Last year, I won a grant from the environmental charity Hubbub to develop a food-waste-saving ice-cream brand. The learning curve was steep. Ice-cream is one of the most competitive and technically challenging foods to get right, because it has to be smooth, creamy and, crucially, shelf-stable. That has led some producers to be over-reliant on emulsifiers and stabilisers, some of which may be plant-derived, but they’re still ultra-processed, which may be a concern for some consumers.
My tasting revealed a very clear quality scale. At the bottom are the foamy, highly processed tubs that shouldn’t even qualify as ice-cream. Others offered a slightly better texture and taste, but still have a processed edge, while others sit awkwardly in the middle, all food-dye yolk-yellow. But once the price hits 68p per 100g, things shift and we finally enter “real” ice-cream territory, featuring true frozen custards made from creme anglaise, and with recognisable ingredients and far cleaner flavours.
Across the test, it became obvious that what’s sold as ice-cream spans from gorgeous churned custard to food-like industrial substances. Understanding what goes into these tubs, and how to taste the difference between them, can help us choose treats that actually nourish us (albeit in moderation), rather than just simulate satisfaction. My advice would be to invest in the most delicious you can afford and serve 50% smaller portions (eating by the scoop rather than the tub will help, too!). That way, we can enjoy the good stuff at the best possible price without overindulging.
The best vanilla ice-cream
Best overall:
Duchy Organic vanilla ice-cream
£3.60 for 480ml at Waitrose (75p/100ml)
★★★★☆
Traditional firm scoop with a smooth, creamy texture. Mild and very clean vanilla flavour. A classic creme anglaise-style frozen custard, made with 28% cream. Minimally processed and organic, it’s barely pricier than other premium options, yet has superior credentials and is good value.
Best bargain:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference vanilla ice-cream
£3.25 for 480ml at Sainsbury’s (68p/100ml)
★★★★☆
Firm to scoop with a clean, balanced flavour and just the right level of sweetness. Less smooth than some, but satisfyingly rich with a creme anglaise-style base. Made with West Country double cream and Madagascan vanilla. Minimally processed and the best value of the lot.
And the rest …
Yeo Valley organic vanilla ice-cream
£4.75 for 500ml at Ocado (95p/100ml)
£3.80 for 500ml at Waitrose (76p/100ml)
★★★★☆
A speckled, firm, traditional scoop with a clean, well-balanced vanilla flavour. Fractionally less smooth than others, this is still a classic creme anglaise-style custard ice-cream. Minimally processed and organic, it stands out as having lower sugar and saturated fat than most. Contains 24.5% cream.
M&S Collection West Country Madagascan vanilla luxury ice-cream
£4.25 for 500ml at Ocado (85p/100ml)
★★★★☆
Firm, speckled scoop with a clean, subtle vanilla flavour. Smooth and creamy classic creme anglaise-style custard, made with 34% whipping cream. Minimally processed and satisfyingly rich. A good premium pick.
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice-Cream
£5.75 for 460ml at Tesco (£1.25/100ml)
£6 for 460ml at Waitrose (£1.31/100ml)
★★★☆☆
A firm scoop with a custard-yellow hue. Very sweet and eggy, with an intensely bold vanilla note. Very smooth and chewy – a classic French texture that I love. High in saturated fat and sugar, it’s super-rich, indulgent and made with 39.2% cream.
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Kelly’s Cornish vanilla dairy ice-cream
£4.74 for 2 litres at Asda (24p/100ml)
£5.50 for 2 litres at Waitrose (28p/100ml)
★★☆☆☆
Very soft, smooth and airy scoop. Contains emulsifier E471, but it’s redeemed by being made with Cornish milk and 6% clotted cream. Although I can’t give it a stamp of approval, this is one of the better more economical ice-creams I tried.
Mackie’s indulgent Madagascan vanilla ice-cream
£3.60 for 1 litre at Ocado (36p/100ml)
£3.85 for 1 litre at Morrisons (39p/100ml)
★★☆☆☆
Pale in colour with a soft scoop and light, smooth texture. Airy but pleasant. Contains E471 and is slightly higher in sugar than some, but not overly sweet. An OK budget-range option.
Carte D’Or Madagascan vanilla ice-cream
£3.75 for 900ml at Tesco (42p/100ml)
£4.75 for 900ml at Co-op (53p/100ml)
★☆☆☆☆
Bright yellow from carotene dye and flecked with vanilla, this has a smooth yet foamy mouthfeel. Despite the name, this highly processed dessert isn’t real ice-cream, because it’s made with reconstituted skimmed milk, coconut fat, glucose-fructose syrup and a slew of stabilisers and emulsifiers, including E471.
Wall’s soft-scoop vanilla ice-cream
£2.75 for 1.8 litres at Ocado (15p/100ml)
£2.75 for 1.8 litres at Tesco (15p/100ml)
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright yellow, with a light, aerated texture and synthetic sweetness. Not technically ice-cream (it contains zero cream) and loaded with additives such as carrageenan and mono- and diglycerides (E471). Ultra-processed and lacking any real dairy character. So cheap, it’s a parody of itself.
Co-op vanilla flavour ice-cream
£2.95 for 900ml at Co-op (33p/100ml)
☆☆☆☆☆
Bright yellow with a synthetic vanilla flavour. Moussey, spongy texture and artificial creaminess. The main ingredient is water, bulked with sugars, emulsifiers and stabilisers. Incredibly, it actually contains ground vanilla pods, though you’d never guess. Unbelievably terrible.
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