass milk bottle and fill it with organic whole milk), alongside other vending machines selling organic fresh curd cheese, halloumi and a host of other cheeses, eggs and dairy treats. Ice cream can be bought in tubs to take home, or grab a cone
