What better time of the year is there to indulge in some locally made ice-cream? Catherine Courtenay chooses her favourites.

Styles

Whether it’s a rich luxurious dairy ice cream or a sheep’s milk iced dessert or sorbet made with Italian fruit, the principle is the same – nothing artificial and great quality ingredients.

The Baker family at Styles Farm in Rodhuish has been making ice-cream for more than 30 years. It began with Sue’s recipe and selling from a single trike; now they have a fleet of vehicles, including their own solar-powered vans, and can be found at events and festivals. The ice-cream is also sold across the South West and further afield in cafes, restaurants and pubs.

It’s made with local Jersey milk, so it’s particularly rich, along with West Country cream. Flavours include toffee and butterscotch, chocolate orange and Cointreau, banoffee and ‘properly done’ classics like real strawberry.

stylesicecream.co.uk

Buffalicious

Great British Life: Buffalicious ice cream is made from water buffalo milkBuffalicious ice cream is made from water buffalo milk (Image: Carolyn Lefley/Buffalicious)

A herd of 250 water buffalo provides the milk used to make Buffalicious ice cream. The herd lives at Higher Oakley Farm near Chilthorne Dormer where it grazes in the fields during the summer and feeds on homegrown winter forage, undercover, in the winter months.

Water buffalo are an old breed, growing more slowly and producing less milk than standard cows, but the product is nutritious, higher in butterfat and it makes fantastic ice-cream. You can buy it at the farm shop, but flavour choices will be hard - as well as the ‘In the Buff’ plain water buffalo milk ice cream, there are salted caramel and speckled mint varieties, or you can try a Somerset Cider variety, or Amore Buff, which is made with Amaretto.

Buffaliciousuk.com

Mendip Moments

Great British Life: he banana and salted caramel flavour from Mendip Momentshe banana and salted caramel flavour from Mendip Moments (Image: Mendip Moments)

There’s been a constant flow of accolades for Mendip Moments ice-cream, which launched in 2006 and is made at Haydon Farm near Wells. It’s made with milk and cream from the farm’s own herd of pedigree Holsteins, which grazes on fields overlooking the Levels.

Flavours include mascarpone, fig and honey and a very popular banana and salted caramel. There’s a range of diary free sorbets too, made using water from a spring on the farm. Naming his favourite, director Rob Lunnon says it has to be rum and raisin, which is back on sale after a year out, and customers love the sour Amarena cherry with Amaretto.

Mendip Moments can be found in cafes and restaurants as well as delis and shops around the area.

Mendipmoments.co.uk

28 Market Place

Great British Life: The line-up of gelato in the bakery at 28 Market PlaceThe line-up of gelato in the bakery at 28 Market Place (Image: Andrew Hayes-Watkins)

Pop into the bakery at 28 Market Place in Somerton and choose from a selection of homemade ice-creams. The bakery, along with a restaurant and wine shop was set up by Ben and Vanessa Crofton , who both come from an illustrious hospitality background.

Originally from California, Vanessa brought with her a love of ice cream and the American-style idea of families calling in to enjoy quality time together while indulging in bowls of ice cream has long been her dream. So, she trained in making gelato and it’s now on offer at the bakery from Tuesday to Saturday.

It’s become so popular that even when the bakery is shut, regulars have been known to ask for a helping at the restaurant bar next door.

28marketplace.co.uk

Palette and Pasture

Great British Life: Flavours on tap at the Palette and Pasture ice cream parlourFlavours on tap at the Palette and Pasture ice cream parlour (Image: Palette and Pasture)

On the outskirts of Frome at Pyle Farm in Trudoxhill, is Palette and Pasture, an ice-cream parlour where you can buy Rachel and Paul Candy’s homemade Italian-style gelato. Gelato is lower in butterfat than normal ice cream and is made in small batches using milk from the farm.

A visit to the ice cream parlour is great for families as there are rides and activities for children, including seasonal nature trails and opportunities to meet the farm animals. They make sorbet too and, as for flavours, they often use fruit grown on the farm. Rachel is currently perfecting her new lavender cake gelato to be revealed this month.

But you may also want to try the salted caramel, which ‘is always a winner’, they say.

paletteandpasture.co.uk