On a family-run farm in York, some of the region’s finest ice cream is lovingly produced. JENNIFER KEE meets the couple who run this chilly business

EACH day, four staff members busy themselves with potting some 1,700 litres of ice cream, at the Yorvale farm in Acaster Malbis. It’s impressive for a small dairy farm with 40 flavours of ice cream and a herd of 60 Friesian cows.

Having begun the business in 1989, Ian and Lesley Buxton have reached a milestone this year with 25 years under their belt.

The Buxtons pride themselves on getting the milk fresh from the cows to the ice cream production100 metres away within 90 minutes.

As Lesley recalls, the business got off to a memorable start: “Ian had signed up for an ice cream making course in Reading, but he ended up missing it when our son was born a week early.

“In the end, we managed to call him for advice but we mainly did our own research and developed our own recipe.”

It’s easy to see how dedicated Lesley and Ian are, taking care to nurture their cows who they say lead "stress-free lives” and produce good-quality milk which makes the final product worth all their hard work.

Milking the cows has to be done seven days a week, twice a day, by Ian and another worker, Graham Hockenhull.

This summer, Yorvale is hoping to run a colouring competition for children which could eventually be incorporated into a point of sale for Yorvale. Needless to say, the reward would involve ice cream.

Inviting the public to get more involved with Yorvale is aim. People who enjoy the ice cream will be able to download a face mask of a cow to wear and take pictures of themselves in unusual places to share online through Twitter or Facebook.

“We’ve been surprised at the interest in our cow mascot, Yorri, who has been photographed in places as far as China and France, so we thought we could try this to include everyone. The idea will be to see how many wacky places Yorri can be photographed in.”

The success of their business has allowed Ian and Lesley to pursue some of their own charitable causes as they are now preparing for the Pedal for PROPS Bristol to Bordeaux cycle challenge, taking place in July.

PROPS provide support for young people with learning difficulties and special needs. The couple heard about the cycling fundraiser after a friend, who has a daughter with Down’s Syndrome, asked them to get involved.

“We are doing this because we are able-bodied and although it’s a challenge, I think the people with Down’s Syndrome have got it much harder.”

They also like to support local charities.

“We try and do what we can in the community. We approached St Leonard’s Hospice to provide the dessert for their Sunflower Ball at the Racecourse on May 10 at York Racecourse. It is a fantastic hospice that seriously ill people go to. Supporting charities like them is important to us.”

The couple, both huge foodies, as you might expect in their line of work, have been together for more than 30 years and have two children in their mid-20s. They love to cook and experiment in the kitchen when they get home, which is also on the farm.

That said, they try not to discuss work when they get home, although Lesley adds: “Sometimes we don’t always agree but now we have learned what works for us and what doesn’t.

“We each have our own roles, so I Iook after the sales and marketing side of things and Ian looks after the accounts and the farming side of the business.”

Something they do agree on is their favourite flavour – Chocolate Orange Ripple – which was national winner of the ‘Taste of Excellence in Dairy’ for 2013 at The Cream Awards.

The recipes they use today are still based on the original recipe: to their milk, they add double cream from Paynes Dairy of Ripon, skimmed milk powder and glucose syrup which forms the creamy base mix ingredient which is then frozen off after flavours are added.

They like to source all their ingredients from the UK and wherever it is possible, they use ingredients are made in the UK.

The new frozen yoghurt range, Yoryog, launched last September, has also proved popular with punters. The Buxtons thought it would sell after they tried the product out during the summer at ice cream stalls in St Sampson’s Square and Dean’s Park in the centre of York.

The ice creams have seen their popularity spread to London, the south coast, Manchester, Cumbria as well as around Yorkshire.

The Buxtons would eventually like to sell their ice cream as far as Scotland, Wales and Somerset, especially as the latter has so far been hard to sell to.

As for the business, they would never want to sell it as they have put so much hard work into it. Lesley remarks: “If Jack came to us tomorrow and said, ‘I want to take over,’ I wouldn’t turn him down, but he would have to start at the bottom and work his way up, like everybody else!”