Ice cream rivals licked

A Northland ice-cream company has scored a big hit with Tongan-grown vanilla, processed in Te Puna by Reunion Food Company.
Zest Gelato scooped up a gold medal and best in the Premium Vanilla category of the New Zealand awards for its Heilala Vanilla ice cream - Heilala Vanilla is Reunion's brand name.
Reunion supplies Zest with the richest-grade vanilla in the Asia Pacific region, making the ice cream luscious, creamy and highly addictive, said Zest's founder, James Oliver.
Making a good vanilla ice cream was a challenge, he said. "To achieve a good creamy texture, you need the right balance of milk, cream and eggs. Then just a bit of sugar, so it's not too sweet. Finally, a pure vanilla is needed and and it has taken hundreds of trials over the last four years to find what we think is the perfect combination."
The New Zealand Ice cream Manufacturers Association also recognised that the vanilla flavour was in a technical class of its own by judging it in a separate category.
Mr Oliver said 22-23 litres of ice cream per person was consumed in New Zealand each year, and vanilla was the most popular flavour, heading hokey pokey.