JUST JULIA TRIES: Mackie's 19.2 (Aberdeen)

Located 19.2 miles from the Westertown home farm where the Mackie family first started making their infamous ice cream 30 years ago lies Mackie's 19.2 - the Scottish ice cream company's first parlour.

Having captured the hearts of the nation with their delicious staple favourites, and some new ones too, it was natural for the ice cream empire to eventually pop-up in the city centre of Aberdeen with their own digs.

A local company, Mackie's has been keen to put its mark firmly on the city and with the new Marischal College development now open to businesses, it was natural for them to find their new home in front of one of Aberdeen's most prestigious buildings, Marischal College.

Meandering down to the other end of town where the ChristmasVillage lies, Calum and myself decided to pay Aberdeen's newest ice cream joint a visit late last Sunday afternoon - because eating ice cream right before dinner is the done thing, right?

It was dark by 4pm, but the parlour was bright which ensured I spotted it from the corner of my eye immediately. It was cosy, with lots of people and plenty of staff on to hand to tend to all.

The ice cream parlour is well-decorated. It's sophisticated, but at the same time, the ripple of multi coloured lighting which changes colour frequently, partnered with the giant neon cow sign in the window screams fun and edgy.

With room for 40 covers, it's spacious, although when we visited, it got busy really quickly - so if you want to grab a seat at one of their booths or the beautiful marble tables, grab one when you can.

As we delved into the menu I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I have a really sweet tooth, and I love desserts so when the menu consists of crepes, waffles, ice cream, cakes and more, I must admit, I was a little overwhelmed. Sticking to my guns, and what Mackie's is most famous for, I decided to go for ice cream.

Calum had already eyed up the sundae's and was on the case of picking his three flavours. Me on the other hand, back to square one. A cone, a tub, a lolly, a sundae or a milkshake? I wanted them all.

With more than 20 new flavours of ice cream to choose from including buttery and jam, raspberry Eton mess and rhubarb and custard, there was something for everyone.

Calum ordered his sundae; one scoop of banana rainbow ice cream, one of salted caramel, and one of cookies and cream topped off with a flake, freshly chopped bananas, chocolate sauce and a large serving of whipped cream. A branded wafer finished the dessert off.

Being greedy (it was Sunday so it's allowed) I also decided to get a sundae - three scoops; one chocolate orange, one white chocolate and coconut, and one toffee popcorn with rainbow sprinkles, tiny meringue pieces, coconut sauce and a lots of whipped cream plus a wafer on top.

The sundaes were huge, and we both loved them. I was pleased how well my flavours went together, and was happy with the size of the sundae. At £6.20 you want to make sure you're getting your monies worth - and that we did.

Sadly in the end, I had to admit defeat as it was just too much for me. The flavours I picked were fabulous. The chocolate orange was by far my favourite, but the coconut sauce which lined the glass was lovely and sweet and worked really well with the toffee popcorn and the white chocolate and coconut ice creams I had chosen.

Calum finished his in record timing, so I didn't manage to get a whiff of his, never mind a taste, but by the clean dish, I figured he enjoyed it...It seems I was correct.

Other than the ice creams, we didn't really manage to sample much more than that so I can't comment too much on the other dishes, but from what I could tell my the looks on customers faces, Mackie's has nailed it.

A supporter of local businesses where it can be, Mackie's tries its hardest to use as many local suppliers as it can, which was great to see from a consumers point of view. I loved that they had numerous local business' on show including Bon Accord Drinks, So...Aberdeen and Rora Dairy to start.

The company is also well known for it's chocolate and crisps, so it's no surprise they had plenty of chocolate on sale too, as well as huge slabs which would be perfect as gifts. I spied the smaller, individual handmade chocolates but decided to wait until my next venture to put them to the taste test. I was far too full for that. 

There as a little bit of everything in the parlour, from savoury choices, to tray bakes, to chocolate and ice cream and everything sweet in between.  A lot of time and effort has clearly been spent in finding a layout which not only works for the consumer, but works for the staff too. There's something for all ages, and it definitely seems like a place where all generations will come together. Besides, there's nothing better than seeing a grandparents out with the grandkids sharing an ice cream made by local people.

