‘Artisanal’ is one of those weasel words like ‘executive’, or ‘luxury’,
that is frequently abused by large companies pretending to be
something they’re not. So, when we at Baboo Gelato (very much
not a large company) claim to be ‘artisanal’ we should explain what
we’re talking about.
First a disclaimer, we use ‘ice cream’ and ‘gelato’ interchangeably as
always saying gelato can sound a bit pretentious, but in fact there is
a big difference between ice cream and gelato. Gelato is less fatty as
it uses less cream, and it is churned more slowly so it doesn't have
lots of air pumped into it. The result is a more intense flavour which
is less sweet and heavy, ie it’s better for you and it’s better tasting.
What’s not to like?
Back to the artisanal discussion. When we talk about artisanal we're
talking about both our suppliers and how we make our gelato.
We buy directly from farms and orchards whenever possible. In
the world of food there are so many middlemen adding cost and
fancy packaging. We don’t accept this, as we want the farmers to
get the money, and we get the quality. We talk regularly with our
farmers so we can order at the peak of their picking season. For
example we have recently finished processing four hundred kilos of
forced rhubarb from E Oldroyd & Sons in Yorkshire. This is a proper
family business, and by buying direct means we guarantee the
freshness and the superb, skinny pink perfection that is one of
Yorkshire’s great culinary exports.
And we make all our gelato by hand. It is a laborious process but
every step is designed to make the most delicious product. We start
with raw organic milk from a nearby farm that is delivered each
evening to our lab. We then pasteurise it ourselves to make our
base recipes. Our gelato recipes change every day with the variation
in the butter fat of the organic milk we use.
We then mix in the ingredients, blending in thick fruit purees; adding
ripples of fruit or chocolate; adding pieces of honeycomb or walnut;
or fistfuls of rum-soaked sultanas to make Baboo Gelato’s fifty-four
flavours.
We use no artificial colours or flavourings, meaning our vanilla isn’t
yellow and our mint choc chip isn’t green. Sorry but you can’t trust a
mint choc chip ice cream that’s green: it’s just shouting ‘artificial’
from the rooftops. Nor do we use pre-fabricated pastes with the
flavour loaded in. We make it all from scratch using real ingredients.
We’re confident our lot are the business. So, when we say ‘hand-
made’ you can be sure that every litre of Baboo Gelato has come
from our lab to you with a lot of love and effort from all of us. That’s
what we mean by artisanal.
