If you’re not having fun with ice cream, then you’re not doing it right, says Barossa Valley Ice Cream Company maker and founder Julie Donnellan.

Using fresh produce from the Barossa Valley region, including Jersey Fresh cream from Greenock, she hand makes ice creams and sorbets with flavours such as grenache and blackberry; honey, cinnamon and toasted walnut; pear and verjuice, and even spiced pumpkin.

Donnellan has a long history in the food, wine and tourism industry. Originally a chef from Melbourne, she has chased her tastebuds throughout the world, finally landing in the Barossa and becoming known as “the ice cream lady”. She peddles her wares on her ice cream bike, “Kermit” (pictured), which acts as her servery complete with freezer storage.

Barossa Valley Ice Cream Company ice cream maker Julie Donnellan with ‘Kemit’ the ice cream bicycle. Photo: Rebecca Meston

“When I first arrived in the Barossa in 2005, I worked for Rolf Binder at Veritas Winery as the ‘wine stylist’ (marketing, cellar door, production, hospitality, ‘hold this ladder’, ‘turn off this pump’, etc),” explains Donnellan.

“I stayed there for seven years and left at the end of 2012 to pursue the dream of developing and running my own business as an ice-cream maker.

“Money won’t buy happiness, but it will buy ice cream and it’s kind of the same thing.”

Donnellan will cycle Kermit into Barossa Comes Home this Saturday (11am to 7pm) as part of the Barossa Vintage Festival. Set on the Tanunda Oval, this will be an open-house picnic, where local food and wine producers invite everyone to join in and taste the fruits of their labour.

Apart from ice cream, more than 30 wineries and food producers will have the best of the season’s produce available for tasting.

“Ice cream is like chocolate,” says Donnellan, “if you’re going to indulge in it, you might as well have the best.”

Donnellan and Kermit will also be at the Stirling Market next Sunday, April 26.

Here, Donnellan shares her recipe for a knickerbocker glory, a layered ice-cream sundae served in a tall glass.

Barossa Valley Ice Cream knickerbocker glory. Photo: Julie Donnellan

Knickerbocker glory

Ingredients

Seasonal fruits
Cointreau or Cognac (optional)
Ice cream
Raspberry coulis
Pure cream (thickened or whipped)
Glace cherry
Chocolate wafer
Flaked almonds, toasted

Method

Select a tall ice-cream glass (ideal if chilled in advance)

Dice a selection of your favourite seasonal fruits and place in the bottom of the glass. Adults can add a dash of liqueur at this point.

Top with two to three scoops of ice cream (Donnellan has used her own Barossa Valley Ice Cream Company organic vanilla bean and balsamic roasted strawberry flavours).

Drizzle with raspberry coulis and a dollop of cream.

Decorate with glace cherry, chocolate wafer and a scatter of toasted flaked almonds.