Mancini’s wins UK top ice cream award for 2021
Mancini’s vanilla ice cream was voted ‘best of the best’ in the ice cream competition that has been running for 76 years.
“It’s a wonderful thing to win this championship. Winning the lottery can’t feel better than this,” said managing director Filippo Mancini.
“We are always trying to improve our products and keep our standards the highest we can. The competition is judged by a panel of experts drawn from the industry who taste product from the best ice cream makers in the business. That makes winning even more special.”
For 106 years, four generations of the Mancini family have been making and selling award winning ice-cream from the Royal Cafe in Ayr. The company also supplies events – including ice cream weddings – and has just opened a new parlor, Mancini's @ the beach on Prestwick seafront.
The championships are normally held at the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show in Harrogate and hundreds of products are submitted across 13 categories. Because of the pandemic this show was cancelled.
“The ICA decided that despite lockdowns and severe restrictions on trading we needed to show our sectors resilience by continuing with these annual awards,” said Zelica Carr, ICA CEO.
“I want to thank all those who entered and our dedicated panel of judges who tasted the entries and selected winners in a socially distanced and Covid secure procedure at our head office.”
Carr added, “Congratulations to Filippo and his team at Mancini’s. There was very stiff competition, but Mancini’s manages to combine the very best of ingredients, with skill and tried and tested recipes – and the results speak for themselves.”
Ice cream parlors and ice cream vans have been hard hit in the pandemic, losing a total of £289m ($410m) in income in 2020. The ICA said this is the tip of the iceberg when adding in lost ice cream sales in cafes, restaurants and hotels and the economic impact to businesses along the supply chain – manufacturers, flavor houses, wholesalers and others.
To combat this, the ICA has launched the Great British Ice Cream Staycation campaign, in which Mancini’s of Ayr is participating, to support ice cream sales in the hospitality sector.
