Hayling Island dessert maker Northney Ice Cream share secret to its stellar repuation - including milk from pedigree Ayrshire herd

Northney Ice Cream operates from Northney Farm, Hayling Island and was created in 2009 by Tim Pike. The farm has been in the Pike family for ‘many generations’ and is currently run by Tim’s mother Mary Pike.

The ice cream is sold in the Northney Tea Rooms, as well as at a wide variety of shops, restaurants and other businesses stretching from Fareham to Chichester.

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Tim explained that his venture into the world of ice cream was originally a way to turn a better profit on the farm’s milk, which had a low sale price at the time. He completed a series of courses on the subject of ice cream production and has since built a reputation for making a high quality product. Alongside the home-produced milk, from a herd of pedigree Ayrshire cattle, the company uses all natural ingredients like real fruit rather than artificial flavourings. The cows are milked twice daily, then the milk is separated into milk and cream before sugar and flavours are added.

Tim said: ‘I looked at all the different options and decided that ice cream was the best for us to try. I think we have a very good reputation. We use our own milk and cream from the farm, which is the vast majority of the ingredients in ice cream. We work with lots of other family and local businesses that have the same ethics. If customers have a really good day, I can come back to them over the weekend and top them up. They wouldn’t get service like that from the bigger businesses.’

Northney Ice Cream supplies businesses from Fareham in the west to Chichester in the east, including in the Portsmouth Guildhall, New Theatre Royal and Groundlings Theatre.

Tim added: ‘Whether it’s the middle of summer or the middle of winter, people still have ice cream at the theatre.’

He also explained that a key factor to his company’s success has been taking on feedback from customers such as suggestions for new flavours and recently push for more sustainable packaging. The 47-year-old further urged customers to support local businesses, citing environmental benefits.

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Tim said: ‘The price of milk continues to be challenging for farmers because, whilst the price of milk has gone up in shops, the price of our inputs – feed, fertiliser, electricity, water, – have shot up. We really appreciate if people support their local farm businesses – the farmers are the ones looking after the countryside and keeping it as good as it can be.’

The company produces roughly 20 ice cream flavours, Tim’s personal favourite being coconut. He explained that some are perpetually popular – such as vanilla, chocolate, mint – while in recent years, flavours like salted caramel and Biscoff have seen a surge in popularity. The dairy also supplies milk to Portsmouth businesses including the Southsea Coffee Company.