Ice cream fans can enjoy a full access tour of Mackie’s of Scotland’s family farm and ice cream dairy from their sofas next week.
Airing on Wednesday February 9, in the latest episode of Inside the Factory, viewers will be given the inside scoop following Gregg Wallace’s visit to the Aberdeenshire farm business.
He helps make some of their famous real dairy ice cream, from milking the cows to filling and freezing the tubs.
It will run from 9pm on BBC Two.
The TV presenter was hosted by Kirstin Mackie and he met several of the staff team, including head cattleman Dave Smurthwaite, production manager Morag Haggerty, and Louise Hunter and Dierdre Henderson from the ‘sweetie kitchen’.
The sweetie kitchen opened in 2013 and is where Mackie’s began making its own honeycomb.
Sky to Scoop
This Inside the Factory episode shows Mackie’s Sky to Scoop ethos, which sees it manage each stage of the process on-site, using renewable energy from their wind turbines to power the ice cream dairy.
Gregg discovered how the family business, which makes more than 12 million litres of ice cream each year, uses fresh milk from its herd to make their dairy ice cream.
He was also shown the techniques and equipment required for Mackie’s to make their own honeycomb and packaging on the farm.
Beginning his tour with a visit to the byre, Gregg sees how the cows are to able milk themselves.
After this, he helps make some honeycomb in the sweetie kitchen and follows the mixing process in the ice cream dairy.
Kirstin Mackie, development director and one of three sibling owners at Mackie’s of Scotland, said: “We are busy making ice cream here on a working farm – it’s not a visitor centre and it can be difficult to show people around the business.
“We loved the experience of working through this and having Gregg and the filming crew up to see us and we hope that viewers will enjoy learning more about Mackie’s.
“While I and some of our team were initially quite nervous – it was made fun by Gregg’s chat and the friendly film and sound crew. It was very interesting to see how much work goes into making the programme as well – it was a full and busy three days filming!
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to show how Mackie’s make ice cream on this fantastic programme.”
Exclusive glimpse
A key part of the visit was the exclusive glimpse into Mackie’s new twin drum spiral freezer, where Gregg and the crew stepped inside.
Despite the temperature of -35C, he watched the tubs of ice cream being frozen and learned why it is important to freeze the ice cream mix quickly and efficiently – to ensure that the final product is created with the desired smooth texture.
The spiral freezer is part of Mackie’s newly installed low carbon refrigeration system, which runs on ammonia and biomass heat. It is expected to reduce Mackie’s energy use and carbon emissions by up to 80%.
Since first beginning to make ice cream in 1986, Mackie’s of Scotland has since launched more than 200 products and created more than 1000 flavours.
Inside the Factory has been running since 2015, showcasing all things manufacturing.
Previous episodes have seen presenters Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey, joined by historian Ruth Goodman, tour malt loaf, liqueur and digger factories.
To find out more about Mackie’s of Scotland, visit www.mackies.co.uk