Ice cream lovers in Edinburgh are in for a blooming tasty treat after The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) announced the return of Mackie’s lavender ice cream to its menus.
The aromatic infusion has been created by ice cream experts at Mackie’s of Scotland for the venue’s catering partner Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events. It will be on sale to Garden visitors from the ice cream kiosk and diners in the John Hope Gateway Restaurant.
The delicately fragrant ice cream was originally unveiled last summer as part of Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink, alongside two other botanical inspired flavours – rose and jasmine. However, the lavender ice cream was definitely the floral flavour of choice, it proved so popular that it has now become a limited edition ice cream that is only available at The Garden.
Paul Mitchell, Catering Services Director at RBGE for Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, said: “Our visitors last year gave us some fantastic feedback on our floral-range of ice creams but Lavender proved to be the stand-out flavour, so we had to see it return. Its fresh, subtle, yet fragrant flavour captures the essence of summer in The Garden perfectly.
“Supporting Scottish suppliers and using the finest ingredients is extremely important to our business and customers. Created especially for us by Mackie’s, the ice cream is made on the family farm in Aberdeenshire using cream and fresh milk from their own dairy herd.”
Kirstin Mackie, Development Director at Mackie’s of Scotland, said: “We have made the special lavender ice cream with our new ‘gelato freezer’ – a state-of-the-art ice cream machine. Our New Product Development team spent a long time developing the natural lavender flavour to ensure we got just the right balance of sweetness and lush lavender.
“We are really proud of its delicate, delicious taste, it’s best enjoyed on its own, or perhaps with chocolate sprinkles and provides a really refreshing treat.”
Mackie’s lavender ice cream will be available on a limited period during the summer.
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