Bel Gelato

With summer practically here, we’ve been enjoying some wonderful locally produced ice cream. As well as Lewis of London from Fold Farm being widely available, in The Spires, we now have café and ice cream parlour Bel Gelato, part of a dynamic Italian franchise.

As well as serving café staples such as savoury and sweet crêpes, paninis and salads, excellent coffee and home made cakes, Bel Gelato’s speciality, however, is their top notch ice cream. Made from scratch at their premises in Barnet from natural, fresh ingredients, the range includes more unusual flavours such as liquorice, rosehip and rhubarb (three different flavours!) along with plenty of classics. So far in our household, the mint choc chip, the frozen yoghurt and the luxurious ‘variegated cherry’ have been really big hits. I normally love coffee ice cream, but I find theirs a little bitter, although perhaps that’s more in line with the Italian style. As you’d expect for a good quality, hand crafted product, prices are quite high, but you don’t need much as the ice creams are rich and satisfying and go a long way.

Located in the heart of The Spires with some attractive outdoor seating, owners Costanza and Patrizia have infused their café with a warm, friendly atmosphere. The women are helpful and personable, enthusiastically explaining the menu and all the goodies available for sale. On a recent visit I picked up some stylishly packaged Italian chocolate for Father’s Day, part of a distinctive range of specialities on offer. And I do love the chic futuristic round polystyrene take away containers!