GOOD quality products need good quality ingredients and Daresbury Dairy and Ice Cream Farm has the recipe for success.
With everyone’s favourite frozen treat made using milk from cows on Penkridge Lake Farm, Claire and Matthew Whitlow together with Matthew’s sister Emma have mastered cow farming and ice cream making, running a successful business for the past 11 years.
Here, in our new feature ‘Food and Drink Heroes’, Claire tells us what it’s been like running a business on a busy working farm for the past decade and what special flavours we can look forward to in the run up to Christmas.
Daresbury Ice Cream Farm is located on Newton Lane
What’s the name of business?
Daresbury Dairy (Ice Cream Maker)
What’s the address?
Penkridge Lake Farm, Newton Lane, Daresbury
When did you open the business?
We opened in 2011.
Has it always been in the same location?
Yes, we are based here at the family farm where we make ice cream using milk from the cows in small artisan batches.
Matt and Claire Whitlow on the farm
Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?
Absolutely, I was born and grew up in the area.
Tell me a bit about your business.
We work on the family farm and make ice cream using milk from the cows. My husband Matthew is a dairy farmer and along with his parents he runs the family farm. My sister-in-law Emma also works with me and we make all our ice cream using the finest ingredients. Our raspberry ripple ice cream and strawberry ice cream are made using a homemade fruit puree and we puree all the fruits ourselves.
Raspberry ripple is one of the most popular ice cream flavours
What do you do? What services do you provide?
We have a small area on the farm where customers can come and purchase our ice cream either by the scoop or in take home packs. We also supply other local businesses and our ice cream is stocked in local bakeries, cafes, pubs and restaurants. We also have an ice cream bicycle which means we can serve our ice cream at weddings and corporate events.
Why did you decide to open your own business?
I’ve always had a passion for food and drink and believe that buying locally made products is really important. I was keen to make something using the milk from the cows and Daresbury Dairy was born!
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What’s your business background?
Before starting the business, I spent 10 years in marketing for much larger food and drink companies.
Claire and Emma Whitlow work at the shop
Why this type of business?
My passion for food and drink together with the opportunity to make a great product from the farm were the driving force behind opening the business.
How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your business?
We were open before the Covid-19 pandemic and it has undoubtedly had an adverse impact on the business. On a personal level, we really missed all the face-to-face interaction with our customers, as it’s a real highlight for us being able to talk to people buying ice cream. We missed our regulars! During the pandemic, we did set up a click and collect option with an online ordering system for our take home packs and we still use it today.
Emma Whitlow helps to make the ice cream on site
What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?
All our ice cream is made here on the farm with milk from our cows and other ingredients of the highest quality. Our ice cream has won several awards over the past few years, most recently in 2020, a bronze medal for our salted caramel ice cream, which was part of the National Ice Cream Alliance Ice Cream Awards.
Why do loyal customers return to your business?
As well as the great tasting ice cream, our customers always tell us that they love the fact we are a small and friendly family business. We pride ourselves on offering a professional yet friendly service. For our trade customers, we have produced many bespoke flavours, which people really enjoy.
The shop stocks 12 flavours and six flavours are rotated either weekly or monthly
What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your business?
Our focus has already turned to Christmas flavours. We pride ourselves on making a large range of specials in the run up to Christmas. Cherry and amaretto, mince pie ice cream and choco-hazelnut are always among the favourites. Our Christmas range will be available on the farm from the beginning of November.
If you would like to appear in our Food and Drink Heroes feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk
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