A popular family attraction less than an hour's drive from Bristol is serving up Cheddar cheese ice cream over the coming weeks. Originally a stunt for April Fool's Day, Wookey Hole has teamed up with Ford Farm - the makers of the Wookey Hole Cave-Aged Cheddar Cheese - and joined forces with Marshfield Farm Ice Cream, to launch a limited-edition savoury ice cream flavour.
The Wookey Hole Cave-Aged Cheddar Ice Cream will be available during the Easter half term holidays and will only be available at Wookey Hole Caves, where it is expected to become a 'must try' for visitors. There will only be 600 small scoops available for guests to try and all will be free of charge.
The ice cream itself is described as being utterly 'unique', handcrafted in small batches by Marshfield Farm, and "combining its delicious double-cream base with the world-famous Wookey Hole Cave-Aged Cheddar" (which is cut by hand into chunks and added to the secret mix). It's said to be 'the perfect combination for everyone who struggles to choose between a dessert and the cheese board for pudding'.
*Update at 2.15pm on April 4: Wookey Hole has confirmed that they are currently out of stock of the Cheddar cheese ice cream. We'll update this story as we know more.
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Ellen Ramsay, spokesperson for the Cottle Family – which owns and runs Wookey Hole – said: “We are so excited to finally let everyone in on our secret… What started out as an April Fools’ Day idea, has become a reality. The feedback from our valued partners – Marshfield Farm and Ford Farm – along with some close friends of Wookey Hole, was that this is an opportunity not to be missed and shouldn’t just be a stunt, so we thought why not!
“Working closely on the recipe with the experts at Marshfield to perfect the balance of world-famous Wookey Hole Cave-Aged Cheddar made by Ford Farm, the limited edition ice cream is handmade at Marshfield Farm. It has been a labour of love and we have created something that the Wookey Witch herself is proud of, and with a sprinkle of Wookey Hole magic, has knocked the socks off our April Fools’ Day campaign, making it an all-too-brief reality…
“From April 1 – yes, we see the irony – visitors to Wookey Hole will be able to taste test the artisan Wookey Hole Cave-Aged Cheddar Ice Cream, free of charge and whilst stocks last. We’re keen to hear everyone’s thoughts – are you a lover or a hater?”
When it comes to whether the new cheese ice cream could become a permanent addition to the menu, Ellen said: "At the moment, we don’t have plans to make this flavour full time, but we'd never say never! We wanted to work with Marshfield Farm to create this unique, very limited-edition flavour to make our visitors smile during the Easter Holidays and we look forward to their feedback. Who knows, if it goes down a storm, maybe you could see more of it!"
