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THE STORY When Josh & Dirk founded NORTHERN BL°C, it was at the height of the street food revolution. Chefs were in, food was in — as were tasting menus, sharing plates, seasonal ingredients and tiny dishes served ‘as and when they’re ready’. But no one was doing ice cream. Marrying this artisanal approach, with premium ingredients and imaginative flavour profiles, we began transporting samples to bars and restaurants around Leeds and served ice cream from our vintage ice cream van at street food festivals. We believed it was time for ice cream to be at the centre of the plate. Our ice cream deserved to be its own great thing — the focus of the dish, even if that dish was a tub. The response was incredible; the queues for the van were mad. We were making the kind of ice cream that chefs would make themselves, with flavours like Yorkshire Parkin, Ginger Caramel, Raspberry & Sorrel, Chocolate and Sea Salt, Earl Grey and Lemon — some of which we still make today. We’d do just about anything to get the flavour right. Driving around local markets stacking crated fresh fruit into the back seat; chopping and preparing ingredients by hand. We’ve now got better processes in place, and a BRCGS certified manufacturing facility, but that passion for quality remains. We continue to push boundaries, using only the best ingredients — and still make the kind of ice cream chefs would make themselves. Our ice cream is now available in some of the most innovative and exciting restaurants across the country. Served on its own, as a pairing and integrated creatively into dishes, it’s a premium product that chefs and customers love. 5
