Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 114

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

Beauty in
stone at
Sydenhams
Ice cream excellence
wins national plaudits
You’re browsing through a
lifestyle magazine, or watching
a garden makeover show, and
see some fabulous stone tiles.
But where on the Island are
you going to get anything
similar?
Sydenhams is an independent
company, and with its
16 branches throughout
Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset
and the Island, is large
enough to command excellent
deals, while maintaining the
flexibility of a privately-owned
firm. We see the name on
many of the timber-framed
houses which are erected on
the Island. But how many of
us are aware that Sydenhams is
a one-stop shop for any hard
landscaping needs? And that it
is open to the public as well as
to trade.
“We keep abreast of all the
new stuff that comes out, so
if someone comes across an
innovation we can get it within
a week,” says Kevin Clarke of
Sydenhams. The firm is one
of the big success stories of
the Island, having expanded
threefold since it arrived eight
years ago. “We’ve now got

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extensive landscaping displays
at our branches both in
Newport and Ryde,” he says.
The exciting thing is the
sheer range of stone to choose
from, from budget right up
to top end materials. “We
have stones from all over the
globe,” says Kevin – “Turkish
travertine flooring, which is
like marble; Mongolian slate;
Indian sandstone.” The firm
was founded, in 1875, on a
site in Dorset where timber
is still imported today – and
that remains a strength of the
company.
“If you’ve got an idea of
what you want in your garden,
bring in some measurements
and have a look at what we’ve
got,” says Kevin. “Tell us what
size your garden is and we’ll
price it up for you – there’s
no obligation to take it any
further. You might not have
the Groundforce team coming
in, but we’re friendly local guys
ready to tackle any challenge.”
Sydenhams, Nicholson Road,
Ryde, PO32 1BD, tel: 566922,
and Forest Road, Newport
PO30 5QW, tel: 532320.

Gioia Minghella is still reeling
from the success of her family
firm at the recent Great Taste
Awards. Minghella’s was
awarded nine trophies for
its ice cream and sorbets. “I
kept a tally and no other firm
achieved anywhere near as
many,” she says. Given they’ve
only been entering since
2002 and in that time they’ve
mustered 53 awards, the result
is not only amazing but totally
unprecedented.
She puts their success down
to the fact that while their
tubs sit alongside the likes of
giants such as Ben & Jerrys
and Haagan Daas, Minghella
is still in outlook the artisan
firm it was when her father
and mother, Edward and
Gloria, began. It’s a hard
circle to square: the firm
employs no more than 14
people, yet Minghella’s ice
cream is as much a part of the
Isle of Wight as the Needles
and Cowes Week. Indeed its
reputation for excellence is not
confined to the Island – it sells
in Harrods and Fortnum &
Mason, and on airlines.
Ingredients are key. “We
pasteurise on site raw milk
and cream from Isle of
Wight cows, which graze in

relatively unpolluted pastures.
The ingredients reflect
that freshness – and unlike
commercial ice cream we don’t
use anything which mimics real
flavours.”
Most of the recipes were
developed by Gioia herself.
“I’m addicted to cookery
books. If I read a lovely
Mexican recipe I try to
imagine what I’d like to eat
to follow.” Family favourites
like American Apple Pie rub
chilly shoulders in the freezer
with the very adult choice of
(award-winning) Gin and Pink
Grapefruit. Indeed, if you or
I have a whim that cardamom,
white chocolate and cherry
would be nice together,
Minghella’s bespoke service
will produce your very own ice
cream.
The sorbets use a high
proportion of fruit and little
sugar, and the results are
award winning. And is there
a downside to their success?
“We have 175 flavours on our
list but can’t ever delete one,”
says Gioia. “There’s always
someone who says: “But I
particularly liked . . . “
Minghella Ice Cream, High
Street, Wootton Bridge, PO33
4PL

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