Milton Keynes estate to get its very own Italian ice cream and home-made cake shop

A yummy new store specialising in hand-made Italian ice cream is to open on Newton Leys estate next week.

It’s the second city shop for Great Gelato, which opened their first in Stony Stratford in March last year.

Husband and wife team Ethan and Jo Wilkinson make all the products themselves, with Ethan whipping up the gelato and Jo bakinga range of cookies and cakes.

Sometimes the pair, who have four children, combine the cookies or brownies and ice cream for a truly tempting treat. And they have different flavours of the gelato and bakes every week, with specials including Gold White Chocolate, Strawberry Cheesecake, Terry’s Chocolate Orange and Birthday Cake.

An all-time favourite is Biscoff, Gold Bar & Caramac gelato, said Ethan.

The new shop opens on Friday May 5, in time for the Coronation weekend, in Islay Court on Newton Leys. It will be open from 3pm to 9pm that day.

Ethan lived in Italy in 2011 and fell in love with the language, culture and cuisine.

"Gelato was my weakness—every new town or city I visited, I would try as many flavours at as many different “gelaterie” as I could," he said,

"I then studied Italian at university for four years and in 2014 I had the opportunity to go back to Italy again and live there for six months. I was able to meet with old friends and acquaintances who enjoyed taking me to get gelato across Milan."

In 2020, before the first Covid-19 national lockdown, he and Jo had been dreaming of going back to Italy with their children for a holiday.

"Unable to travel because of restrictions, we began searching for authentic Italian gelato recipes online and speaking with my Italian friends about how to make handcrafted Italian gelato. Nostalgia is a funny old thing," said Ethan.

"Fast forward a year and hundreds of recipes, we’ve created a creamy, chewy, smooth Italian gelato made in the same way only the Italians know how.

"It will transport you to your favourite piazza in Italy, with the sun on your face and the smells of the place."