Lick Gelato of Newcastle, Co. Down has won a Gold Medal and Trophy at the National Ice Cream Championships 2021 run by the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the sector\u2019s UK trade association. Their delicious toffee ice cream beat all comers in this, the most prestigious ice cream competition in the country which has been running for 76 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are absolutely over the moon and back with our award,\u201d exclaimed Lick Gelato co-founder Simon Welby. \u201cWhen we were watching the presentation live it was a state of near disbelief and elation at the same time when we were announced as the winner. This award is a massive deal and achievement for us as a very young business in the ice cream world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Handcrafted artisan gelato<\/strong><\/p>\n Lick Gelato specialises in handcrafted artisan gelato and was founded by Simon, Jo-Ann and Seth just six years ago. They spent approximately a year developing their own, secret recipe at Loughrey College with the help of their technical team before opening their bricks and mortar shop on Central Promenade. Lick Gelato employs a total of eight hardworking and dedicated ice cream engineers who provide a memorable experience when people visit their store.<\/p>\n The championships are normally held at the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show in Harrogate and hundreds of products are submitted across thirteen categories. Because of the pandemic this show was cancelled.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ICA decided that despite lockdowns and severe restrictions on trading we needed to show our sectors resilience by continuing with these annual awards,\u201d commented Zelica Carr, ICA CEO. \u201cI want to thank all those who entered and our dedicated panel of judges who tasted the entries and selected winners in a socially distanced and Covid secure procedure at our head office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations to Simon and his team,\u201d added Zelica. \u201cThere was very stiff competition in all the categories so to win gold is a big achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n Ice cream parlours and ice cream vans have been hard hit in this pandemic losing a total of \u00a3289million in income in 2020*. That is just the tip of the iceberg when you add lost ice cream sales in cafes, restaurants and hotels and the economic impact to businesses along the supply chain \u2013 manufacturers, flavour houses, wholesalers and others. That is why the ICA has launched Great British Ice Cream Staycation campaign, in which Pinks Parlour is participating, to support ice cream sales in the hospitality sector.<\/p>\n www.lickgelato.com<\/a> \/ @LickGelatoNI<\/p>\n www.ice-cream.org<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Neighbourhood Retailer<\/p>\n