The scoop
The mere mention of summer imparts cravings for cold, sweet, meltable scoops of delight. Food Editor Kate Underwood took her tastebuds on a tour of the city to find tubs and cones we all deserve to devour over these warmer months.
Utopia Ice
Utopia Ice was one of my first tastes of Ōtautahi when I landed here in early 2021. I still dream of the spiced peach sorbet, sweet and tart with an incredibly creamy (despite being dairy-free), almost furry texture – like eating the skin of the peach itself. It was heaven. After starting at the Christchurch Farmers’ Market, they now have two vibrant sites, one on High Street and the HQ in Sumner. Their whimsical offerings, both classic and vegan, are made from scratch, using organic ingredients, free-range eggs, and local Canterbury milk. I adore their house-made gluten-free waffle cone, speckled with ground almonds. My go-to order: dark chocolate and sea salt sorbet with a scoop of Greek yoghurt and lemon.
15 Wakefield Ave, Sumner + 153 High Street, Christchurch Central
Gelato Lab
Gelato Lab is what happens when a love of science meets an adoration for Italian gelato. Owner Pippa Scott is a research scientist who fell for gelato while studying in Europe. She works alongside Martina, an Italian woman with gelato in her bloodline. On the table of ‘elements’, you’ll find stracciatella and dark chocolate next to sorbettos like grapefruit and black pepper or apple and mint. Served with a traditional metal spatula, it’s smoother and silkier as it contains less butterfat than ice cream, allowing flavours to come through more intensely. There’s liquorice, caramelised fig, and my personal fave, custard (crema), which is especially good when paired with rhubarb. Opawa locals are weaving their way down the street on balmy summer afternoons to join the line.
5/132 Opawa Road, Opawa
Ice Cream Charlie
There’s an undeniable charm about the simplicity of a food truck that’s been serving vanilla ice cream to residents of this city since 1903. Even the font provokes historical sentiment. Made in small batches every week, you choose a cone or a cup with toppings including raspberry, chocolate, passionfruit, and optional chocolate chips. I opted for the traditional sundae, involving a tub of vanilla ‘ice’ with a perfect hole scooped out to create space for the raspberry syrup and a dash of runny cream. The concept is foreign, yet the nostalgic raspberry flavour takes me immediately back to my gleeful eight-year-old self. Charlie’s Vanilla Ice will continue to delight weekend city wanderers and Te Pae visitors as it has all those who have come before them - oh, and they do affogatos!
91 Armagh Street, Christchurch Central
Nenek’s
There’s a young woman in this city creating tubs of small-batch buttermilk ice cream that we all need. She makes edgy flavours like cookie dough, Victoria sponge, and miso butterscotch peanut. Nadiah Zainal fell in love with cultured butter while at French Pastry School in Paris. After arriving in New Zealand in 2020, she couldn’t find any - so she made her own. Culcha, her award-winning cultured butter, is made by fermenting cream with lactic bacteria that develops a distinctly tangy and nutty flavour. This process leaves behind cultured buttermilk, which she transforms into a rich French anglaise with egg yolks, creating dense and delicious ice cream. ‘Nenek’ means grandmother in Malay, an ode to her heritage. With new flavours dropping every Friday, simply order online for pick up or delivery. Yum!
Order online culcha.co.nz
Rollickin Gelato
Rollickin Gelato is a sought-after institution here in Christchurch, and they keep delivering the goods when it comes to icy cold treats. With balmy summer nights in full swing, The Mister Mint Choc is my go-to. Real mint leaves for a fresh and cool mint kick, balanced by Rollickin’s earthy and delicious dark chocolate (that you hopefully know and love), is best indulged in the delightful vehicle of a chocolate-covered waffle cone and a shot of choc inside. If not just for the saccharine injection of happiness we all need from time to time! Want an extra pep in your step? Why not make it an affogato with a double shot of espresso on the side, too?
90 Cashel Street