Family-Owned Ice Cream Parlour Named Best in the UK
Meet The Best Ice Cream Parlour in the UK: Devon’s Ice Cream Family Establishment Honoured at the 2025 ICA Awards Night.
With humble beginnings as a fourth-generation dairy farm selling small-batch ice cream from a converted wooden summerhouse, The Otter Valley Ice Cream & Field Kitchen has soared above the competition to scoop up the prestigious 2024 Parlour of the Year award.
Although officially named last year, the Bond family officially received their award in front of industry peers at the 2025 Ice Cream Alliance Awards in a touching ceremony, which displays the ice cream community’s commitment to appreciating the country’s top ice cream creators.
“Reflecting on their latest achievement, Otter Valley shared, "We are very honoured, this is the pinnacle of our career. We love the ice cream industry and all it represents and we will remember this night and what we’ve achieved for many years to come. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, and we really have the best team in the world. Hooray to Otter Valley!”
The Bond family’s journey into ice cream-making began in 2009, when they started producing slow-churned gelato ice cream using milk from their own cows. What started as a small venture selling soon gained a devoted following.
By 2018, they had expanded into the Otter Valley Field Kitchen, a fully-fledged ice cream parlour and café. Situated along the busy A30, the parlour offers visitors a tranquil escape with breathtaking panoramic views of Otter Valley and the Blackdown Hills.
The family’s relentless pursuit of perfection even led them to Italy, where they trained under master gelato chefs, refining their craft and bringing authentic techniques back to Devon.
Otter Valley has earned a stellar reputation for its handcrafted artisan ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets. From classic Madagascan Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Honeycomb to more adventurous varieties like Cream Tea, Ginger & Butternut Squash, and Seabuckthorn, every scoop reflects their passion for quality.
Beyond ice cream, the Field Kitchen offers a menu of light lunches and handcrafted pizzas, made with locally sourced seasonal ingredients and baked in their stone-based pizza oven.
The Bond family remains deeply rooted in their local community, actively supporting charities through fundraising, raffle prizes, and collection initiatives. Their commitment to quality and tradition has earned them multiple regional and national awards, and they have even had the honour of presenting their award-winning ice cream to the King and Queen.
The Parlour of the Year Award recognises businesses that strive for excellence in our industry. It looks at every aspect of a great parlour – from atmosphere and customer experience to health and safety, allergen control.
With over 80 years of history, the Ice Cream Alliance Awards are the gold standard of the UK ice cream industry, recognising only the finest producers. For Otter Valley Ice Cream & Field Kitchen, this honour is a culmination of a family’s hard work and dedication to the art of ice cream.
