The Gelato Festival World Masters, run with partners Carpigiani and Sigep – Italian Exhibition Group, has found its second UK finalist. On 12 November 2024, at the Food Sorcery Development Kitchen in Manchester, seven gelato chefs from England, Scotland and Wales took part in the second competition of the year, organised by Carpigiani UK.

The winner and special mentions

Samantha Cunliffe of Bene Gelateria, Frodsham, won with “Chocolate Orange Cocco Crunch”, a custard-based gelato infused with ginger, cinnamon and orange, with dark chocolate stracciatella and diced candied ginger on top. The Cheshire gelato maker advances to the European Finals in Italy, scheduled for 2025.

The jury also gave two special mentions:

• Martin Crolla of A Crolla & Sons, Lochmaben, for “Lorenzo”, a white chocolate and local honey gelato with raspberry variegato and pistachio cremeux.
• Abygail Hughes of The Cosy Cone, Malmesbury, for “The King’s Favourite”, an Earl Grey gelato with butter biscuit and a chocolate drizzle.

Judging and participants

Taste, structure, creativity and presentation were the four criteria, covering ingredient choice, craftsmanship and visual impact. The jury was:

• Filippo Mancini, managing director of Mancini’s
• David Equi, managing director of Equi’s Ice Cream
• Jake Ansbro, co-owner of Gooey and EATMCR
• Robert Scappaticci, managing director at Benito’s and ICA board member

The other participants were:

• Jack Boam, Tagg Lane Dairy, Bakewell: “Tagg Lane Dubai Chocolate”
• Roberto Culivicchi, Roberto Authentic Italian Gelato, York: “Crunchy Cherry”
• Monika Oziablo, Oscar’s Gelato, Edinburgh: “Pure Pistachio”
• Melissa Morgan, Hufenfa’r Castell, Harlech: “Dragon’s Breath”

About the Gelato Festival World Masters

The championship began in Florence in 2010 and was inspired by the first documented gelato recipe, created by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1559. It grew from a local contest into a tour across Italy, then Europe, and from 2017 into the United States. It went global with the Gelato Festival World Masters 2021 edition, which finished in December 2021 with a win for Adam Fazekas of Budapest and a record 3,500 gelato artisans judged by international juries.

What this means for gelato makers in New Zealand

Competitions like this show how far a well-balanced recipe, good technique and a confident story can take a gelato maker. If you are building your own flavour range, the right artisan gelato machines and a solid grounding from Carpigiani Gelato University are the place to start, and Majors Group can help with both in New Zealand. Our team can also talk you through Rubicone ingredients for your next signature flavour.

Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for New Zealand by Majors Group.