The Ice Cream of the Crop on Merseyside wins two more awards
Posted on in Business News
A family-run business that "people come from everywhere" to visit has won two awards. John Hughes is the proud owner of West Kirby's Ice Cream Shop which specialises in creating every flavour of ice cream imaginable, from bacon and maple syrup flavours to Cornish tea.
The Ice Cream Shop opened on Grange Road in 2020 during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Today, the shop attracts lengthy queues of customers throughout the year, with people travelling from all over the region for a taste of something new.
The store has become so popular it recently picked up two major awards. John has been honoured with Family Business of the Year and Newcomer Family Business with the Business Awards UK. His wife Diane, who works alongside John to manage the shop, has also been nominated for the Women's Business Awards.
John recently told the Liverpool Echo: "We're absolutely thrilled. They just came out of the blue. Everything that's happened has come off the back of the community and everyone's support. In the last year, it's really exploded. People are coming from everywhere to see us. We just can't believe it and we want to thank everyone for everything they've done to support us."
The road to becoming ice cream's answer to Willy Wonka has been a challenging one, but the initial inspiration for the family business came after John and Diane holidayed in Cyprus. It was on holiday that the couple stumbled across "a little old lady who had a 23-scoop freezer."
John said: "We noticed a little run-down shack with shutters and in it was this old lady selling ice cream. She had a huge selection to choose from and she seemed so content running a business out of what was essentially nothing. I turned to Diane, and I said, 'I could do that'. Now, I'm doing what I call "supermarket ice cream" to see which would make good flavours."
The challenge isn't locked to any specific unique flavour or combination; if you want it, John will make it. He added: "Companies have been coming to us and asking us to make this and that. We've made everything from breakfast cereal ice cream to bacon. We're more successful now than before we closed and by four o'clock on the weekend, the cabinet is empty."
John admitted the business takes more time away from his children than he'd like but they can't get enough of what their dad is creating. A special flavour, Auntie Nita's Cornish tea, made from clotted cream and jam, was also created as a tribute to his sister, Anita, who passed away. John said: "The family all love what I'm doing. It's hard sometimes not seeing people as much as I'd like but they know I'm doing what I love, and they all support me so much."
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