A chilling new map of Scotland’s best ice cream retailers has been produced by VisitScotland.
The tourism agency has created the Ice Cream Trail, which showcases more than 100 independent ice cream manufacturers and sellers around the country.
Launched at The Milk Barn in Falkirk, the list includes 18 shops from Tayside and Fife, including such famous names as Visocchi’s in Broughty Ferry, Janettas in St Andrews and Perth, and Divito’s in Crossgates.
The trail is designed to promote one of the nation’s favourite dairy delicacies.
It is estimated that the ice cream market is worth £1 billion to the UK economy and ice cream remains an integral part of Scottish culture.
While in the past, the seaside treat may have been gone hand in hand with fish and chips, today you are just as likely to find a great scoop of artisanal ice cream in many inland cities and towns.
Scotland’s Ice Cream Trail is intended to help both residents and visitors map their way round such outlets.
Scottish Government food secretary Richard Lochhead, said: “I’m delighted to hear that Scotland’s Ice Cream Trail has been launched.
“Our dairy produce is among the best in the world and it extends to so much more than milk.
“It’s great that this has been launched during the Year of Food and Drink and couldn’t have been timed better for the start of Delicious Dairy Month in August.
“I hope it will make people both visitors and locals more aware of the fantastic ice cream Scotland has to offer.
“I would certainly encourage everyone to follow the trail and make a point of tasting some of our delicious Scottish ice cream.”
VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said: “Whether it’s simple vanilla or something more exotic, ice cream is the ultimate summer treat and what’s so fantastic about this new trail is that visitors will be able to enjoy this frozen delight whenever and wherever they like, at any time of year.”
Suzannah Reid from The Milk Barn said: “We’re delighted to be part of Scotland’s Ice Cream Trail and look forward to welcoming lots of new visitors as a result. Our ice cream is made using milk from our very own herd of cows, which are milked just yards away every morning, to make a wonderful and diverse range of flavours which delight our many customers.”
Marco Caira, co-owner of Visocchi’s, said he hoped the new trail would help compensate for a miserable summer.
“The weather has just been awful there have been grey skies and it’s been cold,” he said.
“But we are always keen to push the artisanal case.”