Year on year, Baboo Gelato continue to scoop up a number of impressive awards; most recently in 2020 their Salted Caramel Gelato was crowned Champion Ice Cream and went on further to win Reserve Supreme Champion Product in the Taste of the West Awards.
The Taste of the West judges described it simply as the perfect ice cream; smooth as silk and richly creamy with a good balance of caramel and salt. It’s incredibly moreish and can be eaten straight from the tub or as a perfect accompaniment to a whole host of desserts.
“We are absolutely ecstatic to have won Taste of the West Champion Ice Cream again in 2020” says Annie Hanbury, founder and head gelatiere of Baboo Gelato based near Bridport in Dorset. “It has been a crazy year, and it gave our whole kitchen team a huge morale boost when we heard the news. To find we were Reserve Supreme Champion was the icing on the cake.”
When asked about Baboo’s recipe for success, Annie explained “If you want to reduce Baboo to one word, then that word would be ‘ingredients’. We set up Baboo to use the very best local ingredients that we could find to make world-class ice cream. We’re obsessed. So, we use organic milk from Holy Cow in North Perrott which we collect daily in churns. The richness and high butterfat of their milk is an important factor in making delicious ice cream. Matt and Coral care deeply about their herd, and we know that happy cows make better milk”.
“For our prize winning Salted Caramel Gelato we use Dorset Sea Salt. We’ve been a fan of Jethro since he started, and his passion for his fabulous product is legendary. We hand make our own caramel using a Dalek-like machine that we bought from the US and have adapted for our use.”
“Each flavour we produce has lovingly selected ingredients, usually seasonal and local. Where we can’t find local, like chocolate or nuts, we buy the best from France and Italy.”
Husband and wife team Sam and Annie Hanbury opened Baboo in 2016. They’ve grown meteorically but Sam says this is just the beginning: “We had major plans for 2020” says Sam “but Covid turned everything on its head. In the end we had a really strong year, but it was a roller-coaster. Rather to our surprise we added a lot of new trade customers as I think there has been a big push out there to find good local brands”.
Annie says “The last lockdown gave me a chance to experiment with vegan flavours. I’ve been cautious because the texture is tricky and some plant based milks taste like cardboard. But I think I’ve cracked it, and I’m really happy with the result. We’d love readers to get in touch if they’d like to try a sample as we’re getting a phenomenal feedback so far”.
Annie concludes “We can’t wait for Spring 2021. We think it’s going to be an incredible year for hospitality in the South West, and we’re raring to go”.
Click here to view a full list of the champion product winners of the Taste of the West Awards 2020.
Entries into the Taste of the West Product Awards 2021 are now open. To find out more please visit the Taste of the West website.
The Taste of the West Hospitality & Retail Awards 2020/2021 are also open for entries to all hospitality and retail establishments throughout the South West, although naturally judging is on hold until the current lockdown restrictions are eased. If you are passionate about serving or selling local food and drink, find out more about entering your business here.
