Melting moments: Eight vanilla ice-creams put to the test
Ice-cream has come a long way since the days of HB’s almost monopoly in Ireland. Now we are spoilt for choice.
Figures from Unilever show that New Zealand has the highest per capita consumption of ice-cream, followed by USA, Australia, Finland, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Ireland ahead of Italy, the home of good ice-cream. Britain follows Ireland.
Ice-cream has to be put in the luxury treat column of our weekly diet plan.
Laden with fats and different forms of sugars and substitutes, science has shown that their combination can be addictive, appealing to the pleasure parts of our brain and leading to over-consumption.
We must watch quantities and enjoy every spoonful when we do indulge. Think about small portions — no more than a couple of dessertspoons.
Serve a scoop of icecream in a wafer cone (most supermarkets stock a few brands) for a satisfying crunch.
Toppings add further sweetness, so are best avoided.
To add vitamins and zing, serve with fresh fruit which can also be puréed without sugar to drizzle over.
Today we are including ice-creams catering for health conditions or preferences which impressed us enough to make the Top 8.
For our survey we focused on vanilla ice-cream.
To avoid the additives which keep ice-cream stable and help speedy defrosting, we can, of course, make our own. There are plenty of recipes online.
To see my favourites, follow me on Twitter @RozCrowley1.
SuperValu Signature Tastes Gelato 500ml
Lots of vanilla here and a hint of warm cinnamon in a creamy texture from 27% cream and skimmed milk.
Spices not individually listed, but we discerned cinnamon which didn’t overpower the vanilla and appealed to the adults more than the six-year-old. Made in Co Cavan.
Mullins ice-cream, also in SuperValu, is worth trying too.
Dunnes Stores French Vanilla 900ml
Made in Fermoy with Irish cream, this is deliciously full flavoured and creamy, with a lovely, natural vanilla finish.
Adults and children loved it.
Skimmed milk as usual, with 24.3% cream, sugar, glucose syrup, whey powder, egg yolk powder, vanilla bean seeds.
Alpro Vanilla 500ml
Suitable for vegetarians, this soy-based icecream has all plant-based ingredients, including soluble gluco fibre, sugar, 6.1% hulled soya beans, rapeseed and shea fats.
Tasted blind, the team did not notice much difference between this and a cream-based ice-cream.
When I enquired from the company, I was comforted that the soy beans are grown in Europe and Canada, and that they are GMO-free (many in USare not). The product is made in Belgium.
Frank’s Diabetic Vanilla 1 litre
Gluten free, suitable for vegetarians, made from reconstituted skimmed milk (as many other samples are), sugar is replaced with substitutes fructose, maltodextrin and dextrose which are found in other ice-cream containing sugar.
It is certainly sweet and too sweet for two tasters.
The vanilla flavour is mild. Made in England. We bought in Tesco.
Morelli Double cream vanilla 950ml
Double cream at 19%, sugar, dried glucose syrup, butter, inverted sugar, combine to make a deliciously creamy, rich texture with good vanilla favour.
Made in Northern Ireland by the Morelli family who have Italian roots. We bought in Tesco.
Tesco Madagascan Vanilla 500ml
Produced in Ireland with Irish and Northern Ireland milk, there is 24% cream and dried glucose syrup.
Though the vanilla content was not high, there was a lovely, natural flavour.
One taster said it was creamy and delicious like a good, old-fashioned ice-cream.
Carte d’Or Light 1 litre
Sugar, glucose syrup, oligofructose syrup, coconut oil, whey solids, vanilla flavourings and vanilla pieces make up this creamy ice-cream.
Good to see it is Rainforest Alliance Certified.
‘Light’ on the label refers to the 40% less fat per serving compared to standard Carte D’Or.
The vanilla flavour has overtones of toffee which tasters liked.
Lots of forms of sugar here, and two tasters detected it was a little sweeter than some samples, but did not object.
Aldi Daisy’s Dairy vanilla ice cream 1 litre
Skimmed milk, sugar, 10% double cream, palm oil, palm kernel oil, glucose syrup and whey powder combine to make a relatively light icecream enjoyed by tasters.
Very low vanilla flavour left it lacking. Produced in Ireland.
