ice cream, apples and cheese

A little while ago we drove through Vermont! Land of charming little villages, beautiful foliage, gourmet foods and the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory :) We decided to visit on a whim and take a break from driving. The factory is open to the public and they run tours to show you how they make a quarter of a million pints of ice cream a day... and they also give you a free sample of ice cream. How can you say no?

This is me doing an impression of an ice cream:



When you first walk in, you get a big impression of "very cute". It looks like a little wonderland aimed at five year olds, with bright colours and cartoons painted all over the halls. The first stop on the tour is a short video where they explain the history of Ben and Jerry's and how they select new flavours. Next comes the actual production factory, and you get to see the ice cream floor from a top viewing platform. The scale of production is pretty impressive for such a small place. They run the operation 24 hours a day for 3 days making just one flavour, then they clean the machines for 12 hours and run a different flavour for the next 3 days.

Our tour guide told us that every employee gets 3 pints of ice cream for free every day. Surprisingly, they weren't all obese. ;p

Last stop on the tour is the samples room! Our free sample was a small scoop of strawberry cheesecake, and it was *delicious*. I've never tried that flavour before, but it was a good way to make me a convert.

Then of course, you're herded out to the gift shop where there's all manner of cute merchandise to purchase. We restricted ourselves to a postcard, but it was a pretty fun experience.



Since we were in Food Mode, we went to the Cold Hollow Cider Mill up the road that is famous for apple cider and cider doughnuts. As soon as you walk in, the most amazing fried and doughy smell wafts over you. Mmmmm... doughnuts. They're nicely cinnamony and have a subtle apple taste, crispy outside and soft on the inside. Especially good with hot apple cider. :)





Of course, as we were munching on the doughnuts we found a pamphlet for Cabot's, which is a local cheese shop with a famous reputation, so off we went to pay them a visit. A sign above the shop says it serves "the world's best cheddar", and while I was skeptical walking into the shop, I would have to say I agree. I've never tasted something so creamy yet sharp at the same time. We decided to buy a block of it for dinner, accompanied by Her Majesty's endorsed Carr's crackers and some Cabernet Sauvignon. Dinner of Champions :)

Niall gets down with his bovine side:



I prepare dinner. Hurray!