A traditional handcrafted ice cream of the highest quality produced here in the heart of the Twente region of the Netherlands
Food Heroes of Enschede #5
I love ice cream. I have always loved ice cream.
As a child, the highlight of any day out with the family would revolve around finding somewhere that sold that magical Mister Softee 99’ ice cream with the chocolate flake.
As a teenager in the 1990s, I had a summer job driving an ice cream van on the beaches around South Wales and became closely acquainted with the intricacies of maintaining a constant temperature and airflow in the ice-cream machine.
As an adult, I have spent many hours trying out different ice-cream recipes in my ice-cream maker as well as sampling many, many different ice creams and gelatos from all around the world while holidaying in far-off lands!
The Dutch love affair with ice cream
So it was in this context, upon arrival in the Netherlands over two and a half-years ago that I discovered some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted, right here in my newly adopted hometown of Enschede. I started to understand how central that little sweet treat is to the Dutch culture, not just as reward for all the cycling, but as a celebration of life. After all the rain, and it does rain here a lot, the sun emerges from behind the clouds and life is good; we are with friends, and we head to the ice cream parlour to be duly rewarded.
Van der Poel, an ice-cream parlour with branches all over the East Netherlands, is a family business based in Hengelo dating back to 1925 when the owner of a pastry shop made the decision to start selling ice cream. And, as so often happens in this part of the world, the business passed down through the generations.
After spending time in Amsterdam, including time spent flying as an air hostess, Meike decided to return to Enschede in 2003 to set up the branch in the Oude Market with her father. Pieter, her brother and fourth generation of the Van der Poels, followed in 2005 and now both head up this thriving and forward-looking company.
Awards
Over the years Van der Poel has been voted Best Ice-Cream Parlour of the Year in the Netherlands (2001, 2004, 2010 & 2014); won top awards for many of their flavours, notably hazelnut, strawberry and chocolate; and in 2016, their Master of Ice Cream, Bert Waninge, won the SVH Master-Ice Cream Maker of the Year. They are currently building new premises in Borne with larger storage areas and easier access for vehicles, and plan to set up new franchises across the region. This is a company going places.
Why is Van der Poel ice cream so special?
I believe the key to Van der Poel’s success is their endless pursuit of excellence, not only sourcing and using the finest ingredients such as vanilla pods and freshly roasted nuts, but also the ice-cream making process itself. Van der Poel ice cream is prepared every day using a traditional method, the product is pure and free from artificial colouring, and has a silky smooth texture. How do they achieve this?
Where the magic happens?
After heating the milk base to 76°C for 45 minutes, a process called homogenisation starts whereby fat molecules are broken down so they are evenly distributed. The mixture is cooled in a matter of seconds before passing swiftly through another machine with very small holes. It is this rapid cooling of the mixture which gives Van der Poel ice cream its silky smooth texture and why no matter how hard you may try at home, or how fancy your ice cream machine may be, the results are never quite as good. It is also why Van der Poel ice cream has a shelf life of just one week because after this time, the process starts to reverse. Freshly made ice cream really is the best.
Fun Facts
Interestingly, like most ice-cream makers in the Netherlands, Van der Poel use skimmed milk powder as the base – a much more stable product than fresh milk. Butter is added to increase the fat content and therefore improve the taste. Unlike ice cream made in the UK, ice cream here does not include egg. The whole process takes just one-and-a-half hours.
Wonderful to see how the caramel and cookies are layered through the pan and not just on the top!
To conclude!
After extensive taste-testing across the Netherlands and beyond, I can confirm that Van der Poel’s hazelnut ice cream is quite literally the best in Netherlands. Hazelnut ice cream is apparently very difficult to make due to the high fat content in the nuts which affects the freezing temperature. With its silky smooth texture, clean and delicious taste, and a generous helping of freshly roasted whole hazelnuts just lurking under the surface, this is my personal favourite!
Consistency is achieved by using seasonal frozen or pulped fruits which not only give better texture and flavour but allow the creation of a traditional, artisan product which captures the fresh and sweet taste of strawberries at the height of summer and brings that flavour to the public all year round. Van der Poel strawberry ice cream is very special and contains 50% fruit which is a most generous proportion of fruit.
Where to find this amazing ice cream
There are currently 5 parlours across the Twente region:
Oude Market, Enschede
Wilminkplein, Enschede
Bornsestraat, Hengelo
Waagplein, Almelo
Van Wevelinckhovenplein, Hardenberg
And so to return to my initial question, what makes Van der Poel ice cream so special? Why is it simply the best?
I think it is because people are always centre stage, whether it be Van Der Poel employees or the people they serve. People matter, and making people happy and bringing satisfaction to all is paramount.
When you order a coffee, you don’t simply get a coffee. No! You get a small scoop of delicious coffee ice cream sitting beside the coffee, on its own little saucer. This is ice cream to warm the heart, and in this world of never-ending uncertainties, Van der Poel, under the skilled stewardship of Meike and Pieter here in Twente, revels in delivering that moment of happiness and joy for all. A visit to Enschede is not complete without ice cream from Van der Poel! Come and try for yourself!
Further reading in the Food Heroes of Enschede series:
Slijterij Berendsen selling amazing whiskey and wine
Vishandel Klijnstra – The Best Fish Stall on Enschede Market
Twente Wijn – local Dutch Wine
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