Published: 30/06/2023
Updated: December 22nd, 2023 at 03:04 pm
As we celebrate Independents Day, we speak to Rachel Duguid from Lick about her vegan ice cream shops.
We recently visited Lick, Suma customer and our new Holmfirth-based supplier of vegan ice cream. We were delighted to meet Rachel Duguid, business founder and ice cream creator. And enjoy an ice cream too – when in Rome, and all that.
What inspired/ prompted you to open the shop?
I started making ice cream three years ago, after I’d struggled to find any good vegan ice cream. Many of those on the market were made with coconut milk, which meant they tasted of coconut. I started experimenting with ingredients as close to dairy as I could find. I was looking for a more neutral base that didn’t hide the flavours. We use oat milk, which is a great alternative to dairy milk. It’s gluten-free, dairy free and soya free; vegan and perfect for people with intolerances.
In the beginning I was making all the ice cream in my kitchen but as we’ve grown I’ve moved production to a unit. I now have two ice cream makers but I still make everything myself, including the cones.
Where is your shop based?
We have a shop in Holmfirth, which we opened two years ago and a new shop in Bakewell, opened earlier this year. During lockdown we offered home deliveries with many in the Sheffield area so opening in Bakewell was an obvious choice
What makes it special?
Although there has been a recent rise in vegan offerings there’s normally just one or two options available. I wanted to give people real choice. Vegans can come into the shop and have anything they see. We don’t make a big thing about it being vegan; our ice cream is for everyone. In fact, people are surprised when they find out it’s vegan as it tastes so creamy. We also get a lot of people coming in who have allergies and they can enjoy our ice cream too.
What’s your local area/ high street like?
There are many independent retailers in Holmfirth and a lively scene with several events organised, such as Holmfirth Festival of Folk in May and the Holmfirth Arts Festival throughout the summer.
What kind of products can we buy in your shop?
We have over 50 different flavours of ice cream. In the shops we have 16 in at any one time, rotating the flavours. Raspberry Ripple is my favourite and we have that in all the time. Our best seller is Cookies and Cream but our customers have a broad age range with different people enjoying many different flavours, such as Bakewell Tart, Chai, and Blueberry Muffin. We’re not pretending to be a healthy, low fat option; it’s creamy and delicious. It’s just ice cream without animal products.
