Top 10 Best Ice Cream Brands in Gloucester

Why Gloucestershire Makes Excellent Ice Cream

Ice cream quality begins with dairy, and Gloucestershire has been producing outstanding milk and cream for centuries. The pastures of the Severn Vale, the county's long association with dairy breeds and a strong tradition of farm diversification have combined to produce a remarkable number of small ice cream makers within easy reach of Gloucester. Many are farm-based operations where the milk travels metres rather than miles between parlour and pasteuriser.

This proximity matters. Fresh cream with high butterfat content produces ice cream with a richness that industrial products, built around vegetable fats and stabilisers, cannot replicate. The difference is immediately apparent in texture: farm-made ice cream melts cleanly on the tongue rather than leaving a waxy coating.

Understanding the Styles

Several distinct styles are available across the city. Traditional English dairy ice cream is rich, high in butterfat and generously churned, producing a firm, creamy scoop. Italian-style gelato contains less fat and less incorporated air, giving a denser texture and more intense flavour, and is served slightly warmer. Sorbet and water ices contain no dairy at all, relying on fruit purée for body and flavour. Plant-based ice creams, increasingly sophisticated, use oat, coconut or cashew bases to achieve creaminess without dairy.

Each style has its place. Gelato tends to showcase delicate flavours such as pistachio or hazelnut particularly well, while traditional dairy ice cream carries robust additions like honeycomb, fudge and fruit ripples with confidence.

The Top 10 Ice Cream Brands in Gloucester

1. Severn Vale Dairy Ice Cream

Severn Vale Dairy Ice Cream is made on a working farm using milk from the herd grazing outside the production room. The range covers classic flavours executed impeccably, with vanilla made from real seed pods and a clotted cream variety that has become the benchmark locally. Texture is exceptionally smooth thanks to careful churning and a short ingredient list.

2. Cotswold Edge Creamery

Cotswold Edge Creamery produces a broader, more adventurous range, including seasonal specials built around local fruit and Gloucestershire cider. Their salted caramel and their damson sorbet are perennially popular, and their tubs are widely stocked by farm shops and delicatessens around the city.

3. Quays Gelato

Quays Gelato brings authentic Italian technique to the waterfront. Small batches are made daily and displayed in covered pozzetti rather than heaped in display trays, preserving texture and temperature. Pistachio, stracciatella and dark chocolate sorbet are the flavours to judge them by, and all three are excellent.

4. Cathedral Scoops

Cathedral Scoops operates in the historic centre and specialises in generous, nostalgic scoop-shop ice cream. Mint choc chip, bubblegum, rum and raisin and honeycomb sit alongside sundaes and milkshakes. It is unashamedly traditional and all the better for it, drawing families and visitors throughout the summer.

5. Kingsholm Farmhouse Ices

Kingsholm Farmhouse Ices focuses on classic dairy ice cream sold in family-sized tubs through independent retailers. Their strength is consistency and value, delivering genuinely good ice cream at a price that makes it a weekly rather than occasional purchase.

6. Westgate Plant-Based Creamery

Westgate Plant-Based Creamery makes entirely dairy-free ice cream using oat and coconut bases. The texture achieved is genuinely impressive, avoiding the iciness that once characterised vegan alternatives. Chocolate, peanut butter and mango flavours are particularly well executed, and the whole range is suitable for those avoiding dairy for any reason.

7. Barnwood Artisan Sorbets

Barnwood Artisan Sorbets concentrates on fruit, producing intensely flavoured water ices from seasonal produce. Raspberry, blackcurrant, apple and elderflower feature through the year, made with minimal added sugar so that fruit character dominates. They are a refreshing counterpoint to richer options.

8. Llanthony Frozen Yogurt Co

Llanthony Frozen Yogurt Co offers cultured frozen yogurt with a pleasant tang and lower fat content than conventional ice cream. Live cultures, fruit compotes and a range of toppings make it a popular lighter choice, particularly with customers seeking something less indulgent without sacrificing flavour.

9. Tuffley Ice Cream Parlour

Tuffley Ice Cream Parlour is a neighbourhood institution serving generous cones, knickerbocker glories and traditional wafers. Their ice cream is made in-house in modest quantities, and the parlour's long-standing popularity owes as much to atmosphere and friendliness as to the product itself.

10. Severnside Gelateria

Severnside Gelateria completes the list with a contemporary approach, combining Italian method with unexpected flavour pairings such as basil and lemon, black sesame, or honey and thyme. Their willingness to experiment, backed by solid technique, has earned them a loyal following among more adventurous customers.

What to Look for in Quality Ice Cream

Read the label. Genuine dairy ice cream lists milk and cream near the beginning; products relying on vegetable fat cannot legally be described as dairy ice cream in the United Kingdom. Look for real ingredients rather than flavourings: vanilla seeds visible in the ice cream, actual fruit pieces, recognisable nut fragments. Assess texture by how cleanly it melts; a slow, greasy melt indicates high stabiliser content.

Overrun, the amount of air whipped into the mixture, also matters. Cheaper products can be more than half air by volume, which is why a large tub sometimes feels surprisingly light. Artisan producers typically use far less, producing a denser, more satisfying product.

Enjoying Ice Cream Around Gloucester

The city and its surroundings offer plenty of pleasant settings. The docks and quays make an obvious summer destination, while the parks and the countryside beyond the city provide space for a walk that justifies a second scoop. Many farm-based producers operate their own parlours, where buying ice cream within sight of the herd that supplied the milk remains a genuinely enjoyable experience for families.

Final Thoughts

Gloucester's ice cream scene punches well above its weight, sustained by the county's dairy strength and a healthy number of independent makers. Whether the preference is a traditional farmhouse vanilla, a precisely made gelato or a fruit sorbet made from local orchards, the choice available within a short distance of the city centre is genuinely impressive.