25 Members and partners braved the cold wet weather to attend the Tip Top Ice Cream Factory tour on Thursday 6 September.
Security is tight and we were held at the main gate until precisely 11.00am before being allowed through to the visitor reception area, where we were met by our charming guide.
One of the original TipTop Bradford vans
We proceeded along an upper level viewing gallery where we were shown the beginning of the process with large tanks holding milk and other ingredients prior to mixing and chilling. The subsequent steps were explained by our guide as we made our way along past the myriad of pipes and the conveyor production line to where the finished products were filled, lidded, labelled and stacked ready for delivery.
We saw a fascinating machine loaded with cones being filled for the trumpets. The cones are so special they have to be imported from Germany.
Finally we were taken to a small cinema where we were offered a sample of their products and while we were indulging we were shown a video of the history of Tip Top.
Who would have known that Tip Top also make that wonderful Kapiti ice cream !!!