Lets face it. I was pretty damn excited about this trip.
The morning came and i swear i felt like a child on Christmas morning. Unbearable excitement basically. (but to be honest i still feel excited on Christmas morning and i’m 24 almost.)
Marshfield Farm Ice Cream is situated in Marshfield: Interesting fact number one! It’s about a twenty minute car journey from the center of Bath. As we went in a group, we got a taxi from Bath Spa Station there together, although if you do have a car i would highly recommend it as the fare was a bit much!
The kind owners Will and Dawn Hawkings (who’s fantasy ice cream flavours are Toad in the hole and Prosecco) kindly invited us to try out their ice cream (all 25 flavours) at their new ice cream parlour and get a deeper insight into the production process! A true farm lifestyle, a dog, a cat, cows and lots of mucking about going on- gotta love the wellies!
Marshfield offer 17 gluten free flavours, which is pretty good going! As there is such a great variety to choose from, it really doesn’t matter that you can’t have the chocolate fudge brownie flavour. Honestly.
Will Hawking started his ice cream journey 21 years ago with a very small ice cream machine than what he’s used to now on the farm, although they still use a small one for testing with various toppings and ripples. They really don’t have to worry about what’s for dessert that night.
The testing process however, is crucial. A whole lot of trial and error goes into making sure your ice cream will taste palatable, have a smooth consistency, good shelf life , and a fantastic aesthetic. From the way Dawn talked us through the entire start to finish process, it shows that they take a lot of care and pride in what they create at Marshfield. With no Addictives, no Artificial Colours, and the challenge of working around allergen options, it’s obvious that they make this ice cream with all the love in the world, ensuring everyone gets a scoop!
Interesting fact number two is that pavlova may be gluten free on making, but it isn’t in the ice cream process. I was mythed by why the Raspberry Ripple Pavlova had gluten in, but Dawn explained that in order to get the pavlova ‘crunchy + chewy’ consistency, they had to put a special coating on top to help it keep it’s shape during the freezing process, otherwise it would just dissolve!
Interesting facts number three, four and five, is that in order to naturally flavour their stunning Succulent Strawberry, Mint Choc Chip and Caramel fudge in clotted cream they use Beetroot Juice, Chlorophyll and Turmeric!
Their new ice cream parlour is open only during the summer months, and i only wished i visited sooner in order to give you enough time to visit, but if you are available and in the Bath area, do take a trip down as they close at the end of September.
It is in the early stages, but by next year we hope to try lots more of their delicious sundaes they’ve put together! Plus there’s always an excuse to see cows in abundance. Isn’t there? 😉
Sarah’s Top Five Gluten Free Marshfield Flavours:
1- Blackcurrants in Clotted Cream
2- Honey and Stem Ginger
3- Carribean Coconut
4- Caramel Fudge in Clotted Cream
5- White Chocolate with Honeycomb Crunch
See what my lovely blogger friend Abby chose as her top five flavours are in her blog post here.
