'Feedback from loyal customers makes it all worthwhile!' Ice cream experts celebrate sweet success

Gelatistry, in St Julian's Crescent, has been open for little over a year yet judges voted it a runner-up in the annual Parlour of the Year competition, run by the Ice Cream Alliance, which is the trade body for the UK’s £1.4billion a year industry.

Now Claire Russell and Gaia Berni have spoken of their joy at the recognition.

Claire said: "We are so proud to have reached this far in a national competition – especially when we are really just starting out.

"It's been a huge learning curve and is a massive amount of work, but ultimately, we love what we are doing and seeing the feedback from our loyal customers makes it all worthwhile.

"Working with Gaia has been so much fun – she is truly inspiring and our brilliant team deserves a lot of the credit as we certainly couldn’t do it without them.”

Gelatistry artisans use locally sourced organic milk and cream from a family-run Welsh farm to make their gelato from scratch.

Everything is hand made in small batches including their fruit coulis, cookies and nut pastes. They make their waffle cones on the premises.

Joseph McNeil, national president of the Ice Cream Alliance, said the dedication shown by Gelatistry was a considerable factor in the judges’ decision.

He added: “The Parlour of the Year competition was introduced by the Ice Cream Alliance to showcase the professionalism and quality of our parlour sector.

“In only its second year it is great to see the competition thriving with record entries. I am delighted that Gelatistry have been chosen as a runner-up, which is a testament to the dedication of the team there.”