KATE NEWTON
Hastings ice cream producer Rush Munro won eight silver awards at last week's New Zealand Ice Cream Awards in Nelson, but gold proved elusive.
Rush Munro's vanilla was anything but plain and earned a silver award, as did their chocolate ice cream at the 10th annual awards.
In the premium ice
cream category, Rush Munro's won silver for its cookies & cream, maple walnut, passionfruit and rum and raisin.
For standard ice cream with additions, the local company's berry burst and caramel-flavoured ice cream also clinched silver awards.
"I think it's a good reflection that we are doing things right. Eight silvers is definitely a scoop for a small company like us," commercial manager Richard Smyth said.
"We would have liked gold, but I believe we will get them next year."
Mr Smyth said it was becoming harder for a factory which made ice cream by hand to compete for awards against other producers who had the latest machinery.
The institutional Hastings ice cream manufacturer will celebrate 80 years of business this year.
Kapiti Fine Foods' lemon meringue pie ice cream won the supreme award.
Deep South's French vanilla was announced best in the vanilla category and Tip Top's deep dark chocolate took the honours from all the other chocolate entrants.
West Coast company Snowflake won the best standard ice cream with additions for its rum and raisin and the open creative title went to Deep South's coffee and walnut and Comprital's Italian hazelnut praline gelato.
Kids had their say too, giving their votes to the Deep South gumdrop.
Other best in category awards included Zabajone Gelato and New Zealand Natural Cool Bananas D'Lite.
