Every day, someone orders our gelato and says something like, "This is the best ice cream I've had." We smile, we say thank you, and we don't correct them. But between us, just for the record: it's not ice cream. Please don't call our gelato ice cream. This distinction is exactly why ours tastes exquisite.
Easy Mistake to Make
Gelato and ice cream look the same. Same freezer, same cone, same queue of people in August. But they're made completely differently, and the difference shows up the moment it hits your tongue.
Ice cream is churned fast, which whips in a large amount of air (aeration), making it light and fluffy. Gelato is churned slowly, with much less air. The result is denser, silkier, and more intensely flavoured.
Because there's less fat in gelato, the flavours aren't muted. Pistachio tastes like pistachio. Strawberry tastes like a fresh strawberry you ate, not the artificial, "bubble-gum" strawberry flavour.
Gelato is also served slightly less frozen. You can taste everything without your tongue going numb.
Ice Cream
- — Churned fast, lots of air
- — Higher fat content
- — Served frozen solid
- — Lighter, fluffier texture
Our Gelato
- ✓ Churned slowly, minimal air
- ✓ Denser, silkier texture
- ✓ Served slightly less frozen
- ✓ Intensely, naturally flavoured
Why Our Gelato Takes 3 Days to Make
We make our gelato in the authentic Venetian tradition, unlike many other places in the UK. We learned the recipe from chefs who travelled to Veneto every year, specifically to study gelato.
The Venetian tradition relies on milk and cream, which makes the gelato less sweet than Sicilian gelato but much richer in texture. It also has a depth that sits somewhere between a dessert and an experience.
Carefully crafting a delicacy that is also a unique experience requires time, the right ingredients, and a bit of obsession.
How We Make Our Gelato
Day One
The Base
We make the base from scratch using whole milk and fresh cream. The mixture is heated to 85°C to properly bind the fats, sugars and proteins. Then we let it cool and leave it to rest overnight. This resting period, called maturation, is where the texture is decided. Skip it and you get ice crystals. Do it properly and you get silk.
Day Two
The Flavouring
We add the flavouring to the mature product using real produce, not fruit concentrate. We carefully select the ripest, freshest strawberries and pistachios to deliver a rich, enchanting flavour that tastes natural and wholesome.
Day Three
The Churn
We slowly churn the gelato to keep air out and let it set. It sounds simple, but has to be done carefully to reach the exact point of softness where it yields to the spoon without effort.
We have 34 flavours. Each is made the same way, with the same patience. Some flavours are seasonal. Some are permanent. The pistachio is permanent.
What Our Customers Say
All of the fruit flavours are amazing and better than any ice cream I have had in the UK. Kids can't get enough, will be back.
We lived in Dorking for a year before we sampled their gelato, but once we'd tried it we have popped in several times for more.
Delicious fresh food and very welcoming staff. Gelato was amazing! Good value Sunday lunch. Will definitely be back again.
The gelato was wonderful!