Jude's News
Village Fete Fun! - 1/9/2010
This bank holiday Easton had its brilliant annual village fete. Punters enjoyed the amazing weather and Jude's ice cream with the traditional tea and cakes from the W.I. stand - and all money taken was donated to the Village Hall, Church and Cricket Club. Jude's even entered a team into the tug of war for the first time; Olly, Theo, John and Carl put in a brave effort, but sadly were knocked out by the burly boys of the Chestnut Horse Pub. Other highlights included John (who is definitely not a child) gatecrashing the childrens wheelbarrow race, and Theo driving Sally Taylor (of South-Today fame) to open the fete.
Care for Children - 9/8/2010
Jude's is very pleased to be supporting the work of Care for Children. Normally we give donations to local charities, but the work that Care for Children are doing is so amazing that we wanted to get behind them. Care for Children have been working in China with the government to help get abandonded and orphaned children out of orphanages and into local families. In twelve years they have helped an amazing 250,000 orphans into families!!!
A day in the life of Jude's - 14/7/2010
The summer months are always a bit crazy at Jude's, so we thought we'd let you know a bit about what goes on behind the scenes on a typical day (like yesterday). So... One of the boys started early to head out on deliveries before the restaurants got too busy. In the office Aedan arrived for his first days work, quickly learning the ropes, and correcting our bad spellng!
We also have some brilliant students helping us out for the summer, who busily run in and out of the freezers dressed like arctic explorers!
The afternoon involved preparing a new recipe, taking a van for repair, designing a new poster, and cleaning all the ice cream machines. Then we all went home...exhausted.
Gold at the Great Taste Awards! - 6/7/2010
Jude's Blood Orange Sorbet achieved a three star gold - the top award - in this years Great Taste Awards. This is a recipe which we spent all last autumn developing and only cracked on the 15th attempt! Thankfully all the hard work paid off.
The beautiful game - 30/6/2010
The Jude's vans flew the flag proudly...but it was not to be. However, all is not lost and the excitement continues in the Jude's Dairy World Cup Sweepstake! Al is feeling pretty confident with Brazil, Jude is hoping that the young Germany team will pull through, but Jackie's Ghana might still be the dark horse to keep an eye on.
Jenson, Lewis and Jude... - 22/6/2010
Yes, this is crazy! The Maclaren F1 team are driving some Jude's ice cream out to Spain to feed their hungry (and probably very hot) team. We are proud to be keeping Lewis and Jenson cool on the Valencia Street Circuit in the European Grand Prix as they battle it out for the championship. Maybe they'll take a more relaxed approach and pause for an ice cream...the ultimate refreshing pit stop.
Wet wet wet - 8/6/2010
So, as you can imagine things slow down here a bit when the rain comes. It's actually quite nice...we get to catch our breath before the sun comes out and it all goes crazy again. We'll spend our week tidying the freezers, scraping ice off the doors, making lots of cardboard boxes and working on some new packaging designs...exciting stuff!
Hot hot hot... - 27/5/2010
So the sun put his hat on this week which we all really enjoyed. It has also meant a few changes to the normal routine...Jill and Chow have dusted down their bikes to ride into work (8 miles each way!), the new picnic bench (painted green to fit in with the hills) has had lots of use, and we have had a few lobster coloured members of staff walking around. Those who "forgot" to put on their sun cream shall remain nameless, but we even managed to have one pair of shoulders burn in just half an hour in the sun!
Watercress watercress everywhere! - 11/5/2010
This Sunday (16th May) we are going to be selling our ice cream at the Alresford Watercress Festival. Alresford is just down the road from us and is the capital of watercress, which is why they put on a whole festival to celebrate the little green stuff. Expect lots of food, music and morris dancing! We will be out with the Jude's trike at the top of broad street, so pop by and say hi to Kim.
p.s. We once tried making watercress ice cream...its not a very good idea!
Vote with your Spoons - 20/4/2010
Bompas & Parr are "food architects" who make the most weird and wonderful jellies in the land. In the run up to the general election they are opening up a Parliamentary Waffle House where you can eat waffles representing the three major political parties served up with Jude's ice cream. With this scientific method they will gauge the political mood of the country and predict the election result!!
