Winning tip Knickerbockers, Barmouth, Wales
Pink parasols and twinkly fairy lights guide you towards an irresistibly wacky array of flavours of Welsh ice-cream. The Jaffa Cake ice-cream on a maple syrup-drowned waffle is sublime. Outside you’ll find plenty of benches or picnic tables from which to savour the breathtaking views over the Mawddach estuary.
The Quay, 01341 280 133, facebook.com/KnickerbockersBarmouth
Reckett
England
Gelupo, London
Some of the flavours regularly available include blood orange sorbet, salt caramel and pecan and alfonso mango. They also serve a good selection of non-dairy gelati such as coconut and espresso. There are tables inside and out and you can try as many flavours as you like.
7 Archer Street, 020-7287 5555, gelupo.com
ID3053586
Brymor’s, Masham, North Yorkshire
The rhubarb crumble and clotted cream is sensational, or try the delicate elderflower. Real ale fans love the Riggwelter raisin ripple – Riggwelter is the local Black Sheep Brewery ale. Delicious ice-cream, friendly service and beautiful surroundings.
High Jervaulx Farm, 01647 460 377, brymordairy.co.uk
ID202647
Italy
Come il Latte, Rome
In a quiet street Come il Latte dispenses gelato made in-house of natural locally sourced products. Each cone is filled first with warm dark or white chocolate, then your choice of 30 flavours of gelato – the creamiest in Rome, hence the name of the shop: “like milk”.
Via Silvio Spaventa 24/26, +39 06 4290 3882, comeillatte.it
Laurel Barton
Davide, Sorrento, Campania
Tucked away on a quiet side street off Via San Francesco, it’s the perfect place to savour handmade delights in a cone, cup, crêpe or even brioche. Davide’s staff are endlessly patient with customers mesmerised by the vast selection. Try the velvety tiramisù or tangy limoncello.
Via P R Giuliani 41, +39 081878 1337, gelateriadavidsorrento.it
ID1256164
Gelateria la Torre Artimino, Artimino, Tuscany
The gelateria lies just inside the gates of the ancient hamlet of Artimino. Wonderful views and a walk around the medieval village can accompany the best tasting homemade ice-cream. Ingredients include mascarpone, hazelnut and pistachio but also local fruits such as figs and blackberries. Locals from as far as Florence drive up the hillside for this ice-cream.
Via 5 Martiri 7/A
Val390
The rest of Europe
Jijonenca, Calella, Catalonia, Spain
It would be folly for an ice-cream shop to determine a holiday destination, yet Jijonenca in the Catalan village of Calella makes a powerful argument for doing just that. On our recent visit 55 flavours were on offer, as diverse as sweet chestnut, mandarin, marshmallow, mojito and “blue ice”, the colour of the adjacent sea and sky.
Calau 16, +34 937 66 21 58
jonathancooperbooks
Mont Blanc, Tervuren, Belgium
This classic ice-cream parlour is in a beautiful Flemish town just outside Brussels. Many Belgian families head here on traditional Sunday outings. Enjoy sitting outside looking at the town square, with its fountain and traditional Belgian church. The Dame Blanche (vanilla with chocolate) and framboise (raspberry) are wonderful.
Markt 3, +32 767 4364
AlastairP
I Scream for Ice-Cream, Lixouri, Kefalonia, Greece
The family-run parlour in the main square offers a wide variety of sorbet flavours and ice-cream made with fresh local cream. The coconut cream was pure indulgence. You get to taste before you buy and we were served by a gorgeous George Michael look-alike, circa 1985. What’s not to like?
Ethnikis Antistaseos Sq 6, +302 671093130
Una Rose
Anna Durkes, Berlin, Germany
A tiny ice-cream parlour is run by a couple of trendy Italian vegans with dreadlocks. They make the ice-cream fresh every morning, so the flavours change daily. There are beaten up squashy armchairs outside and they don’t hurry you, so you can sit at your leisure and watch the attractive young hipster parents pass by on their giant child-carrying bicycles.
Graefestrasse 80, +49 1520 564 7872 annadurkes.com
helenprice
