TRADERS have joined forces to create a gin-flavoured ice cream, thought to be a world-first.

Three North Yorkshire-based food and drink companies have created a locally-sourced sloe gin truffle ice cream.

SLOEmotion, Brymor Dairy and Hunters of Helmsley came up with the recipe, which will be available across the summer exclusively at Hunters deli in the Market Place, Helmsley.

The ice cream is made from a vanilla base, using whole Guernsey milk from Brymor’s own herd of cows at Masham, with ripples of a sloe fruit ganache, and dotted with crunchy dark chocolate chips.

The ganache is made from sloe gin, cream, butter and white chocolate.

Jonathan Curtoys, managing director at SLOEmotion, said: “It’s always a pleasure to partner up with other local companies who share our love of great food and drink.

"As we are the only producers of sloe gin chocolate truffles in the world, I believe that this is definitely the only flavour of its kind being produced commercially.

“Instead of throwing the fruit away after making sloe gin we de-stone it and then use it to make a range of chutneys and a ganache for different truffle chocolates - so the thought of using it for ice cream seemed quite natural."