Food & Drink

The Dartmoor Ice Cream Co

The Dartmoor Ice Cream Company set up ice cream operations in Princetown two years ago. Two friends, Carol and Sue, had a vision of making ice cream as close as possible to the homemade version that they could produce in their own kitchens. They set about developing their range, making as many of their own chunks and sauces as they could. They wanted to represent the Dartmoor area well by making a high-quality product and chose to use milk, cream and eggs from local farms. The resulting product is rich, creamy and delicious. Despite the pandemic, they’ve seen a growth in demand this year as word of their delicious range of ice creams and sorbets has spread. This autumn, their efforts were rewarded with success at the Food Drink Devon Awards, where they won seven Gold and one Platinum for their ice creams and sorbets. Sue describes feeling ‘stunned’ when she was told of the awards. She says: “The news came as an enormous boost. We’ve worked so hard trialling and testing and experimenting in the kitchen. Some experiments were dropped if they didn’t make the grade, so the awards were huge affirmation that the hours we spent weren’t wasted.” This is Dartmoor Ice Cream Co’s second year of operation having had a busy summer selling to restaurants, pubs and shops across Devon, as well as households in the local area. They are currently working on new flavours for next year and are hoping to build on their success. Carol adds: “It’s hugely important to us that we represent Dartmoor well, with consistently high-quality products. We hope this will contribute towards the tourist experience across Dartmoor and beyond, as well as providing local people with delicious ice cream.”

The team want to extend their enormous thanks for the wonderful support they have received from local people, as they continue to fly the flag for quality produce on Dartmoor.

BAILEYS & CREAM TIRAMISU

BANOFFEE PIE CHRISTMAS PUDDING A REAL TASTE OF DEVON

WINTER FLAVOURS

ORDER FROM www.dartmooricecream.uk

Or by phone: 07837 889463

Shopping for Christmas wines

Dave Anning explains how to ensure Christmas wine shopping is a festive treat.

Here are some suggestions to make shopping for your festive wines an enjoyable experience rather than a chore! Firstly, focus on quality rather than quantity. Plenty of deals offer you lots of wine, but unless you’re entertaining large numbers, Christmas is an opportunity to treat yourself to something special. Next, get some advice! Paying more doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy the wine more. You can get really good wine for quite reasonable money. More expensive wines are often an acquired taste — aged Bordeaux is prized for flavours of leather and tobacco, so if you prefer fruity, vibrant wine, then buying a £50 bottle of Bordeaux could be a major disappointment. If the ’cheap’ offers you buy end up forgotten in your cupboard, then buying a few bottles you really enjoy can even be better value. Choosing wines to pair with your Christmas dinner and festive meals can be intimidating. You should pair wine with the strongest food flavour, but faced with meats, gravies, stuffing and sauces all on one plate, where do you start? Tell your wine merchant what you’re eating and they’ll explain why some wines work better with some foods. At the very least you’ll learn how to avoid clashes — we’ve all had a dry red wine with sweet food at some point and regretted it! Next, consider a mixed case — but make sure it’s not just wines being offloaded by calling it a Christmas case. The festive period is essentially feasting with snacks and treats between meals — a proper Christmas mixed case will cater for the meals, but also for the sweets and snacks. A good fizz is a must of course, but don’t be pressured into Champagne. There are top quality alternatives from around the world — especially England. The south coast of England is now a premium environment for growing the grapes used to make Champagne, hence the success of English fizz. The classic match for a turkey dinner is a white wine from Burgundy, especially Mâcon, so if there’s one of these in the case it’s a very good sign. Also look out for a dessert wine. With so many sweet treats, Christmas is the perfect time to enjoy this style - the wine needs to be sweeter than the dessert — and every year I hear choruses of ‘Why don’t we buy pudding wine more often?’ Finally, look for two styles of red: a deep and flavoursome red to drink with beef or lamb (and drift off with as you doze in front of the fire) and a lighter style such as pinot noir or gamay, that is food-friendly and will match with gammon, and even turkey. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

Dave Anning

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