‘Unbelievably terrible’: the best (and worst) supermarket vanilla ice-cream, tested and rated

Our ice-cream making expert churned through litres of the frozen stuff. Here’s the scoop …

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Last year, I won a grant from the environmental charity Hubbub to develop a food-waste-saving ice-cream brand. The learning curve was steep. Ice-cream is one of the most competitive and technically challenging foods to get right, because it has to be smooth, creamy and, crucially, shelf-stable. That has led some producers to be over-reliant on emulsifiers and stabilisers, some of which may be plant-derived, but they’re still ultra-processed, which may be a concern for some consumers.

My tasting revealed a very clear quality scale. At the bottom are the foamy, highly processed tubs that shouldn’t even qualify as ice-cream. Others offered a slightly better texture and taste, but still have a processed edge, while others sit awkwardly in the middle, all food-dye yolk-yellow. But once the price hits 68p per 100g, things shift and we finally enter “real” ice-cream territory, featuring true frozen custards made from creme anglaise, and with recognisable ingredients and far cleaner flavours.