Visit the Waffle House near Carnaby Street, London before 6th May, or if you can't make it then enjoy some amazing creations on their website.
Marco's Kitchen Burnout - 13/4/2010
Look out for Jude's very vanilla ice cream in Marco Pierre White's new ITV program, starting this Friday at 9pm. We dropped around a few tubs when they were filming earlier in the year. We've no idea what they will serve with it so it will be a nice surprise for us all!
The Jude's Car Pushing Club - 1/4/2010
Members of the Jude's team have now taken to new ways of getting in shape. We recently witnessed Jude herself pushing a conked out car down the drive with her husband sitting inside merrily encouraging her! Everyone really enjoyed the scene (think Benny Hill theme tune!) and needless to say the car ended at the bottom of the hill and still did not start.
The Jude's Running Club - continued... - 16/3/2010
They did it! On a chilly monday evening Kim, Charlie and Andy were seen running down the drive and disappearing across the fields. Though it was not the most professional running club ever seen (Charlie was running in his jeans!) there was lots of enthusiasm. Everyone managed to reach the top of the hill on the other side of the valley...and back! We have not seen any action since, just a pair of muddy shoes by the front door to remind us of their great feat.
The Jude's Running Club - 2/3/2010
As the sun begins to show its face, thoughts in the dairy have turned to getting fit for the summer. The Jude's Running Club has been officially formed and has been recruiting hard. So far all the talk has been about running gear and possible routes, though there has not yet been any action!...we will keep you updated.
The Ripple Returns - 11/2/2010
This season at Jude's we are proud to present as our new Spring Flavours 2010 (drum roll)...........Raspberry Ripple and Blood Orange Sorbet!! After lots of requests for the retro English classic we have been working hard to get a really great raspberry that cuts through the creamy ice cream base. The Blood Orange sorbet has also taken us a few months to perfect; the final recipe was our 15th trial! We hope you like them.
Congratulations Alex & Kate! - 2/2/2010
Very very exciting news from the Jude's team. Last night Alex - son of Jude - asked his girlfriend Kate if she would marry him...and she said yes! We are not really sure what to say, except that we are all very very excited, by this very very exciting news!
Tubs n'grub for the night shelter - 26/1/2010
One of the charities that Jude's staff have been supporting for the past few years is the Winchester Churches Night Shelter for the homeless. Chow and Jude - yes, that's the Jude! - have been volunteering and joined the cooking rota of this fantastic organisation. They are always looking for volunteers, so if you are near Winchester and want to get involved just give them a ring.
Last week we dropped a load of empty tubs for the kitchen...they've asked for full tubs next time!
Brrrrrr...it's a wee bit chilly - 13/1/2010
Since moving to Twyford we've had one mini-tornado, one lightning strike and so the obvious next step was the coldest winter since 1979! We thought we'd let you know how we've things have been out here during the big chill. So, the past two weeks have seen...3 burst pipes, 1 frozen water supply (and the afternoon off!) and lots of hairy moments on the slippery drive. Not that Greg and Charlie minded, with their expert doughnut (think handbrakes not jam!) display in the snow.
...and a Happy New Year - 4/1/2010
Hello again and welcome to 2010! It's a new decade and, apart from being just a little bit chilly right now, we are already looking forward to many good times ahead; new flavours, new Jude's tubs and lots and lots of sun...!
Merry Christmas - 24/12/2009
Well, the last tub of Winter Warmer has been made and its time to put our feet up in front of the fire! Everyone here at Jude's wishes everyone "out there" a very Happy Christmas. We hope the new year brings you peace, joy and lots of other good things.
Pea-shooters after eight - 15/12/2009
On Saturday night we had the biggest and best Jude's Christmas party ever! Chaos ruled as soon as we sat down to eat, as everyone was provided with a pea-shooter and paper balls for ammunition. Any disputes were settled in the shoot out of the decade with Charlie and Andy proving the most deadly shots, catching out anyone who was too focused on their Brussel sprouts. The "After Eight game" (balance an After Eight on your forehead, and eat it with no hands) followed, with Sarah ending up with more chocolate melted on her nose than in her mouth. Nice.
