We All Scream... For the IOW Ice Cream Co.

By Rebecca Lawson

2023 marks the ‘coolest’ anniversary on the Isle of Wight — 10 years of production of delicious creamy goodness made lovingly by the Isle of Wight Ice Cream Co. in over 35 flavours.

Nothing says summer on the Isle of Wight beaches quite like a smooth, velvety ice cream, and the Isle of Wight Ice Cream Co. has been serving up delicious coned creations since 2013. This year, ice cream parlours island-wide will be decorated with birthday bunting and serving up a brand new flavour created specifically to celebrate this 10th birthday — Lemon & Raspberry.

The past 10 years have seen the company firmly establish itself as leaders in the Island’s local produce industry. Created by authentic Caulkheads and dairy aficionados Louise Hart and Jenny Simmons, the company represents everything local produce should — high-quality products made lovingly by the hands of local residents.

Louise and Jenny are both passionate about three things: ice cream, the Isle of Wight, and the Island’s dairy industry. Originally established as a project funded by a Rural Development Grant, the company has been working for 10 years to support the Island dairy industry — as well as making extraordinarily good ice cream.

“The objective of the grant was to add value to Isle of Wight Milk and support production and dairy farming on the Island. In the 1970s, there were over 350 dairy farms on the Island, so it’s a shocking statistic that now there’s fewer than 10,” says Louise. “Isle of Wight Ice Cream Co. has only ever used IOW milk, so we are proud to say that we’ve been supporting IOW cows, IOW agriculture, and employing IOW people for over 10 years now.”

The company has obviously gone from strength to strength and back in 2017 they acquired another iconic Isle of Wight brand — Minghella — which has been manufacturing ice cream on the island for over 70 years. “This was an interesting purchase for us because Minghella is known for Italian artisan ice cream, which is a completely different recipe and texture to our original IOW Ice Cream flavours. They have such a rich Italian heritage that we felt it hugely important not to adjust the recipes constructed by Eddie Minghella. Instead, we continue to develop the Minghella suite of double cream-based flavours to restore their famous brand in our state-of-the-art semi-industrial ice cream factory in Newport,” says Louise.

How does this Italian gelato-style differ from the IOW Ice Cream Co’s recipe? Louise explains; “Isle of Wight ice cream has been carefully crafted to offer a soft scoop texture and exciting, colourful tastes. All our early recipes have been reviewed and rebalanced and we now offer an extensive portfolio of highly tuned, delicious flavours, ranging from Unicorn, Bubblegum, or Candifloss, to Salted Caramel, Triple Chocolate Fudge and White Chocolate & Raspberry. But don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten those traditional favourites of Vanilla, Strawberry, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Rum & Raisin!” isleofwighticecream.co.uk

The IOW Ice Cream Co. manages to keep creating unique, exciting flavours each year. 2023’s new flavour is a delicious Cola, but they have also developed a strong Vegan range over the past few years. Banana & Honeycomb, Salted Caramel, and Wild Berries are all there, as are several delicious sorbet flavours that are both gluten and dairy free — you’ll find Lemon, Blackcurrant and Mango among others.

So, whether you’re lucky enough to be an Island resident, or you’re just here enjoying your summer holidays, make sure you keep an eye out for the colourful birthday bunting and delicious new Raspberry & Lemon flavour. Treat yourself to a double scoop and help celebrate the ‘coolest’ anniversary on the Island!