Ice cream shop’s flavour named one of the best in Europe

After winning a regional award it will now be judged by gelato experts in Italy

A Frodsham ice cream shop is selling a unique flavour that’s been recognised as one of the tastiest in Europe. Bene Gelateria’s ‘chocolate orange cocco crunch’ scooped first place in a regional heat as part of the Gelato Festival World Masters 2024.

The quirky ice cream flavour is a custard-based gelato infused with ginger, cinnamon and orange, with dark chocolate stracciatella and diced candied ginger on top. After beating the competition in a regional heat, it will now be judged by gelato experts in Italy as part of the European finals.

From the on-trend to the unimaginable, gelato chefs presented an array of creative and delicious artisan gelato dishes to a panel of industry experts at the regional heat, which was held in Manchester. The judges then critiqued the taste, structure, creativity, and overall presentation of each gelato entry. With UK heats in London, Manchester and Hereford, there was only one winner from each heat.

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Samantha Cunliffe of Bene Gelateria in Frodsham came out on top in the Manchester heat, and she will now represent the UK in the European finals of the Gelato Festival World Masters in Italy, in 2025. The competition will see the UK finalists compete against more than 40 gelato chefs from across the globe.

The finalists in the northern heat were:

1. Jack Boam of Tagg Lane Dairy in Bakewell with the flavour “Tagg Lane Dubai Chocolate”
2. Roberto Culivicchi of Roberto Authentic Italian Gelato in York with the flavour “Crunchy Cherry”
3. Martin Crolla of A Crolla & Sons in Lochmaben with the flavour “Lorenzo”
4. Samantha Cunliffe of Bene Gelateria in Frodsham with the flavour “Chocolate Orange Cocco Crunch”
5. Monika Oziablo of Oscar’s Gelato in Edinburgh with the flavour “Pure Pistachio”
6. Abygail Hughes of The Cosy Cone in Malmesbury with the flavour “The King’s Favourite”
7. Melissa Morgan of Hufenfa’r Castell in Harlech with the flavour “Dragon’s Breath”

Speaking of the UK Gelato Challenge, Paul Ingram, managing director of Carpigiani UK, which hosts the awards, said: “The entire Carpigiani team – from the UK to Italy – has been bowled over by the sheer talent of all the gelato chefs in the UK challenge. Across the three heats in London, Manchester, and Hereford the quality, creativity and professionalism have been phenomenal – the judges were certainly put through their paces.

“On behalf of Carpigiani UK, I want to thank every finalist who competed in the UK finals of the Gelato Festival World Masters. We’re looking forward to cheering Samantha, Jon and Daniele as they move on to the European finals in Italy next year. This is a huge achievement for our all finalists but also fantastic recognition of the growing artisan gelato scene in the UK.”