A PRESTIGIOUS ice cream maker has won a national award on the eve of his 30th year in business.

Former national champion ice cream maker David Otterburn took the top prize at The National Ice Cream Competition in Harrogate with his mint chocolate chip flavour.

His family-run Ryeburn ice cream shop in Helmsley is launching a new flavour on Yorkshire Day (August 1) – the day the business was founded 30 years ago.

They now employ 12 staff and have a range of ice creams and sorbets, including a langoustine, champagne and lemon zest flavour used in restaurants.

He said: "It's made for a wonderful start to our 30th anniversary celebrations although I can't believe the business has been running so long.

"When we first started it was just a way of using up our surplus milk and increasing the retail value of the milk. It's worth much more as ice cream than as milk.

"I have never stopped enjoying experimenting and creating new flavours and I'm looking forward to developing something special for our anniversary celebrations."

The competition is the most prestigious in the country and is run by The Ice Cream Alliance – the trade body for the UK's £1bn ice cream industry.