Ice cream maker unveils new products and venue after scooping national title

A multi award-winning ice cream maker has launched a new product range and taken over a popular venue after scooping an acclaimed national title.

Having won the prestigious 2022 Welsh Food Enterprise Award for Best Food and Drink Producer at the Royal Welsh Show, Helen Holland and the family firm,  Môn ar Lwy, have gone on to launch a vegan line of ice cream.

Based in Bodorgan, Anglesey, Helen and chef and new business partner Lloyd Treadway are now tenants at the Oriel Mon gallery and museum’s café – which they have called Sitrws – in Llangefni.

Keen to keep innovating, former teacher Helen says there are plans for an ice cream for dogs on the horizon, and she is planning to revive a range of sauces and puddings developed from her late grandmother’s recipe book.

With plans to open in the coming weeks, she said: “I am delighted to be running Sitrws alongside Lloyd, who has already designed a fantastic menu which will be completely fresh using local ingredients.

“We will also be working alongside Coleg Llandrillo Menai to further develop the skills of young people and are both passionate about quality and creating a worthwhile service that is accessible to all here on the island.”

Confidence

Reflecting on the Royal Welsh Show and the road ahead, she said: “To win such a prestigious title was a huge honour for us as it was on the national stage and gave us a confidence boost following the challenges of the pandemic.

“So much is happening at the moment, we are in a really good place now and this was a reminder we are moving in the right direction and can step up to the next level as a business, which we are more than ready to do after almost 15 years in the industry.”

The company has developed more than 150 flavours over the years using natural ingredients supplied by local producers since 2008, with the ‘Bursting Blueberry’ flavour bringing home their first Great Taste award.

With the support of her sons Llyr, who is the main producer at the dairy, and Osian, Helen says the construction of their own purpose-built dairy 10 years ago was the turning point for the company.

She also has her former high school classmate Hazel and friends Gwion and Olwen Davies as key members of the team.

“That enabled us to scale-up and supply restaurants, convenience stores and farm shops after we had experienced a surge in demand,” she said.

“The new café will allow us to expand further, providing another outlet for our ice cream and sorbets, as well as showcasing freshly baked patisseries and supporting local businesses and bringing the community to the forefront of all we do – that was and always will be so important to us.”