Lighting Strikes Jude's! - 8/12/2009
On Wednesday afternoon the Jude's dairy was struck by lightening! We heard the rumble of the thunder outside as gradually the flashes came closer and closer until "bang", all the machines flicked off then on. Thinking we had got away with it, there was another flash and crash as one of the electricity pylons on the drive was struck and a wire came down...we were plunged into darkness.
So everyone went home as the kind men from Southern Electric came and worked through the pouring rain to get the power up and running in a few hours.
The brilliant Jude's team then returned for a late night ice cream making session and we finished the days production at midnight!
Mexicano!! - 1/12/2009
Christmas shoppers visiting the British Museum on saturday had a spicy surprise waiting for them! Celebrity chef Thomasina Miers shared her passion for Mexican food and demonstrated some simple recipes in an Introduction to Mexican Cookery. Tommi also used our Chilli Chocolate ice cream which is served in her Wahaca restaurants in London. This was all part of a new exhibition of Aztec culture which is running until the end of january.
Grace's Ploughing Match - 12/11/2009
Last weekend the Winchester Growmore Club held its annual ploughing match up at Graces Farm near Easton. On a day of very high quality ploughing, Jude's was proud to sponsor the Open class. The class was won by Mr Whatley pulling a Ransomes plough behind his Masesey Ferguson tractor. Congratulations Mr Whately!!
The Twyford Twister - 10/11/2009
On Tuesday we had the surprise of watching a mini tornado passing through Twyford! From the safety of the dairy we watched as gale force winds blew the trees to breaking point outside and stripped them of their autumn leaves.The Hampshire Chronicle Report said that, even though there was lots of damage, thankfully no-one was seriously hurt.
Gold goes to Kim - 4/11/2009
We're very pleased to announce that The Pirates (captained by Charlie) walked away with a victory at the "The Jude’s Ice Cream Championship Challenge Bowling Trophy Extravaganza Bonanza 2009." The surprise of the night was Kim's pin point accuracy that saw her walk away with the individual Gold medal. There has been lots of talk about whether this was luck or natural talent shining through. But it's since emerged that she has been spotted at some secret after-hours training at various bowling alleys in the area.
Championship Bowling Extravaganza Bonanza - 29/10/2009
This evening will see the Jude's dairy staff going head to head in the "The Jude’s Ice Cream Championship Challenge Bowling Trophy Extravaganza Bonanza 2009". The two teams will be captained by our pasteurisors, Greg and Charlie and we are expecting a heated contest down at the Eastleigh bowing alley. There have been a lot of nerves in the dairy today as the teams size each other up....watch this space for results.
Rockcorps - 12/10/2009
Some of the Jude’s team recently danced the night away at the Royal Albert Hall as we were invited to join the Rockcorps London Concert. Rockcorps have an amazing vision to encourage young people to volunteer for 4 hours on projects in their communities in return for a concert ticket, and we were lucky enough to join them to see superstars like David Gueta, Razorlight and Kelly Rowland performing for a brilliant cause. Thank you Rockcorps and keep up the great work.
Winter Flavour Launch - 9/10/2009
The time of year has come when the nights draw in again and we huddle round our fires for comfort. To cheer us all up we have launched our Winter flavours: old favourites such as Winter Warmer (christmas pudding ice cream) and Prune & Armagnac, and Cranberry sorbet return, whilst new flavours Damson Ripple and Rum & Raisin (which is also available in 120ml & 500ml tubs) steal the show.
Ploughing it up - 23/9/2009
We have a champion in our midst. Mark - the husband of our diary supervisor Sarah - came first in his class at the Wessex Historic Tractor & Implement Club ploughing match on Sunday. He drove his vintage Fordson Dexta and 2 furrow Ransome trailer plough to victory at Cheriton, just down the road from us in Twyford. Not only was Mark crowned Annual Ploughing Match Champion, but he now goes through to the 2010 Hampshire County Ploughing match. Very exciting!
