Hazel Hartle and her family have devoted most of their working lives to making and perfecting Purbeck ice cream, so you'd expect it to be rather good.
It helps that they're based down in beautiful, sunny Dorset, using milk produced from local cows grazing on lush, green grass. And that they're committed to producing only pure and natural ice cream, banning all artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives.
'When we started the business 20 years ago, it was originally out of necessity,' explains director Hazel. 'We were dairy farmers, but when the government imposed milk quotas it meant that you would be charged for any excess milk you produced over your quota - so we had to find something to do with it.
'We'd always been ice cream fans - and we were determined to make it better than anything we'd ever tasted, using thick double cream and delicious natural flavours.'
Their initiative was such a success that seven years on, they stopped dairy farming and focused on their growing ice-cream business. Now they have a string of awards to their name and a reputation for innovation as well as environmental commitment (they recycle 95 per cent of their waste).
'We're connoisseurs of ice cream, so we're constantly experimenting with flavours.' Purbeck flavours include green-tea ice cream, pomegranate sorbet and their acclaimed chilli ice cream. 'There's an art to eating ice cream,' stresses Hazel. 'It's important to allow a tub to breathe for while. If you take it out of the freezer and eat it straightaway it will slightly freeze your taste buds. Instead, let it go slightly mushy at the edges to release the full flavour. Eat it on its own, unadulterated, and be sure to play with it on your tongue...'
Locally produced ice cream is available in selected Tesco stores throughout the country. The ranges available change by region, so check the frozen aisle in your store. Purbeck is available for customers in Dorset.