Would you give hemp ice cream a lick?

By WMNOVergnault 
Source: westernmorningnews.co.uk

Hemp ice creams may sound a bit woolly, but that's exactly what holidaymakers in a Westcountry seaside town are being treated to.

The unusual flavour is the brainchild of husband and wife team Peter and Mary Small who decided to offer visitors to their Ilfracombe ice cream parlour something more than the usual boring strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavours.

The ice cream with a plant more associated with rope making, shirt weaving and with a specific strand of it - drug consumption, is one of many the couple have been experimenting with.

But fear not, punters will not risk being taken into a police cell any time soon for the hemp ice cream contains none of the chemical compounds found in cannabis.

Peter said: "I want to do unusual ones, I don't want to just do another chocolate flavour. We just started to think, 'how can we set ourselves apart from all the other ice cream shops?'"

The pair, who decided to create their own ice creams after 10 years of selling the stuff to tourists and locals alike in the North Devon seaside town, have also been testing anything from gingerbread, cream tea to jaffa cakes flavoured ice creams.

Unlike normal ice creams, Peter said all their creations are made in the "traditional artisan way" to create an Italian-style gelato, and are sold alongside a host of other gelatos at Joe Delucci's – which the couple also run.

He added: "What I'm doing here is complementary to Joe Delucci's. All their flavours will remain but we will have six of our own as well."

Peter said while the couple's latest creation was made from hemp seed it contains none of the properties of marijuana and can therefore be eaten without moderation.

He said: "Mary's mother is Dutch, so we thought we would have a bit of fun and make it for her. But we thought we would give it a go and offer it to the public as well."

Although Peter and Mary had split opinions about whether they liked the flavour, the new ice cream received a positive response from passers-by who stopped to taste the new creation.