Fior di Latte

Eating gelato, like drinking espresso, is a favourite Italian pastime. It is a time for people to linger in conversation, for people watching, and for cooling down from summer’s unrelenting heat.

A word on fior di latte 

In Italy, fior di latte is the sign of an excellent gelateria — the calling card of a quality shop. It literally translates to ‘the flower of the milk’. It's simplicity — just milk, cream and sugar — lets the ingredients speak for themselves. A delicate and fresh gelato that flaunts the high quality and local milk used.

As well as being a flavour in its own right, it also forms the pure base to which all other ingredients are added. A blank gelato canvas, ready to take on traditional flavours such as the prized Pistachio di Bronte or a less common combination like lemon, ricotta & olive oil.

This simple pleasure was once only enjoyed by Roman emperors and the well-to-do. But times have changed and eating gelato has become a social ritual for Italians on their evening stroll, La Passegata.  

We store our gelati in pozzetti, a traditional Italian freezer specifically for gelato, to protect it from sunlight and oxidation. The pozzetti act like a wine cellar for wine, and are the best storage conditions for gelato. Kept at -6°C, this somewhat warm temperature (compared to your house-hold freezer) enhances the flavour of the gelato and creates a silky texture. The consistency is dense and velvety, with less air beaten into it than ice cream.