Minghella Ice Cream is moving to a new home at Briddlesford Lodge Farm. Minghella
will be using milk from Briddlesford’s award winning herd of 140 Guernsey cows. The partnership will create an “ice cream destination”, in addition to Bluebells Cafe and farm shop. A brand new ice-cream parlour will also be built in 2015.
“I think this could be called a perfect marriage between two businesses that share a commitment to quality local food. Our ice cream production depends on being able to source a consistent supply of the finest quality Isle of Wight milk. It’s simply not possible to better the milk and cream produced at Briddlesford,” commented Gioia Minghella.
“For some time, we have been looking to create an ‘ice cream destination’ in response to the many requests we receive to visit our factory which is simply not set up to allow this. The Griffin family at Briddlesford have already established a very successful must-visit location for people who appreciate the finest quality Island produce and we are excited to be moving there.”
Ice cream production will formally start from the beginning of January 2015 and Paul Griffin, whose family has been farming Briddlesford since 1923 commented: “We are long-standing fans of Minghella ice cream and Gioia has been a valued customer over the years. Minghella has won more than 80 Great Taste Awards in recent years and this is undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity. We will be working over the winter months to create a purpose-built ice cream parlour alongside our dairy operation. In future, visitors to Briddlesford will not only be able to enjoy our farm experience, but also watch Gioia and her team create their wonderful ice cream which they can try on site or take home to enjoy later.”
The co-location is also an important part of Paul Griffin’s long-term plans: “We are really focussed on providing high quality local produce and to reducing food miles. We aim to be increasing our on-farm processing year-on-year and Minghella’s decision to join us at Briddlesford will immediately increase the percentage of processing that happens on-farm.”
