An award-winning ice cream maker has pushed the boat out with a new flavour to celebrate one of Scotland’s biggest maritime celebrations. Alex Murray from Portsoy Ice Cream has created a new variety flavoured with the cough lozenge, Fisherman’s Friend, to commemorate the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, which takes place in the North-east coastal village the weekend of June 23 and 24.
Ice cream flavoured with Fisherman’s Friend tickles the tastebuds of fisherman Alex Slater
More than 100 ice creams have been handmade in Portsoy Ice Cream’s family-run shop, with ingredients ranging from Ferrero Rocher to Moray Cup – a locally produced fruit-flavoured soft drink. But Alex felt it was about time that he created a special flavour to tempt the 16,000 people who turn out to the two-day Festival every year.
Alex says, “We’ve seen the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival grow over the past 19 years from a small local gala into one of the biggest tourist events in the region. It’s a remarkable achievement for a village like Portsoy, and I felt we should show the organisers some recognition by creating a new flavour of ice cream in the Festival’s honour.
“We spent a lot of time in the development kitchen working on some new flavours. We wanted to create something that reflected the fishing heritage of the event, but we couldn’t see that there would be many takers for fish-flavoured ice cream. That’s when we hit on the idea of flavouring it with Fisherman’s Friend – and the result is fantastic.
“People are initially wary about trying it because they can’t imagine what a cough sweet would taste like in an ice cream, but they are always surprised by the taste. No one can believe how refreshing it is – it almost cleanses the palate. People might think it’s really hot, but it’s actually quite cooling, which is ideal for a hot day.
Festival chairman Roger Goodyear says “Full marks go to Alex for finding such a novel way to celebrate the Festival. It may not sound that tempting, but we would urge visitors to stop in and give it the taste test – they might just be surprised.”
The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Traditional Boat Festival is one of the key events in the Year of Creative Scotland – a national initiative run in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL.
An adult day ticket for the Festival costs £8, children aged five to 18 and concessions are £5. Adult weekend tickets are priced at £12 and children and concessions at £8. There are also family tickets available which allow entry for two adults and three children for £25 for a day ticket and £35 for a weekend. Children under five go free and there is no charge for parking.
Sounds a bit fishy but fun!
Check out another story on quirky ice cream – this one made from holy Lourdes water: The Ice Creamists
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