Cheerful Souls - 8/9/2009
We were all glued to our televisions last night, cheering on Michele and Russell in their new venture with Raymond Blanc "The Cheerful Soul." Michele and Russell, who won the BBC2 series "The Restaurant," have just opened their own restaurant in Marlow and we are very proud to be supplying them with Jude's ice cream. You can have a look at their blog and watch the launch on BBC IPlayer.
Easton Village Fete - 2/9/2009
This bank holiday monday we were all down at the village fete enjoying the sunshine and general fun. Members of the Jude's team could be found helping out on the white elephant stall, the tug of war, the dog agility competition, and on the Jude's ice cream tricycle. However the highlight was, not surprisingly, the W.I. tea and cakes stand which never seems to dissappoint.
Goodbye Ben - 27/8/2009
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Ben. He has been helping us out for the past five months and will be missed for his entertaining conversation, random philosophising and endurance of the cold in the freezers. Ben is setting of on an adventure to the other side of the world and is, in his own words, "going east to seek his fortune." We wish him well.
Holiday Fun - 20/8/2009
The Jude's team has been enjoying the lovely weather recently, with lots of people off on holiday...Kim and Fran are even off camping at a music festival for the weekend! Whilst everyone is away we are lucky enough to have Harriet, a student from Twyford village helping us out for a couple of weeks.
Harvest Time - 4/8/2009
Twyford is all activity as the farmers start to bring in their crops. Yesterday the combine harvester started on the wheat field next door to us, though rain seems to have stopped play for now. We are all hoping that the sun reappears again soon!!
Chilling Out - 21/7/2009
Today marks the arrival of our new water cooler! This is very exciting because we will now reduce our use of water by thousands of litres every year! We have also got the most energy efficient one that we could find to keep our impact on the environment to a minimum. This is all part of our drive to reduce our carbon footprint and "go greener."
Twyford Community Project - 7/7/2009
This coming saturday, 11th July, we will be selling our ice cream again at the "Picnic in the Park" (spot the running theme!) and all takings will go towards the The Twyford Community Project. The event starts at 5pm at Hunter Park, Twyford, and will feature the Hampshire Youth Jazz Band...you just need to bring a picnic! Tickets are £10 on the gate and free for under 10's.
A Nice Photo of Twyford Water Meadows - 7/7/2009
Lark in the Park - 7/7/2009
On sunday Kim and Debs went and sold Jude's at the Twyford village "Lark in the Park." They had great fun watching the tug of war, pony rides, falconry, face painting and splat the rat! All Jude's takings went towards the excellent childrens' cancer charity The Joe Glover Trust .
Ben & Charlie's - 25/6/2009
Now that the sun is shining, we are busier than ever at Jude's. We have two great new members of staff here to help with all the extra mixing, pasteurising, freezing and delivering. Ben and Charlie both live in Winchester and are getting stuck into the ice cream making (and tasting) as if they've done it their whole lives.
Sustaining the Forests - 10/6/2009
We are very pleased that all our small 120ml tubs (the one's you might eat in the cinema or theatre) are now made from Forest Stewardship Council approved paper. This means that the trees are grown in a sustainable and responsible way: a) prohibiting conversion of natural forests or other habitat. b) prohibiting the use of highly hazardous pesticides. c) prohibiting the cultivation of genetically modified trees (GMOs). d) respecting the right of indigenous peoples. We think this all sounds great and are happy to be a part of it.
Super Summer Flavour Launch - 2/6/2009
Tomorrow we are going to be launching our new summer flavours live on BBC Radio Solent! The nice people there have invited us to feed their hungry presenter Jon Cuthill on air between 10.30am - 12.30am. We will be unravelling our rhubarb and elderflower sorbets, as well as our blackcurrant and hokey pokey (honeycombe) ice creams. All very exciting!
Ride2Recovery - 2/6/2009
Well done to Chow, who has just returned from cycling 600 miles from London to the Alps! This was all to raise money for two charities, Spinal Research and Aspire, who do great work for people with spinal injuries. You can visit the Ride2Recovery website to read about the ride and the terrible course of events that inspired it. You can also donate to these wonderful charities... so far we have raised over £60,000! Here's a short news clip.
