When I was growing up my father bought a gadget that came all the way from the USA – and that was a very big deal back in those days. It was an ice cream machine that wasn’t electric or mortorised but instead was a barrel with a cylinder inside it with a dasher to churn the ice cream and surrounding the cylinder was a space where you poured in ice and rock salt. There was a handle that was affixed to the cylinder by an arm and you turned the handle and that turned the dasher that churned the ice cream. During the process you’d have to keep adding more ice alternating with the rock salt (while being very careful not to pour any salt into the churning cream itself), and that would cause the ice cream to freeze. This was a favourite family gadget and it was pulled out of the storeroom for many birthday parties and celebrations.
Archie’s 3rd birthday party churning the ice cream
I have so many wonderful memories of being involved in making ice cream at my birthday parties and we would make chocolate, banana, vanilla or strawberry, then scoop it into cones and it was the best ice cream we’d ever tasted.
Archie’s using all his muscles
Ever since my barrel ice cream days I have wanted to make my own ice cream. Recently, my blogging friend Claire from Claire K Creations asked me if I would be interested in trialing the new Queen range of make-at-home, gelato and sorbet. Would I? I didn’t hesitate.
Queen is a company I believe in supporting. It’s a 100% family owned Australian company that has been making quality products for over one hundred years. The company name was inspired by Queen Victoria’s love for all things vanilla. The range of course started with vanilla essence and that won the company a gold medal at the 1897 Brisbane International Exhibition.
Queen and their new Gelato and Sorbet range
This new range of make-at-home gelato and sorbet is so easy to do. The range includes vanilla bean, strawberry, chocolate and lemon but you can add to each base to create your own flavour. I used the vanilla bean to make coconut. Each packet will make one litre of ice cream for a fraction of the cost of store-bought quality gelato. All you have to add is 650mls of full-cream milk and that’s it. The only additional ingredient you could add would be additional flavours like the dessicated coconut I added to my vanilla gelato.
Coconut gelato with mango and a toasted coconut sprinkle
The gelato can be made in no time. All you do is pour the packet mix into a mixing bowl, add the 650mls of milk and whisk until dissolved. Place the bowl in the freezer or fridge (freezer for better results) for 20 minutes, then pour into an ice cream machine and churn for 30 minutes. If adding anything extra, 15 minutes later add crushed up biscuits, coconut, diced fruit, chocolate or whatever you desire. Then pour into a container and freeze for a couple of hours. It couldn’t be more simple and cost effective to enjoy your own gelato.
Mix, chill, churn, freeze and enjoy!
This gelato was delicious – smooth and creamy
Queen Make-at-Home gelato and sorbet is made from milk and cream and doesn’t contain any artificial colourings nor does the company ever use GMO ingredients. This product is available exclusively from Woolworths supermarkets so do look for the new range when you’re next shopping and give the make-at-home gelato and sorbet a try. You could even win a $12,000 trip to Italy!
I have to say, my family absolutely loved the coconut gelato I made today. They want to know what flavour I’m making tomorrow night!
And, Queen is running a competition on its facebook page where you can win an ice cream machine and the full range of mixers.
This post was sponsored by Queen Fine Foods.
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Wow, Queen are diversifying! I had a sticky little set of 4 Queen food colours for years!
Homemade ice cream/gelato is the best. Seriously. I wish we had these in the US!
I respectfully pass on the coconut gelato .. but will be in line for the next flavor. 🙂
Homemade icecream at birthday parties sounds amazing! I love your tropical flavoured gelato! it sounds like the perfect summer treat
Makes me want to run out and purchase an ice cream maker.
Yum! This would be dangerous in my household.
We had one of those ice and salt ice cream maker too. Mum wasnt too keen coarse she hated cooking ANYTHING, but we loved it. Seems like a nice simple idea, the icecream making that is…………..noice
You know, I make ice cream all the time but I’ve never made gelato! This is inspiring.
That was exactly like the ice cream maker we had when I was a child. Lots of nice memories there. Love the ease of this gelato!
What a wonderful photos of you and kids making an ice cream in that machine! I bet they will remember it forever! I was talking to a friend another day, and he told me in very little details about his childhood memories: making ice cream using the same ice cream machine. I imagine your kids years from now being as fascinated about their ice cream summer! 🙂
Lovely gelato, great post!
http://www.picnicatmarina.com
Great ice cream machine, how wonderful to still keep using it for family occasions. I had no idea it was possible to make ice cream so easily with something like Queen. I don’t think we have anything like that here, mores the pity. GG
Love the simple pleasures of chilhood birthday parties! What a great idea. Archie was a little cutie! I’m a huge fan of gelato, over ice cream any day. I’m very interested in this Queen gelato mix. I do have an ice cream maker (that I’ve never used – not sure why, but still have not!)
That’s so cool, Charlie. I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker that I bring out every so often (but truth be told, JT uses the frozen container more often to super-cool wine when we’ve forgotten to buy some and it’s not cold!).
I love coconut, and these mixes sound so easy and so nice to use. I like that they are Australian and that they are natural and not GMO.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com
Queen’s gelato mix sounds fantastic another new fabulous product they have made 😀
Loving it!
