A West Kirby ice cream shop owner has become a local legend due to his bespoke creations for his customers. John ‘Kipper’ Hughes, owner of The Ice Cream Shop on Grange Road, invites customers to challenge him to make anything they wish — with some creations mouth-watering and others just plain crazy!
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John and his wife Diane opened the quaint little shop in 2019 and has developed such a reputation that people travel from far and wide to enjoy their delights. The Ice Cream Shop has a revolving and ever changing range of fascinating flavours of ice creams including dog ice cream, as well as almost 40 different types of bubble tea — something that’s also been going down a storm!
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What makes John truly unique is that he actively encourages people to challenge him to make bespoke flavours. Some have been extremely popular, such as ice cream similar to Twister ice lollies and ice cream similar to Vimto, whereas some have been rather ‘interesting’ — such as bacon and maple syrup flavour for a local business.
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The beauty of John’s bespoke creations is that if he makes a flavour a customer loves, they can buy tubs of it to take home. For businesses, John can make them a bespoke flavour that they can re-brand — giving them something interesting to offer, rather than just standard ice cream for dessert.
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John said: “My love of ice cream was sparked whilst Diane and I were on holiday in Cyprus. We met a wonderful old lady who had a quirky, run down old ice cream hut that sold the best ice creams! When we returned I had a dream that I opened one in West Kirby and saw it as a sign, so I went to train with the Godfather of gelato — Jonny Ireland aka Jonny Gelato.”
He continued: “I originally opened as Artisan Gelato in 2019 and developed a fantastic reputation, but was forced to close in 2022 due to the council closing the pavement and ruining my trade for four months. Closing gave me the opportunity to get creative with flavours, so when I re-opened as The Ice Cream Shop in February 2023 I introduced all sort of interesting flavours.”
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John has endured some battles since originally opening in 2019. His business suffered badly when the council closed the pavement in 2022, with no compensation, and they then threatened to fine him for having his iconic ‘Tracey The Cow’ outside the shop. He has recently been at loggerheads with the nearby Costa Coffee, after a staff member offered his customers free products.
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Despite these battles, the adversities do not keep the local legend down and people are loving The Ice Cream Shop as much now as ever. John spends hours exploring supermarket aisles and experimenting with weird and wonderful flavours — some recent ones such as The Pensby Pig, one similar to Terry’s Chocolate Orange and the one similar to Twister ice lollies have been flying out.
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John summarised: “I’ve had some bad dealings to contend with but I’m more passionate and creative than ever. It’s so satisfying to see both kids and adults alike enjoying our creations — from custom ice creams made just for them to our huge range of refreshing bubble tea.”
He continued: “Knowing that people love our creations and it makes them happy keeps us going no matter what the council or big companies throw at us. We’re a passionate local independent and we also do lots for the community such as sponsoring the local football team and giving ice cream to residential homes. We love being an integral part of the community.”
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The Ice Cream Shop is located on Grange Road in West Kirby and offers a revolving range of interesting ice cream flavours, as well as bespoke flavours to customers and businesses. They offer vegan and dairy free options, dog ice cream and almost 40 different flavours of bubble tea, as well as other niche artisan delights.
The Ice Cream Shop / 8 Grange Road, West Kirby CH48 4HA / 0151 662 0007
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