Lakenham Creamery — formerly known as Aldous Ices — was founded in 1921 by Mr. Christmas Aldous, marking the beginning of over a century of dedication to crafting truly superior ice cream.

For 104 years, we’ve been perfecting the art of traditional ice cream making.

In the early days, Aldous Ice Cream was churned by hand in a wooden tub packed with ice — a time-consuming process that produced an ice cream of exceptional quality and a distinctive, traditional taste. It wasn’t long before it became a firm favourite in and around Norwich.

By 1938, Mr. Aldous began introducing modern, electrically powered machinery — a proud step forward that combined innovation with the same care and craftsmanship that define our ice cream today.

To this day, we continue to make Aldous Ice Cream using fresh milk and cream, following the original recipe that started it all.

As demand for Aldous Ice Cream grew, the Aldous family introduced two trailers on Norwich Market, serving just two classic flavours — Vanilla (White) and Strawberry (Pink).

On busy Saturdays, the dedicated ladies on the trailers would scoop over 3,000 ice creams, bringing joy to generations of locals and visitors alike. The trailers were positioned at opposite corners of the market — one on the top right-hand side, the other on the bottom left — ensuring everyone could enjoy a taste of Aldous Ice Cream.

In time, permanent stalls were introduced to Norwich Market, and we proudly took one of them — maintaining a cherished presence there for an incredible 88 years (1937–2025).

In the mid-1980s, our Norfolk County Range was introduced, made using fresh cream, sugar, eggs, and natural flavourings — inspired by the idea of producing ice cream the way you would at home, but on a larger scale.

The concept was influenced by artisan ice cream makers in the USA, who created rich, dense, adult-style ice creams. In fact, the launch of the Norfolk County brand in 1985 preceded the arrival of Häagen-Dazs in the UK by three years and was followed soon after by Ben & Jerry’s.

Our Norfolk County French Vanilla stands out in the UK market for its simplicity and purity, using just five carefully selected ingredients:

1. Fresh Cream (80%)

2. Sugar

3. Egg Yolks

4. Skimmed Milk Powder

5. Natural Vanilla Essence

Our dedication to quality has been recognised with 42 Great Taste Awards, a testament to the exceptional taste and craftsmanship of our ice cream.

Since 1992, Lakenham Creamery has remained a family-owned business, under the stewardship of Mr. Chris Coughlan, who has guided the brand over the past 30 years to its position as one of the UK’s foremost producers of authentic fresh cream ice cream.

The ongoing success of Lakenham Creamery is thanks in large part to our loyal and hardworking team. Comprising just five dedicated members, each one brings passion, skill, and care to every batch of ice cream we produce, and the service we provide to our customers.

Equally important are our customers — both long-standing and new — whose continued support allows us to thrive and share our ice cream with more people every day.

To everyone who has been part of our journey, we would like to say a huge thank you!