Thursday, 8 March 2007


Have you ever heard of Gundowring?



Chances are you haven't, unless you live in Australia, where folks have lately been shelling out double the normal price for little tubs of the world's finest ice cream. Gundowring Fine Foods is the result of six generations of dairy farming in the tiny area of Gundowring, a sleepy hamlet situated in Australia's Kiewa Valley. Stephen and Sarah Crooke launched their bespoke collections of ice cream in a facility adjacent to the cows themselves, and in very short order scooped up a bevy of awards among Australia's culinary cognoscenti. The taste is perfect - fresh and creamy but not too rich, the kind of taste that can easily cause you to destroy an entire tub before you've even realized the lid was off.


The Gundowring empire produces bespoke concoctions for restaurants and chefs across Australia and is now appearing in boutique delis and by private order. The Toasted Honey & Walnut gets rave reviews, but the adventurous will be into the Shiraz & Black Pepper, Lemon Myrtle, Tom Yum, or Blue Cheese flavors. The French Vanilla includes imported vanilla from Madagascar and is so delicious it may just officially redefine your perception of what vanilla tastes like.

Although the ice cream is not widely available, secret orders can be made in larger quantities, making it perfect for a party or special function. We're not going to comment on the carbon footprint implications of having your ice cream hand delivered from rural Australia, but trust us, its worth it. A note to chefs - the Crooke's will create custom flavors upon request.


Their standard, seasonal and special bespoke flavours are available in a selection of formats for convenient hospitality service too:
Choose from:
60 ml cornets - very elegant
1 litre triangle logs - especially festive
5 litre tubs - feeding the family reunion

To order, check out Gundowring Fine Foods.