This looks incredibly delicious 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I loved the pictures of little Archie turning the crank on that old ice cream maker. 🙂
There’s nothing as tasty as home made ice cream, gelato etc and there are so MANY flavour combinations.
http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/
Hi Charlie,
How spooky-I was just catching up on my blog reading and
going through your posts when I heard the ping of a new email to say you had just
commented on mine! Anyway-have been enjoying reading though these last posts of
yours and loved the story of the ice cream maker and great to see it still
being used!
I made grapefruit & honey sorbet – very refreshing!
I have never made my own ice cream but the internet food blogs are full of recipes at the moment because of their super hot summer in the northern hemisphere and I am feeling inspired. But I will definitely be waiting until summer downunder first.
I love the old ice-cream churn. Can I put my order in for some, pistachio sorbet please.
You are amazing and once again you did a great post. What a lovely photographs… I love ice cream so much, so much 🙂 Thank you dear Charlie, love, nia
Oh, bummer. For some reason I thought this was going to make gelato without an ice cream machine. Back to the self-serve froyo place for me tomorrow then 😉
If you go to the Queen make at home website or facebook they are running a competition to win an Ice cream machine – and some of their gelato
Charlie it looks delicious! I love the photo of you and Archie with the old ice-cream churn. You’ll have to let me know which other flavours you create!
Oh!!! It looks so good… And just in time for summer too 🙂 I will take a look at woollies and at the queen website 🙂
We, too, had a hand-cranked ice cream maker. It was such a treat just to see that thing pulled out and prepared for use. Your photos of the gelato couldn’t make it any more appealing. It looks great!
Thanks John. I’m amazed you had one of these ice cream machines too. I still have the original recipe book that came with the machine but it’s in such bad shape I can barely read it. I do remember it made the best ever ice cream xx
I’ll certainly keep an eye out for these mixes, I think it sounds like something my littlej would love to try out.
I have a hand cranked machine that has a pre-frozen barrel to get things rolling, and a frozen bowl atatchment for my Kenwood, BUT I have been toying with the idea of getting a specialty ice cream maker so I don’t have to wait for hours for my goodies. Perhaps I need to work on my issues 🙂 My latest creation has been a Gin and Tonic with Cucumber and Rosewater sorbet, Yummo!
Well, that does look like a tasty looking mix! Can’t wait to see if that brand pops up in the U.S.!
I picked up 5 boxes in Brisbane yesterday – I couldn’t get it at the Woolies here yet. I hope my idea works out well. 🙂
We had one of those old crank type ice cream freezers when I was a kid. It was so much fun to turn the crank – for about 5 minutes. Then dad had to finish because we all got bored and wanted to go play.
yum, yum, yum!! That’s all I can say Charlie 🙂
Oh, when I was a kid we had one of those hand crank jobs. Then about 30 years ago I bought basically the same model, but with an electric motor doing the cranking. Now I have one of the modern jobs where you freeze the drum, and that’s the best yet. Thanks for bringing back happy memories of the hand crank one, though! I know the ice cream we made then wasn’t any better, but in my memory it sure seems that way.
Wow – love your gorgeous churn, it looks fabulous.
I’ve not seen this range from Queen yet, but I’ll have to try to hunt it out. We’ve got a machine and a house full of gelati addicts!
Omg omg that’s great I can’t wait to buy this product I ve got an ice cream machine but haven t really used it much yay!!! Thanks Charlie for introducing it to me and I love the old style ice cream churned you have
Congrats my friend, I have awarded you and your awesome blog the Versatile Blogger Award 😀
Check it out here: http://gobakeyourself.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/wishing-for-spring/
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hehe I remember those old fashioned ice cream machines-they even sell them in some retro stores! 🙂
Looks delicious, and just the thing when the warmer weather comes along.
How cool! What a great idea – and I love your ice cream machine too. The pictures are pretty wonderful as well 🙂
Ah good ol’ Queen!
This frozen treat has me yearning for summer! (then again, it’s not like I HAVEN’T been doing that the last couple of months!)
Heading to Woolies tomorrow to gets me some!! I have always felt too intimidated to make my own icecream, but think I can manage this one. PS:Willthis special mixture help me run as fast as you, Charlie? You were an absolute hit today….. Photos please!
I used to love the crank ice cream machines. I tried to buy one not too long ago and they are considered an antique I think…the prices were ridiculous! Wish I had my old one now! 🙂 But I have a nice shiny new electric one and would only hope there might be a way to find this delicious product! I am quite sure it isn’t here yet…maybe if you can help it become wildly popular it will be exported! It sounds fabulous! 🙂
I love the old school ice cream machine. Much trickier and hands on than the new ones, but so much more fun!
My most recent purchase was an ice cream maker and I’ve been going totally crazy with it! This one is surely going on my list.
MMMM,..Your ice-cream looks utterly delicious! That older ice-cream maker is a lovely one! Great for the muscles!
Wow, I love the simplicity of the recipe, and the fact that you can stir and place in the freezer! The flavor combination sounds awesome:-) I remember churning ice cream with my Grandma, she had the same ice cream maker….ahhhh, lovely memories:-) Hugs, Terra
Wow, the gelato looks so inviting! I love the bright, happy color too. Have to try this one.
Oh coconut 😀 my favourite of all flavours when it comes to gelato!