Watercress Festivities - 19/5/2009
On Sunday we went to the 6th annual Watercress Festival in Alresford. This part of Hampshire is the "capital of watercress" and we were very happy to be involved in the farmers market and festivities. Admittedly there was some rain (in fact quite alot!) but that did not seem to dampen the spirits. There was great music from the Pete Harris Band and three troups of morris dancers entertained us, dancing with both swords and clubs...we were just sad there were no white hankies being waved in the air!
Jude's at Hamleys - 11/5/2009
We are very pleased to have teamed up with England's most famous toy store, as we have launched Jude's ice cream in Hamleys on Regent Street, London. So when you are next toy shopping in london, and you can't decide between the latest Mountaineer Action Man or Lego Show Jumping Set you can enjoy a delicious ice cream sundae to help you make up your mind. Just go to the Regal Tea Cafe on the 5th floor.
Celebrity Ice Cream - 7/4/2009
Marco-Pierre White and his team of chefs have asked Jude’s to supply the Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant on ITV with some of our fruity sorbets, including Raspberry, Blackcurrant and Passionfruit. Feel free to give us a loud cheer if you see Jude’s creations on TV over the coming weeks.
Stan and Pete - 13/3/2009
Today Stan and Pete came to visit us at Jude's and fix one of our ice cream machines. Not only did they get everything working again but they also gave us some great ideas on how we can use less water and electricity for freezing the ice cream. We gave them a huge tub of hokey pokey each, and everyone was happy.
Hungry Ice Creamers - 26/2/2009
We’ve got a bit of healthy competition in the dairy to see who can bring in the best packed lunch. Sandwiches from Twyford post office have been proving very popular this week, and a whole range of fancy breads have been on display. One person, who will remain nameless, was disappointed that his/her reheated takeaway did not meet with approval!
At Jude’s we also value presentation and Steve’s green and pink lunch box is a stand out winner.
Ice Creamers on Bikes! - 19/2/2009
In a collective bid to be fitter and happier, some of Jude's staff have started to cycle to work. Steve is leading the pack with an impressively hilly 7 mile commute each way, and even his 13 year old daughter is joining the family peleton this friday. Chow still promises to get a bike and start riding, but claims that he is struggling to come to terms with the idea of all that lycra.
Snowy days! - 3/2/2009
Here at Jude's we have been enjoying the wintry snow falls as well as taking on the slippery roads. Yesterday Steve claimed that he drove to work mostly sliding sideways, and Sarah was dropped off on an enormous Claas tractor! Production even finished in time for a mass snow ball fight and some after hours sledging on St. Catharines Hill overlooking Winchester.
So long, farwell... - 16/1/2009
Today is a sad day at Jude's. Jake, who joined us after leaving college in June, has packed his bags and is off to see the world. He has brought lots of fun to the dairy and will be missed by everyone (especially the girls!) We are already looking forward to him coming back to visit, hopefully with a big bushy beard and stories of weird and wonderful places.
Road Trip - 15/1/2009
Two of the Jude's team are being packed off to Italy this weekend to catch up with our ice cream making friends in Europe. Visiting Italy has become a bit of an annual pilgrimage... and a good chance for us to see how many different flavours of ice cream we can eat over one weekend.
The Big Chill - 8/1/2009
As the winter cold sets in you can find Jude's staff huddled around the dairy heaters, warming frozen pipes and treading lightly over the ice outside. However, these quiet winter months are also the best time for us to dream up new flavours for the year ahead and carry out our wackiest experiments...so please join in the fun and tell us what flavours you think we should try out.
Happy Christmas - 23/12/2008
Everyone here at Jude's wishes everyone "out there" a very Happy Christmas. We hope that you have a wonderful, peaceful and restful Christmas and New Year.
Students of Ice Cream - 16/12/2008
This week we welcomed back three of our long serving students for the busy festive season. Jack, Katharine and Alice all liven the place up, and Jack's willingness to lend a hand in the office has been a welcome surprise; however we suspect it might have something to do with the mistletoe over Kim's desk.
