Spring and large mixes

Well l feel it is time to once again, hit the keyboard and start to write.

Yes, busy week yet again. Yesterday saw myself and Hazza attending the Regional Food group's Meet the Producer event held at Escrick, near York. I think that about 2000 invites had been sent out and 150 buyers were expected? So there we were, with our packaging, info, inclusion samples, but with no real ice cream!

Oh, what a nightmare.......... someone, and will mention no names.... forgot about the freezer, you need a FREEZER to take SAMPLES to show and hand out to potential customers! Did we feel pratts? My goodness most definitely! How do you sell ice cream to potential new clients when all you have is a selection of brightly coloured pots? Well, folks, you talk, you gesticulate, you draw upon your imagination to describe the delicious, rich creamy ice cream bursting with pure natural flavours, an ice cream that contains real dairy cream & fresh whole milk producing a dense, wholesome ice cream that you just can't get enough of! An ice cream that sends celebrity chefs into raptures and leaves everyone beaming wildly clamoring for more!

On the way home, my son & l, discussed the afternoon's work and came to the conclusion that we were better off without the ice cream. Customers knew exactly what they were in fact looking for, a good strong brand image plus a top quality, bespoke 15% butterfat ice cream made locally using top class ingredients. We took away with us one definite order plus several strong leads! Not bad for mere dairy farmers who some people believe have no industry knowledge, make poor ice cream, are uncomfortable in a retail environment and have little or no brand exposure etc. Pie in the sky Matey!

Some people, l ask you! Well, time rolls on, end of February in fact, Easter just around the corner, the CL site is fully booked, the large caravan sites have re-opened and day trippers are starting to head out to the coast. The new machinery has already been press ganged into work, the pasturiser has just belched out its first batch of creamy base mix all ready for tomorrow.

All is well, so far, in Mr Moo's mad mad world!

Back to School

Yippee, back to normal, half term in the East Riding has come and gone, shooting past like a ship in the dark. Normally a this time of year, trade is what you would call steady,[ but, when is anything 'normal ' anymore?]. We have been really busy, more akin to say August? Well, l tell a smallish fib, it is not only us who have been busy, all along the coast, floods of people, sensiblely dressed, gloves, hats scarves etc, have been descending on the Yorkshire Coast en mass. Take Bridlington, for example, grid locked on the past two Sundays! No parking spaces to be had anywhere. Pirate Bill doing trips around the Bay. Ice cream sales taking an early upturn.

The weather has been superb. Brilliant blue skies and glorious sunshine with hard crisp frosts at night, for the whole week, well except Thursday when sea fret rolled in off the North Sea, keeping everyone at home. Customers have been enjoying the footpath, though we are having problems with a family with quad bikes that seem to think that chasing up and down a 'footpath', knocking people hither and thither is great fun. Unfortunately, you see, the fence has been damaged and broken due to the high tide crashing over the cliff top, sending fence posts into orbit. The wet weather, until now, has meant that we have been unable to get down in the JCB to repair the damage, replacing fence posts and wire. Today is the day to rectify the break!

This week we are taking a break from ice cream production due to upgrade our machinery, stainless steel pipes seem to be strewn everywhere! Cables, plastic wrapping, oh the place looks a mess.

Did l mention the new flavour? Well, it's rhubarb and ginger, and is going down a storm, with both ice cream scoop sales & wholesale customers [and me] enjoying the new treat

So what else? Still attacking the old paperwork, hope to meet a certain Mr G Ramsey at the opening of the new, revamped ...Bridlington Spa Theatre........... WOW!