Ice cream daze

Roskilly’s ice cream shops are dotted across Cornwall, but just 35 minutes from us lies the real treat - their working dairy farm, where you can meet the animals and taste every flavour fresh from the source.

What’s the story of Roskilly’s?

Roskilly’s is a small, working Cornish Organic Farm near St Keverne, perched on the beautiful southern tip of Cornwall. We have developed the business over 60 years. Joe & Rachel Roskilly inherited the farm from Joe’s "fairy" godmother in 1950. It all started with selling our delicious Clotted Cream....

Now, with a herd of just over 130 Jersey cows grazing an area of approximately 300 acres, our organic Jersey milk is used to make predominantly ice cream. Our milk is high in butterfat, milk solids, protein, calcium and anti-oxidants and therefore makes a fantastic foundation for a great ice cream.

What are your most popular products and flavours?

We are most famous for our ice creams and sorbets, but we also produce fudge plus chutneys and jam which helps in the short winter season (always optimistic!). Our most popular ice cream is undoubtedly our Clotted Cream Vanilla Bean, but it has to fend off competition from the likes of our Salt Caramel and Wild Cherry and Chocolate Flake. My current personal favourite is Toffee and Hazelnut!

What makes your ice cream unique?

The Cornish climate is a bit special in terms of it being a milder, temperate place than the rest of the UK. With the Lizard Peninsula being almost an island in its own right, it benefits from the pure sea air and amazingly fertile grazing land resulting in a top quality product that’s a cut above the rest.

What does your West Country heritage bring to the business?

Our Cornish heritage goes back a long way, and is reflected in the way we approach both farming and making ice cream. We farm the land with the love and respect that the Cornish natural surroundings deserve. We take into account the diverse flora and fauna that is Cornwall when looking at projects on the farm. Then of course, we don’t rush things, opting to work with the seasons in order to get the best quality from the landscape. This is then pulled through to our ice cream making business and results in a fantastically pure and natural ice cream. Sorbets also get the same care and attention as we use water from our own natural spring!

What’s the future of food in the West Country?

Olly Godfrey of Roskilly's says “The future of food in the West Country is being realised as it’s now a ‘foodie’ destination in its own right and it only seems to be growing in terms of the type of businesses and holiday makers being attracted to the area for work and play, and Cornwall in particular. We have all the fundamental elements right here, and being creative with this top quality produce is the key. The future’s bright, the future’s Orange and Mascarpone...”

Enjoy a perfect day out at Roskilly’s - browse the charming farm shop, meet the friendly animals and savour a scoop at the Ice Cream Parlour.

Open 7 days a week. roskillys.co.uk