Hello Steve - 4/12/2008
We have just welcomed a new member of staff into our team, in time for the busy Christmas period. Steve is from nearby Bishops Waltham and has joined us to help out in the dairy. He is a master of all things mechanical and has done lots of interesting things in his time, including working on the set of Superman III and sending deep sea mini-submarines to the bottom of the ocean.
At the Discovery Centre - 27/11/2008
Today Jude's is helping Winchester Discovery Centre celebrate its 1st birthday with a free ice cream tasting during Baby Bounce & Rhyme Time. The head of the council will also be cutting a celebration birthday cake. The discovery centre is the newly redeveloped library in the heart of Winchester, and offers free library membership to local residents.
Going Green - 21/11/2008
Yesterday Jude's took another step towards becoming a more green company. Lucy - former Business in the Community expert, and mother of the sweetest twins in the village - came to advise us on how we can have a better impact on the environment around us. This is the policy that we have decided on:
"We are an all inclusive family business that strives to have a positive impact on our local and extended community and environment."
Our next steps are to use recycled cardboard for our outer packaging, and re-use more water in the dairy.
Ploughing Championships comes to Easton - 10/11/2008
This weekend Grace's Farm hosted the Hampshire Ploughing Championships just outside Jude's home in Easton. Two members of the Jude's team (Sarah and Kim) have family members who have restored their own vintage tractors, and Sarah's husband competed on the day. Though no silverware returned home, it was a great days ploughing for all.
Brasserie Blanc - 23/10/2008
We are very excited to have started working with Raymond Blanc's wonderful brasseries, supplying them with ice cream and sorbets. Together with their chefs we have developed two great new flavours: Prune & Armagnac ice cream and Blackcurrant Sorbet. So now Jude's can be enjoyed all the way from Bristol to Leeds. Brasserie Blanc
Stu the Thatcher - 14/10/2008
We are very sad that Stu the thatcher will be leaving us shortly. He has been working here for over 12 months thatching a barn and we've grown very fond of his unique ways. Many a tub of ice cream has been thrown up to him as he has been working up his ladder on sunny days. When it rains he has tucked himself away in his little grotto, pulling straw and pointing spars for the roof whilst trying to keep the chickens from invading! It has been a real pleasure seeing a master craftsman at his trade, and he will be missed.
Help for Heroes - 2/10/2008
As part of our annual charitable giving Jude's has donated to the fantastic charity Help for Heroes, who give support to wounded service men and women. This is at the recommendation of Jake, who helps with our pasteurising and is an active supporter of the charity...he was even lucky enough to meet some of the stars at their recent rugby match at Twickenham. This year alone Help for Heroes has raised an amazing £12.5 million, and we feel privileged to be able to pay a small part in this. www.helpforheroes.org.uk
Autumn's Arrives - 23/9/2008
Autumn announced its arrival at Jude's with the first conkers dropping into the yard. Though it's sad to see the summer pass, we are very excited to be bringing out our new autumn flavours. Look out for our White Choc ice cream in small individual tubs, and a delicious Prune & Armagnac ice cream being served in restaurants.
Summer ??? - 18/9/2008
We are happy to report that our resident House Martin's have not yet given up on the english summer. We are hoping that they know something that we don't know as they keep enjoying their holiday home in the northern hemisphere. According to the BBC website they could be onto something since "the Scandinavian high" is soon to "link up with its partner in the Azores". Now we are not really sure what this means, or how it works, but apparently we might be in for some warm weather!
Easton Village Fete - 2/9/2008
Last week we wheeled our Jude's tricyle down to the village cricket pitch to enjoy the Easton Village Fete and sell ice cream to raise money for local charities. In total £6,500 was raised for the village hall and church. Our vicar, Rev. Jonathon Cruickshank was overheard saying - through a mouthful of Victoria sponge - that the quality of the WI tea and cakes stand was as high as he could remember.
Jack's back! - 19/8/2008
It's that special time of year when we welcome our students back into the dairy. This summer Jack is helping out again in between studying for his re-takes at Oxford University. Though he is probably a genius we think that his real talent lies in eating Jude's Hokey Pokey ice cream.
