If you told me I'd be sitting down for an ice cream consultation; I probably wouldn't believe you. But here I am...Consultations are a fairly common principle. I'll often visit a counter and discuss skincare, where the specialist will identify key areas to focus on and match the products to what I need; the same goes for makeup. If I'm looking for a makeover I might pop along to one of the beauty counters and find out which lipstick colours suit me best, or how to contour properly (someone help me on that one, yeah?)
So when I was invited down to Mövenpick's brand new boutique for an ice cream consultation I was a little dubious. How would this work? I assumed I'd be asked which flavours I like (anything fruity/sweet really) and what I don't like (anything too sickly sweet or nutty - bar peanut butter or nutella for obvious reasons) but I didn't expect to be blindfolded. Yup. Sorry about that Mam as I know that wasn't what you expected when I invited you along.
We were given little jars to sniff and see if we could pick out the flavours (sometimes getting a little taste - Mam drew the short straw when she decided to taste lemon!) and notes were made based on our reactions. Then the fun part; tasting the flavours we were recommended.
Mövenpick source their ingredients from key locations all over the world. Working with small farmers, it really feels like an extended family business. The passion for ice cream has grown, alongside the demand and whilst this is the first boutique to open in the UK, and really exciting it's in the North East (within the newly redeveloped food court in Intu Metrocentre) their ice creams are already found in a range of hotels, restaurants and available to buy from Ocado.
After tasting everything from raspberry sorbet (the best sorbet I've tasted!) to bananas and cream, cinnamon and espresso, we were faced with a sundae each. These were specially created based on the flavours we'd chatted about some taste tests we'd carried out. I enjoyed the Chocolate Lover with raspberry sorbet, however the chocolate ice cream was swapped out for white chocolate and with the little flakes of chocolate pieces, it was delicious. My Mam enjoyed a completely unique mix of créme brulee, maple walnut and caramelita topped with chunky caramel pieces. It was a little too sweet for my taste but she certainly enjoyed it.
With 27 different flavours, there's plenty of choice and as much as I enjoyed the creamy swiss ice cream, I would highly recommend trying the sorbets. They're like crushed fruit and so far from sorbets I've had in the past which have been disappointing and mostly ice.
For the coffee fans out there, I highly recommend trying one of the Affogato drinks. The perfect blend of Nespresso coffee and M
övenpick ice cream. If you're needing that little pick me up, the Chocolate Dream is the best way to have a little taste of something sweet and as the ice cream melts into the coffee, it really enhances your drink. Could definitely go for one of them right about now...
I'm not sure I'll be getting a job in the boutique any time soon if my waffle cone making skills and scooping ability are anything to go by, but I'm sure I'll be back to try the Cherry Bakewell sundae and the coconut ice cream pretty soon.
What's your favorite ice cream flavour? Have you tried Mövenpick?
Post in collaboration with Mövenpick.
