Valentia Ice Cream - for that extra scoop of magic
IT’S a time of year when ice cream makers like to whip up a storm, enticing people to sample their delicious wares and nowhere is this more apparent than at Valentia Ice Cream – a traditional homemade brand of ice cream produced from Joe and Caroline Daly’s very own healthy herd of dairy cows that graze on the island’s luscious grasses.
Open from May to September, 11am to 7pm each day, this ice cream parlour celebrates its tenth anniversary having first opened its doors to the world of flavoursome ice cream back in 2006. The ice cream parlour really is in a world all of its own making as its location was once the original milking parlour of the farm, build back in the 1970s. Now, after more renovations and refurbishing, the ice cream parlour has extended.
“We have extended and renovated the premises and now we not only sell ice cream and sorbets, but also desserts, pancakes and milkshakes. We also have a lovely gift and crafts shop. We extended our outdoor seating area and we put in a free indoor play area as you never really can tell what the weather is going to be like in summer,” explained Caroline Daly.
If one were assigned a task of conjuring up the most scenic and breathtaking place in the world in which to produce and enjoy ice cream, it’s pretty certain few destinations would match being located just 1km from Knightstown on the route of The Wild Atlantic Way.
“I also provide horse and carriage rides for people around the island, which is a great way to appreciate the scenery,” said Joe Daly. Today, traceability in food production also matters to people and at Valentia Ice Cream, you won’t find a better example of the close links between product, production and consumption, as Joe explains:
“We use or own milk and cream to make ice cream and the fact it comes from our own dairy herd is important to us. We can do up to 500 different flavours of ice cream but we tend to stock the firm favourites in the parlour. However, every so often we will do a special, strange and unusual flavour ice cream just to keep the taste buds interested.
We also do a delicious range of Sorbets for people who may be lactose intolerant. I will also be hosting butter making demonstrations for groups of people during the summer months which I find people really enjoy watching it being made in the old way. So the next time you’re nearby, be sure to visit us and enjoy some beautiful homemade ice cream. You’ll be glad you did.”
For more details on visiting Valentia Ice Cream and making bookings, phone: 087 2864653.