Tasting every batch of ice cream is an important part of our quality control, and Jack has been more than happy to step into the role... he seems to have perfected the "one for you, one for me" system.
Gold for Jude's! - 8/8/2008
In true Olympic style, Jude's has kicked off August by winning a handful of medals at the Great Taste Awards 2008 - the "Food Oscars." The judges kindly awarded us Gold for our Strawberry Tease, Roasted Almond and Jude’s Original (milk) ice creams. We’re particularly pleased with the performance of our Strawberry... as it’s the hardest flavour to make (a bit like doing an armstand back double-somersault with one and a half twists in the diving!)
Marco's Mess - 4/8/2008
Marco Pierre White was kind enough to call us up, and use Jude’s ice cream in his favourite Eton Mess recipe. This will be shown on “Marco’s Great British Feast”, on ITV. Very exciting! For the full recipe see:
Marco's Eton Mess
On board the QE II - 25/7/2008
This week we were very excited to be on board the famous QE II cruiseship. The "Queen Elizabeth II" is one of the last great transatlantic liners and is in its final few months of service. We drove some ice cream down to the Southampton Docks, before the great ship took to the seas once again with our precious cargo!
New Summer Tub - 8/7/2008
We've just launched our new ice cream tub for this summer! This year we have included our lovely village of Easton, near Winchester, on the front of the tub. On the back is our barn where we make all the yummy ice cream!
Feathered Friends - 1/7/2008
We have been pleasantly suprised this week by visits from all sorts of colourful birds. Not only do we get regular visits from the family of pheasants who live in the wood, but a green woodpecker has started passing through the orchard most days at lunch. Strangest of all though, has been the appearance of a fully grown male peacock who appears early in the morning on our thatched roof!
Tinkerbell the Puppy! - 24/6/2008
After alot of confusion, the dust has finally settled and the puppy has been named. Tinkerbell, or "Tinker" for short, has also discovered her new teeth and is developing a taste for stray shoes. Beware!
New Summer Flavours - 10/6/2008
We have just launched our new summer flavour list! Highlights include elderflower sorbet with locally grown elderflower, a delicious new blackcurrant sorbet, honeycomb ice cream and coconut ice cream – not to mention our usual Home Favourites.
P.s. the puppy still has no name!
Name the Puppy! - 4/6/2008
Yesterday we welcomed home a beautiful little Jack Russel puppy from Carmarthen in South Wales. However, we are still not quite sure what to call her: the current choices include Megan (after her Mum), Tegan (which means beautiful in Welsh) or Pip (for no apparent reason). Let us know what you think!
New Arrivals - 28/5/2008
Jude's is very happy to announce the arrival of three new members of the family. At 315 am on Wednesday 28th May three little chicks entered the coup. One Silver Wyandotte, one Yellow Pekin, and one as yet unidentified little tweeter. Mother and children are doing well.
Watercress Watercress everywhere! - 13/5/2008
This sunday Jude's brought ice cream to the Alresford Watercress festival. Alresford is just a couple of miles down the road from us, and is England's watercress "capital." In fact they love watercress so much, they take a whole day out to celebrate the little green superfood. As the sun shone down, people enjoyed a combination Jude's ice cream and watercress thrown from a cart bearing a jolly Antony Warrall Thompson.
Kittens and chaos! - 14/3/2008
The new Jude's kittens Frodo and Myrtle were this week let out into the farmyard. Though Maddy (the farmyard cat) is slightly confused by the arrival of two more bundles of joy, they are sure to bring some entertainment to everyone.
New Spring Flavours - 6/3/2008
In our annual attempt to speed the arrival of spring, Jude's has just brought out our new range of Spring Flavours. Topping the list is our new Roasted Almond ice cream, with our White Chocolate ice cream and Passionfruit sorbet also making a welcome comeback.
