A FAMILY dairy farm has scooped a new fan for their homemade ice cream - in the Houses of Parliament.
Boris Johnson was bowled over by the award-winning honeycomb flavour made by Bidlea Dairy.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak was also impressed by the ice cream.
The family, from Orchard Farm in Twemlow, was invited to Westminster on Wednesday to showcase their products with a selection of Cheshire producers.
Adam Brown, 34, and wife Becky, 30, only came up with the idea of making ice cream a year ago when sales of fresh cream plummeted as pubs, cafes and restaurants closed during lockdown.
“It was an honour to be invited to the Houses of Parliament, “ said Adam, who brought their 14-month-old baby daughter Harriet with them on the train for the VIP visit.
“Boris tasted our honeycomb ice cream and said ‘Wow, this is delicious’, and kept coming back for more.
“He wanted to know how we had started and said he loved to see a family business.
“We were taken aback by it all. We didn’t expect to meet the Prime Minister.
“He ended up picking up a tub and walking off with it.
“The Chancellor also said he was very impressed by it.”
The couple only started making ice cream in April last year.
“We were pouring 1,000 litres of cream away every week during lockdown,” said Adam.
“We needed to do something. We invested money and got a good deal on some ex-demonstration equipment.
“We didn’t realise how much work was involved, it takes a lot of time.”
Judges at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards 2021 hailed their ice cream as ‘smooth, rich and warm eating with excellent quality’.
Four flavours, honeycomb, rum and raisin, vanilla and raspberry ripple won a gold medal.
The secret of their success, the family believes, is the rich cream and top quality milk produced by their 300-stong Holstein Friesian herd.
“What makes our ice cream so special is that it is made from milk and cream from our own herd,” said Adam.
“Our cows produce free range milk with a high butter fat which makes a big difference to the cream.
“The milk is pumped through an overhead pipeline direct from the milking parlour into the pasteuriser.
“It doesn’t come into contact with any humans. There are no milk tankers.
“Everything is local, fresh and traceable.
“Boris was impressed by all this and wanted to know where he could get our ice cream from but we explained we are just in Cheshire.
“We are producing 360 litres of ice cream every day but we don’t sell any of our products online.”
The couple work with Adam’s brother Ryan, 28, and his wife Becky, sister Melanie, 32, parents Ray and Jill, Becky’s mum Angela Williams and other members of the family and friends.
Bidlea Dairy has expanded its farm shop to meet growing demand and sells a selection of 24 ice creams, milk, butter, cheese and dairy products.
The family recently opened a café and offer a range of homemade snacks and refreshments.
“It was a fantastic day,” said Adam. “It’s one of the best shows we’ve ever done.
“It still hasn’t sunk in that we were talking to the Prime Minister.”
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