Hope Valley ice cream

“Sorry Austin” I muttered in my best Elizabeth Hurley accent as we ground into yet another huge pothole in the track.

Keen-eyed readers will recall that Austin is the name of my little grey Astra, and the poor car took a serious punishing yesterday after an unplanned de-tour to Hope Valley Ice Cream parlour.

I’d taken a friend for a drive around the Peak District and we were making our merry way out towards Ladybower Reservoir when I spotted the Hope Valley sign at the side of the road.

Those who know me will know that I’m largely governed by my belly, so of course the breaks were slammed on and a speedy u-turn was performed.

Who cares that it was raining and blowing a gale? HOMEMADE ICECREAM. ‘Nuff said.

The track up to the farm can only be described as perfect for making visitors feel like they are embarking on an adventure into the rural wilderness – probably best negotiated in a 4x4. But as long as you don’t mind gritting your teeth and wincing a bit as the bottom of your car scrapes into yet another dip, then the reward is well worth the effort.

Thorpe Farm has been a dairy farm for 300 years, and the Marsden Family have been working the land since “great granddad” moved there as a tenant.

We arrived to find some happy-looking calves who were keen to be stroked and scratched, and indeed animal welfare is at the heart of what the Marsden Family do.

Milking in the farm’s parlour is a low-intensity process, with a viewing gallery for children on school trips and visitors, and turnips are also grown on the farm to supplement the cows’ diet.

Wildlife is also taken into consideration – the farm’s four miles of hedgerows are tended carefully to make sure it is a haven for birds and the Hope Valley website boast that the farm is “a home and feeding area for over 74 types of bird including owls, curlews, green woodpeckers, kestrels and swallows”.

The icecream is made with milk from the cows and egg yolks from the farm’s free range hens, and as well as selling it from a small parlour on the site, it is also sold at various Peak District farm shops and supplied to the local pubs.

I had a pot of Gertrude’s Whisky and Ginger, which was absolutely gorgeous, and I was gutted that I couldn’t take any home with me because with our day trip still in progress, it would have melted before reaching my freezer.

For more information visit www.hope-valley.co.uk