Supporting Emmaus Hampshire - 24/1/2008
As part of our annual charitable giving, Jude's is pleased to support Emmaus Hampshire. Emmaus was started in Paris in 1949 by a nice frenchman called Abbe Pierre. It is a fantastic organisation that provides community and work for homeless people, restoring and recycling furniture. Building begins on the Winchester centre in 2008, and we hope that the relationship between Jude's and Emmaus will continue into the future. www.emmaus.org.uk
Happy New Year! - 3/1/2008
Everyone at Jude's would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. We hope that 2008 will bring many blessings, including sunshine, cows and lots of ice cream to you and your family.
Winter Warmer - 17/10/2007
October brings the launch of our Winter Flavour List, with some exciting new flavours we've dreamt up for those evenings by the fireside! So now you can snuggle up with a bowl of Christmas Pudding ice cream, Ginger ice cream, Hazelnut ice cream, Cranberry Sorbet or Peach & Champagne Sorbet.
Village Fete - 24/8/2007
Come and join us at the Easton Village fete this weekend, raising funds for the church and the village hall appeal. There will be highlights such as the Novelty Dog competition, WI tea and cakes stand, or welly throwing! We’ll be out with the Jude’s tricycle and would love to meet you. Map to Easton
We're going to the Zoo... - 24/8/2007
We have teamed up with Marwell Zoo to open the first Jude's Ice Cream Hut. Marwell is just down the road from us, and is a fantastic family day out. So when you're next passing the Rhino enclosure be sure to grab an ice cream. www.marwell.org.uk
Jude's in Vogue! - 31/7/2007
Having only previously featured in The Easton & Martyr Worthy News we were very happy that Simon Shama took time out to write about us in the VOGUE August edition. Mr Shama wrote that "Elderflower Crush Sorbet made by the terrific Jude’s... is about as close to perfection as modern gelati will ever get." Very kind of him.
River Aid - 3/7/2007
On Sunday Jude’s sponsored Easton Village’s first ever River Aid. The church band performed a wide variety of songs – from “I wish I was a Punk Rocker” to “Amazing Grace” – on the banks of the River Itchen, whilst families enjoyed a barbeque, ice cream and some long awaited sunshine. £1000 was raised for the UNICEF Darfur Appeal and Winchester Night Shelter.
Jude's at Wembley - 3/7/2007
We were very proud to support the Concert for Diana, by donating ice cream for the Princes’ post concert party. Meanwhile we were enjoying a slightly smaller event at home...see above.
New Summer Flavours! - 30/5/2007
Jude’s is very excited to unveil its new Summer Flavours, Coconut ice cream and Cox & Bramley Apple Sorbet made with hand picked local apples. At Hill Farm Orchards Chris and Carol Mason grow traditional English varieties and produce some of the nicest apples in Hampshire… but we are naturally a little biased. www.hillfarmjuice.co.uk
Cows and Giraffes - 20/4/2007
Jude’s is now on the menu in all the Giraffe restaurants in England. So whether you find yourself in London, Milton Keynes or Manchester, why not drop by and join the herd. www.giraffe.net
It's hotting up - 19/4/2007
Spring is, apparently, the new summer. With the arrival of hot weather, the hawthorn has decided to blossom and the swifts have come home early. In the spirit of the times Kofi, the Jude’s cat, has decided that he is in fact a bird and needs regular emergency rescuing from the tops of very high trees.
Jude's supports local charities - 22/3/2007
At Jude’s we support local charities by donating 10% of our profits each year. We have recently made donations to the following charities supported by our staff: South Hampshire Deaf Children’s Association - www.shdcs.org.uk - Brown and Chilton Candover Club, The Pinder Centre - www.pindercentre.org - Easton Women’s Institute, Easton Village Hall (our village).
Hens get laying - 9/3/2007
The chicken coup has been all action this week as the Jude’s hens (Silver Laced Wyandottes in the field and Pekins in the garden) have cranked up egg production. As they enjoy the sun, we’ll enjoy the omelettes.
Spring comes early - 27/2/2007
In an optimistic attempt to speed the arrival of bluebells and sunny weather, we have decided to bring out our new spring flavours. Our seasonal specials now available include Passionfruit Sorbet, White Chocolate, and Pistachio ice creams.
Website launch! - 19/2/2007
Welcome to our new website. A lovely guy called Jono from London helped us put it together. We hope you like it, we love it.