Press release -
Scoop of the year!
Visitors from near and far will be able to embark on a brand new edible adventure this summer, following the launch of Scotland’s first ever Ice Cream Trail.
Launched today (30 July) at The Milk Barn in Falkirk to coincide with the Year of Food and Drink themed month of Delicious Dairy for August, the trail is designed to celebrate and promote one of the nation’s favourite dairy delicacies.
It’s estimated that the ice cream market is worth £1 billion to the UK economy and ice cream remains an integral part of Scottish culture. While in the past, the seaside treat may have been gone hand in hand with fish and chips, today you are just as likely to find a great scoop of artisanal ice cream in many inland cities and towns.
From creamy vanilla, to tasty Italian gelato, all over the country, parlours, shops and cafes sell homemade ice cream to their own specific recipe - some a well-kept secret handed down through generations, others a completely new venture.
Scotland's Ice Cream Trail will help both locals and visitors map their way round one of Scotland's finest treats. Leaflets highlighting over 100 different ice cream businesses, from Kirkwall to Castle Douglas, will be available at relevant outlets, as well as online at Think Local and VisitScotland websites.
The trail is a part of the Year of Food and Drink, a 12-month celebration of the country’s rich natural larder and unique dining experiences. Recent figures estimated Scotland’s food and drink tourism industry is worth £2.5 million per day to the economy, with the food and drink industry as a whole worth almost £14bn a year.
Scotland's Food Secretary Richard Lochhead, said:
“I’m delighted to hear that Scotland’s Ice Cream Trail has been launched– our dairy produce is among the best in the world and it extends to so much more than milk. It’s great that this has been launched during the Year of Food and Drink and couldn’t have been timed better for the start of Delicious Dairy Month in August.I hope it will make people – both visitors and locals – more aware of the fantastic ice cream Scotland has to offer. I would certainly encourage everyone to follow the trail and make a point of tasting some of our delicious Scottish ice cream.”
Patrick Hughes, Project Lead of Think Local said:
"Scotland's Ice Cream Trail has been launched with support from the Community Food Fund, and it is the perfect example of a sector coming together to promote their industry to both locals and visitors alike. It is a fantastic way to highlight the array of dairy producers across the country in Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink."
Mike Cantlay, VisitScotland Chairman, said:
“Whether it’s simple vanilla or something more exotic, ice cream is the ultimate summer treat and what’s so fantastic about this new trail is that visitors will be able to enjoy this frozen delight whenever and wherever they like, at any time of year.
“As we’ve seen from the popularity of our foodie ebook which has now had 32,000 downloads, food trails are a great way for visitors to embark on their own culinary adventures and what better time to do that than during the Year of Food and Drink!”
Suzannah Reid from The Milk Barn said:
"We’re delighted to be part of Scotland’s Ice Cream Trail and look forward to welcoming lots of new visitors as a result. Our ice cream is made using milk from our very own herd of cows, which are milked just yards away every morning, to make a wonderful and diverse range of flavours which delight our many customers.”
For more information or to download a copy of the Trail visitwww.visitscotland.com/tastescotlandor www.thinklocalscotland.co.uk
ENDS
For further information contact:
| Louise PurvesCorporate Press OfficerTel: 0131 472 2052 |
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- year of food and drink
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
Scotland's Ice Cream Trail is launched to coincide with Delicious Dairy August, part of the Year of Food and Drink 2015.
Scotland's Ice Cream Trail was supported by the Community Food Fund and Think Local.
Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
Think Local
- Think Local is a three-year, Scottish Government funded project, which will help to develop a commercial and sustainable local food & drink sector in Scotland, on a regional basis.
Think Local is being delivered by SRUC, Scotland's Rural College, the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society and Scottish Food Quality Certification, and includes collaboration with Scotland Food and Drink, the Scottish Association of Farmers Markets, and the National Farmers' Retail & Markets Association.
- The Think Local remit includes developing new local food networks, expanding Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight, creating signature food events for Homecoming Scotland, and providing new support for farmer’s markets.
- Funding for the operations of Think Local is supported by the Scottish Government.
- For more information visit www.thinklocalscotland.co.uk or follow @ThinkLocalScot
Community Food Fund
- The Community Food Fund is financed by The Scottish Government and has been created to promote local food and drink.
- The £1.5 million Community Food Fund will be delivered over three years. The Community Food Fund will be available to:
- Support development of local food networks
- Support communities to run local food events
- Target specifically communities attempting to tackle deprivation
- Deliver training and development
- Develop farmer’s markets and farm retail opportunities
- In relation to Scotland's National Food and Drink Policy, the Community Food Fund will focus on two main outcomes:
- Supporting development of food trails and networks
- Establish local food and drink event, including farmers' markets, that celebrate and promote food and drink throughout the year
- All projects must show a benefit to local food and drink producers.
- For more information www.communityfoodfund.co.uk
VisitScotland
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
