Bruntwood Works customer creates Stretford Mall’s very own ice cream flavour…
By Bruntwood Works
Stretford Mall have teamed up with award-winning, artisan ice cream makers Ginger’s Comfort Emporium to create a gelato-based homage to Stretford. The Great Stone Ice Cream is inspired by Stretford’s lesser known, but fascinating local landmark - The Great Stone.
The bespoke Stretford dessert is vanilla and charcoal flavoured to look like a real stone, with white and dark chocolate boulders for a gritty texture, plus an apple cider ice pop on top to represent the vinegar that was poured into the stone in days gone by!
The Great Stone has been in Stretford since Roman times, when it was a road marker for Manchester, and through the centuries locals have projected their changing preoccupations onto it. In the 15th century, Stretford folk filled the holes in the top of stone with vinegar to help ward off the plague. In other times, as it was slowly sinking into the ground, people thought that when it finally disappeared it would herald the end of days.
Claire Kelsey, owner of Ginger’s Comfort Emporium, is fascinated by the stone and commented: “When Stretford Mall asked us to create an ice cream for Stretford, as a local resident I was keen to celebrate the neighbourhood. And I also wanted to give one of our lesser known local heritage spots some well-deserved publicity. It’s been here since Roman times and now sits unceremoniously at the gate to the park, without any explanation. What does it make of all our madness in 2020?”
Gareth Wilkins, Area Retail Manager at Bruntwood Works, owners of Stretford Mall said: “Stretford Mall wanted to mark the end of a summer with ice cream and so we thought we’d challenge Claire to create a Stretford-inspired flavour… We never imagined she’d come up with something as creative as this. We love it!”
Based on the first floor at Afflecks in Manchester city centre, Ginger’s have been a Bruntwood Works’ trader for over six years, serving up a vast selection of ice cream flavours for customers to enjoy.
The Great Stone ice cream will be available to purchase for the very first time at Stretford Mall on Saturday 29th August.
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