Ice ice baby – The five best ice creams in country Victoria

A new breed of produce-driven ice cream makers is delivering the goods in regional Victoria.

Showcasing top-notch, local ingredients, these boutique operators are driving another nail into the coffin of country = crap food.

But enough of that.

You want ice cream!!

Creamy, luxurious, silky, unctuous mouth-feel-ly, sweet-but-not-cloying, melting, drippy, dairy-good ice cream.

GRAM serves up five scoops of the best ice cream in Victoria.

 

Timboon Fine Ice Cream

Cap off a day’s munching along the 12 Apostles Gourmet Food Trail with a Timboon Fine Ice Cream. Give worship at a 45-minute Sundae School class (weekends). Wow.

Feeling like a boombah now? Haul arse up the adjacent 16km rail trail cut through native forest and paddocks with their contently-munching cattle. Close your eyes and send them some loving vibes in thanks for their milky offerings. Namaste, bovine provider.

Why bother? A high-concept Icecreamery among huge manna gums in a sweet country town. Plus they’ve been “pushing peoples’ tastebuds” for 18 years, so you know they’ve got the goods.

Go-to-flavours: Passionfruit meringue; orange cardamom; white chocolate and raspberry; Turkish Delight.

Timboon Fine Ice Cream recommends: Passionfruit meringue — ‘sharp passionfruit coulis that twists your face’ before the sweetness of the meringue and ice cream kicks in.

 

Ice Cream Social

This smart Castlemaine outfit brings both the boys and girls to the yard with an ever-changing selection of ice cream flavours, milkshakes, diner food and donuts. Ice Cream Social boasts a sit-down diner, food van and small retail outlet at local institution, The Mill.

Why bother? Razor-sharp wit with your ice cream (example: for Mental Health Week they featured the ‘Ex-strawberrily well-adjusted’ flavour’).  Also, crazy-good glazed donuts.

Go-to-flavours: Drunk espresso, gingerbread, vanilla bean.

 

Prom Coast Ice Cream and Sorbet

Two former professionals re-invented themselves as makers of fine ice cream, coco creams and sorbets and moved to magical Wilsons Promontory to possibly become mainland Australia’s most southerly ice cram mecca.

Why bother? If you want dairy, gluten and egg-free options, this is your maker. The passionfruit coco cream is a knockout and the vividly-coloured blood orange sorbet isn’t far behind. Also, they totally won Best in Class in 2017 at the Australian Food Awards for the passionfruit coco cream.

Go-to-flavours: Blood orange sorbet, crème brulee, coffee (made from locally roasted beans — ‘we are coffee nazis and we wanted to get the coffee right!’).

Prom Coast Ice Cream and Sorbet recommends: Passionfruit coco cream.

 

Gundowring Finest Ice Cream

This family operation stocks some of Victoria’s finest provedores, not bad for an outfit tucked away in a remote corner of the state.

Why bother? The milk comes from cows on the 1000-acre Gundowring farm in Victoria’s spectacular alpine country, making this a true paddock-to-plate operation.

Go-to-flavours: Liquorice, chocolate.

 

Just Chuffed

Using duck and goose eggs from ‘the girls’ at their bush home, this ice cream is the best thing to come out of Mount Franklin since spring water. This small-but-beautiful operation was built off the back of a gift of a KitchenAid with an ice cream attachment!

Why bother? Jeff is producing inventive ice cream, made with all the love and a dash of Central Goldfields zen.  Perfect for dinner parties or sofa time.

Go-to-flavours: Strawberry and basil, oreo and mint.

Just Chuffed recommends: Chocolate and chilli

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