Inside scoop: the crème de la crème of ice cream

New Zealand Ice Cream Week (19-25 November) serves as a much-needed reminder that summer is just around the corner. It's also the perfect excuse to sample some of the best frozen sweet treats the country has to offer. To tempt you a little further, I've rounded up seven of my favourite ice creams. Spoons at the ready...

Waihiki
Waihiki is a feel-good brand. Made using coconut milk it's both vegan and low in sugar. That means only one thing – more licking, less guilt. But this uplifting brand doesn't stop there. Last week Waihiki signed a deal with Cathay Future, China's biggest childcare centre. This ice cream will be supplied as a healthier sweet treat to over 20,000 children – that's a lot of ice cream!

Wooden Spoon Freezery
Founded in Wellington, this boutique brand creates flavours that evoke childhood nostalgia. They only use top quality New Zealand dairy along with locally-sourced ingredients. My personal favourite is Smokey Pokey. Think Hokey Pokey's evil, yet delicious twin – caramel and sea salt ice cream laced with pieces of chocolate-covered hokey pokey. 

Purchase a tub of Birthday Cake ice cream and 10 per cent of the proceeds will go towards Kaibosh. Wooden Spoon and Kaibosh Food Rescue have teamed up to create the Hooray Programme. It helps Wellington community groups celebrate children's birthdays. Each month several groups will receive this special flavour of ice cream.

Rush Munro
They're one of the oldest ice cream producers in the country. The Rush Munro story began in 1926 and it's continued to impress Kiwi's ever since. They're known for their premium flavours such as the ever-popular Cookies and Cream.

They've gone a step further with the launch of their six completely organic flavours. I am fond of the Dark Chocolate Orange as it's deliciously Christmassy. To celebrate the launch, Rush Munro they'll be road-tripping around New Zealand giving away samples. Find out more information here.

Duck Island Ice Cream
Duck Island is a small batch ice cream shop in Hamilton. Pop into the flagship store and enjoy the difficulty of choosing from their 26 flavours. I love the banana brûlée with ginger swirl and chocolate crumb and blackberry, sage and honey.

If you're not Hamilton based you'll be pleased to know you can buy tubs from select stores. Find a map of NZ stockists here.

Kōwhai Creamery
Kōwhai Creamery is a boutique brand based in Waharoa. Their gelato is batch-made, using full cream milk from their very own Jersey Herd. The berry flavouring is 100 per cent real and comes from their orchard. 2017 saw Kōwhai win several gold medals – the Velluto Blueberry Yoghurt coming out on top. 2018 has also been a great year with several more flavours winning awards.

Kohu Road
Kohu Road never fails to provide flavours that tantalise the tastebuds. They've gone a step further this summer with their new dairy-free range. With eight fantastic flavours, those with dairy allergens should make room in their freezers. My personal favourite is the creamy, coconut take on chocolate.

Kāpiti
It's not a tub for digging in, but Kāpiti's new Toasted Sesame & Golden Syrup cones are deserving of a place in your freezer. It fits perfectly in your hand – great for devouring on-the-go, or when relaxing. Nutty, creamy and caramel-laced, it's an enticing combination of sweet and savoury.