Winter 2011

An Olympic Event!

We are proud to announce that another Caffe Concerto retail outlet has opened and it’s bigger and better than the last! This time they have secured a unit at the new Westfields Shopping Centre at Stratford – the largest one in Europe – at the Olympic Stadium in East London. Keeping to the same successful formula, Bocchini spa. has designed and installed a beautiful bespoke counter system with handmade display cabinets to show off the beautiful patisserie and ice cream products Caffe Concerto is renowned for. Next time you are in London why not pop into one of the outlets and treat yourselves!

Prevention is Better Than Cure!

This is the time of year when the gloves are put on for a spot of cleaning after the hectic ice cream season. Why not also give your ice cream machines some TLC as they’ve got you through another year without any problems. You’ve invested more money in your machinery then you probably have in your car but you would not think twice about not having your car routinely serviced by a qualified engineer. Go on! If your equipment has looked after you this year then why not look after it with a winter service? Talk to Paul Lewis on 01432 377045 or e-mail paul.lewis@rsshereford.co.uk for more information.

European Gelato Championships

Congratulations to the UK winners of the European Gelato Competition that took place at the Ice Cream Expo in Harrogate for the first time this month. The top two going through to the final in Berlin in Autumn 2012 are DiSotto’s of London and Giacopazzi’s from Eyemouth. Well done to the other four UK finalists; Caldwell’s of Innerleithen, Vanilla Bean of Huddersfield, Gallone’s of Northampton and Porelli’s from Paisley who each receive a gold medal.

Spend Now Before You Lose Your Capital Tax Allowance!

Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) is a form of capital allowance which offers tax relief at 100% on all qualifying expenditure in the year of purchase. The maximum you can deduct from your taxable profits is £100,000. However, the Chancellor confirmed plans in the Spring Budget 2011 to reduce the AIA to £25,000. This reduction will take effect from 6 April 2012. This means that if you are planning to spend significant funds on plant and machinery, you should think about doing so before this date! It effectively means the chance to save up to 50p in taxable profits for every £1 a company has invested in new equipment.

For more information please contact annette.james@rsshereford.co.uk or your own accountant or tax advisor.  

End of Year SALE

If you’re looking for a good deal prior to our Christmas shutdown then we could have the answer with up to 40% off list prices. Please contact Laura Mitchell on 01432 377041 or email laura.mitchell@rsshereford.co.uk for a copy of our stock clearance price list.

10% Discount for ICA Members and Existing RSS Hereford Customers

Just in case you didn’t make it to this year’s Ice Cream Expo in Harrogate, we are pleased to extend the offer we made for 10% discount off the list price of all our equipment for all ICA members and existing RSS Hereford customers. All we ask is that the equipment is delivered and paid for before December 21st 2011. Contact us for quotations and prices.

Make Mine a G&T!

Close to the tourist hot spot that is Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks in the beautiful county of North Yorkshire, you will be surprised to find a real Italian ice cream parlour that has become a tourist destination in its own right. G&T’s Ice Cream Parlour was the brain child of Gillian and Tony Harker from Home Farm in Risplith North Yorkshire. Their journey began back in 2003 when they applied for planning permission for the parlour on the farm but it wasn’t until 2006 that permission was granted. However, Gillian and Tony had to fight all the way to the courts for another three years before they were allowed to start building their dream in 2009. Their luck had changed and they were also successful with a grant towards the cost of equipment from the Rural Development Programme for England supported by Yorkshire Forward. Finally, in May 2010, the doors to G&T’s Ice Cream Parlour opened to the public and Real Risplith Dairy Ice Cream was born. All proceeds from that first day were presented to The Friends of Ripon Hospital who have their own battle on their hands to keep the local hospital open.

Since that happy day, Gillian and Tony, helped out by their daughter Lynsey, have never looked back. Their business has grown by adding teas and coffees to the menu as well as selling some ice cream wholesale to local shops and restaurants. They have a range of sixteen flavours at any one time in the ice cream parlour including their signature recipe – Gin and Tonic Sorbet!

They have been helped along the way by RSS Hereford who was recommended to them as a supportive and reliable supplier of ice cream equipment. Once Gillian and Tony had seen the equipment in action and tasted the wonderful product at the “Introduction to Gelato Demonstration Day” in Hereford, RSS Hereford supplied plan drawings for their ice cream manufacturing laboratory and the front of house ice cream parlour for their architect to design the rest of the building from. This allowed builders to make swift progress and install all services to the correct positions first time without any unnecessary delays.

Gillian and Tony selected the Ecogel 20-60 batch freezer and the Ecomix 120 litre pasteuriser from Telme especially because the energy and water saving features of these machines helped them to comply with some of the requirements enforced by the grant people. Gillian says that in the first year they only used to make 60L batches of ice cream mix at any one time but this year they’ve been making 120L batches twice a week. The real Italian look in the ice cream parlour has been created with their choice of a Bocchini 16 flavour ice cream cabinet and complementary refrigerated display cabinet. The glossy black finish on the front counter is offset by the cool and calm back painted glass and the greens that have been used on the walls. A glass viewing window from the parlour into the laboratory clearly shows visitors that the ice cream really is made on the premises.

Despite the difficult time they had getting the project off the ground, Gillian and Tony remain convinced that turning their milk into ice cream was the right thing to do. Why not pop in and sample the ice cream for yourself – they are only a 20 minute journey from Harrogate town centre. In December they will be open 11am – 4.30pm, 7 days a week in the run up to Christmas. For more information about G&T’s Ice Cream Parlour visit www.risplithicecream.co.uk or telephone 01765 620101. If you are interested in talking to RSS Hereford about ice cream equipment or shop fittings then call 01432 276777 or visit our website.

And Finally…

Thank you for your custom in 2011, may we wish you and your families a happy holiday time and a very healthy and successful 2012. Our offices will close on Friday December 23rd at 5pm and re-open on Tuesday January 3rd 2012. For emergency breakdowns only, our duty engineer can be contacted on 07585 310764.