We paid a visit to the Ice Cream Alliance’s Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show in Harrogate this week to check out what’s cool in the world of sweet treats.
With over 60 exhibitors showcasing everything from gelato to ice cream trucks there’s a lot to see, but we’re always keen to spot a trend – here’s our hot picks for cooling down this summer:
A focus on health featured in several conversations, with sugar free sorbets and lower calorie frozen yoghurts making an appearance on several stands. Gut-friendly frozen kefir was also spotted, along with several flavours more commonly seen as smoothies (mango, pineapple and turmeric anyone?)
Pistachio is fast emerging as the flavour of 2024 for everything from chocolate to savoury sauce, and it was no surprise to see it making an appearance on almost every stand. Our favourite flavour combination was a sweet pistachio cream swirled over a pomegranate gelato – a surprisingly brilliant collaboration in both colour and flavour!
Retro flavours were everywhere, with ice creams and gelatos inspired by Traditional Trifle, Baked Alaska, and Banana and Custard. Our favourite sweets are back in fashion too with Rhubarb & Custard, Blackjack, and Twister spotted amongst the gelato range. We even spotted a few retro ice cream vans from the 1950’s!
The standout product of the show? The La Menorquina Mint Ice Lolly which is exclusively stocked by Liverpool’s own Stella Ice Cream… Something we’ve never seen before in the UK, this dairy-free ice stick lolly was deliciously fresh and refreshing, and we understand why it’s such a hit in Europe. This will be the product to watch for summer 2024!