12:00pm Sunday 10th March 2013
An ice cream man from Trowbridge has scooped the top prize in a national food competition.
Z Nurkowski and Sons, which formed in 1968, tasted success with a gold medal for best in class in the Complete Mix Ice Cream category at the National Ice Cream Competition at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate.
The company is run by Henry Nurkowski, 60, who creates his own vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ices, with employee Marcin Kubach.
Their product is sold from a fleet of six vans.
Mr Nurkowski, who is also the landlord of the Lion and Fiddle in Trowbridge, said: “I’m really pleased to have won it.
“We haven’t sent a sample to the competition for a long time and, lo and behold, we’ve won it.”
The last time the ice cream company entered the competition, run by the Ice Cream Alliance, was 1974 and it got its just desserts by winning in the same category as this time.
Mr Nurkowski has not entered since then, as he has been busy as a judge for the Ice Cream Alliance and the world championships, held annually in Rimini, Italy.
“I basically wanted to see if we could still do it, having taken on judging,” said Mr Nurkowski.
“I am very pleased that I was judged to be the best, which justifies my pride in our product.”
Mr Nurkowski founded the ice cream company with his father, Zygmund, and younger brother, Andrew.
Z Nurkowski and Sons has enjoyed a 36-year link with the National Trust at Lacock and takes vans to the Glas-tonbury Festival and Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, as well as other events across the South West.
Mr Nurkowski, who is also a senior supervisor and South West divisional director of the Ice Cream Alliance, said: “Dad’s philosophy was that you cannot improve on what nature produces by itself. We don’t ever stint on quality and don’t add chemicals.”
The alliance has about 700 members and holds an exhibition each year, when its award winners are named.
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