28 May 2010, by Jacqueline Mair
It had to be ewe
Slim Ewe looks like ice cream, tastes like ice cream but is far too healthy to be officially called ice cream.
The creamy iced dessert, now on sale in nine Waitrose branches, is made from sheep's milk naturally high in cream and sugar and comes in at around 75 calories per 100ml compared to the 300 calories found in a premium dairy ice cream.
But it has just half the fat (2.5 to 5 per cent) needed to make what is officially ice cream.
David Baker, the man behind the product, has lost track of the number of times he has heard 'I can't believe this is not ice cream' when someone tastes Slim Ewe for the first time.
'Then I tell them the really good news; that they are eating a dessert that has less than 2.5g of fat per 100ml, is packed with vitamins and minerals and has been lovingly made in the heart of Exmoor.'
And there is more – it's perfect for those with dairy allergies, is suitable for vegetarians, is GMO and gluten free and one portion provides 15 per cent of the recommended daily calcium requirement.
David and his wife Sue began making ice cream from their farm in the Exmoor National Park on the edge of the Brendon Hills 21 years ago, as David's family had been tenants on the Crown Estate farm for more than 100 years.
Its 300 acres are designated grade three or, 'pretty poor' as David puts it, with a gradient that starts at 450 ft above sea level and rises to 1,100 ft.
'It was getting more and more difficult to make a living just farming, so we had to diversify. I left school at 14 to learn to plough fields and scatter seeds, and I've had no formal business training but that helped me to think out of the box and try something new,' says David who, with around 60 people working for him, is one of the biggest employers in the area.
'I looked at cheese and yogurt but I felt that ice cream would give us more flexibility. We are in a popular holiday area (Minehead and the sea is just four miles away) and I saw us selling direct rather than in shops.'
Sue began to experiment with recipes in the kitchen and with a loan of £12,000 and a matching grant from Defra, Styles ice cream was born. Now the company has fixed sites at Minehead, Porlock and Blue Anchor, does 300 shows in the summer seasons with its Victorian-style bikes much in evidence, and on a busy day can sell 36,000 cones.
They started to supply Waitrose Wellington (their nearest branch) with Slim Ewe when it opened in November and from the end of March added a further nine branches in the Southwest.
Healthy appetites
David has always produced both sheep's milk and dairy ice cream. The sheep's milk was from a flock grazed on his land and on the neighbouring farm run by Andrew Speed, who quickly took over the sheep farming part of the operation while David concentrated on production.
'But it was a different market back then when people were far less interested in the health benefits of certain foods or worried about allergies. Our sheep's milk products sold but with added fat to make them officially ice cream,' says David.
Times change, however, and two years ago David, who admits he is an 'ice-cream anorak', was convinced that there was now a market for a product that was naturally low-fat and low-calorie. 'I thought, why are we adding fat to make it ice cream when we have this delicious product that is much healthier? It was a brave move to go back to our roots but the product had so many unique selling points that I was determined to try.'
Simon Stokes, Commercial Director, has worked for the company for five years, 'We use only natural stabilisers and emulsifiers and add less than 5 per cent sugar. Nothing is lost but calories.'
The sheep Andrew farms are a cross between Poll Dorset and Friesian and he has the largest milking flock in the UK with 1,500 ewes. 'Over the years we have developed our own breed of sheep that naturally lamb throughout the year and produce milk high in solids,' Andrew explains. 'To have a premium product such as Slim Ewe you have to start with quality milk – and that's exactly what my sheep grazing on the Somerset hills provide.'
Seen and herd
Tracey Marshall, Product Manager, local and regional, knew she had hit gold as soon as she tasted Slim Ewe iced dessert. 'We've been looking for a suitable sheep's milk product for some time but we hadn't found anything with the right taste,' she says.
'Here was a naturally creamy and sweet dessert that is suitable for people with a number of health concerns. And it's low in fat and calories.'
Frozen Foods Buyer Vanessa Stephenson was also eager to bring Slim Ewe into her assortment. 'It is the kind of point of difference Waitrose is looking for in an iced dessert. It tastes like a delicious ice cream but it is a healthier option,' she says. 'I don't think customers look for health in ice cream unless they have issues with intolerance. Ice cream is usually all about indulgence but if it is healthy too – what a bonus.'
Slim Ewe was launched in January when Waitrose Wellington opened. Tracey explains: 'The new branch is just 14 miles away and it was such a good opportunity that we brought forward the launch. We have since rolled out four flavours of Slim Ewe – vanilla, dark chocolate, blueberry and strawberry – to seven further branches in the West Country, with two more branches stocking two flavours.'
Slim Ewe Ice Cream is available in selected branches of Waitrose priced £3.99 for 550ml.
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