I for one was very impressed.

 

Overly satisfied and bellies full, we were really pleased with how our first experience of Mackie's ice cream parlour had panned out.

Not only do they have an array of sweet treats to keep you going until the cows come home, the savoury offering was also much better than I had anticipated and it was fantastic to see so many other local business' I support included in the offering.

A great space which I have no doubt will be a busy one at that. See you again soon...

  For Now...

Just Julia

FUN FACT: For every sundae you purchase you get one stamp on your loyalty card - buy six sundae's and the seventh is on Mackie's!

Crolla’s Gelateria: Launch event (Aberdeen)

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

When it comes to frozen desserts there's nothing more satisfying than a good old-school ice cream cone. From a young age, getting an ice cream was a treat, especially when the ice cream van actually decided to come past the house - which wasn't very often. Still to this day, I see visiting an ice cream shop as a real treat, and usually end up spending between 30-45 minutes in the place trying to decide what flavours to choose.

Over the past year Aberdeen has seen a number of ice cream parlours open their doors, offering up everything from unique flavours, to mammoth sized plates of perfectly baked cookie dough. However, there's one ice cream company that's moving into the city looking to offer something a little different to the market. In step Crolla's Gelateria.

A family-run ice cream company which boasts shops in both Glasgow and Wishaw, Crolla's has now officially opened it's doors in Aberdeen at 60 Rosemount Place. The first franchise to be situated North of the Central Belt, Crolla's is looking to make it's mark on the city, offering the people of Aberdeen its award-winning, authentic, homemade Italian gelato.

As the company has been producing ice cream for over 120 years, with the ice cream recipe being the family's best kept secret, you would expect this ice cream to be some of the best ice cream you'll ever taste - it is - and not only that, it's served up with a smile - something we Aberdonian's need to do more often.

Bagging myself an invite to the preview launch evening, I was excited to see what the Gelateria had to offer. On initial arrival I was pleasantly surprised to see outdoor seating. There's not many places in Aberdeen which offer this, so I was already expecting good things.

Welcomed with fizz and homemade nibbles, my initial thought was that the eatery was much bigger than anticipated. With a huge ice cream counter, ample space for seating, and it's own in-house ice cream making facility, Crolla's certainly means business.

With no clue on what flavour to try, David, one of the operations managers who was involved in the opening of the franchise, talked me through a number of the ice creams, guiding me and my boyfriend in finding our favourite flavours. I also got the chance to speak to the owner of the company which was pretty cool. Can you believe his favouirte flavour is still traditional vanilla? Go figure.

Throughout the evening we were also treated to a number of demonstrations with the cold stone from Peter Crolla Junior, managing director and the fifth generation of Crolla’s, who prepared some great ice cream concoctions by mixing up a number of flavours which unexpectedly went surprisingly well together.

The company creates over 80 different flavours of ice cream for their shops and corporate clientele. From traditional vanilla, to coconut (which I can say was my favourite), to Turkish delight (which was also extremely tasty and very sweetly fragrant), there's something for everyone, at this traditional yet forward thinking Gelateria.

What I really enjoyed learning about Crolla's is that the ice cream is made daily on-site by the chefs. The cold stone feature also allows customers to create their own ice cream flavour by mixing their favourite Gelato flavours together. The ice cream is placed on the cold stone, chopped up and mixed together to create a unique flavour of choosing.

The eatery also offers sundaes, milkshakes, smoothies, frozen drinks, Italian coffees and a number of homemade sandwiches. You can also get your hands on some wonderful waffles and other warm desserts too. Crolla's also plans to offer a delivery service very soon, which will ensure that those who can't travel very far, can still experience a taste of Crolla's.

An experience I hope to be re-visiting again soon, Crolla's is a must try if you're an ice cream fiend like me. All I can advise is go for the three scoops, you won't regret it.*

*until the next morning. But hey, Summer is almost over which means it's almost #christmasbulking season!

   For Now...

Just Julia