STAFF at New Forest Ice Cream have celebrated the company’s 30th anniversary by showing off its state-of-the-art production facilities and unveiling a range of new flavours.

Anyone bored with traditional ice creams can now tuck into fruits of the forest, Turkish delight and salted caramel.

The new products, revealed at an open day, also include two other flavours guaranteed to set tastebuds tingling – Mojito sorbet and beach bellini.

One of the directors, Niki Jenman, said: “The success of peach bellini has really taken us by surprise.

“We knew we’d hit on a great new blend but never expected it to become popular so quickly. We’re delighted – it’s a great way to toast the past 30 years and look forward to the next 30.”

One of the other directors, Christina Veal, said the new Mojito sorbet was set to make an appearance at countless Christmas parties.

“Ice cream and sorbets are just as important during the festive season as they are throughout the summer,” she said.

New Forest Ice Cream used to be based at Bridge Road, Lymington, but has moved to a new site in nearby Ampress Lane, where the 45 employees can produce up to six tonnes of ice cream a day.

They supply shops, theatres and hotels across the UK as well as Hampshire tourist attractions such as Paultons Park and Moors Valley Country Park.

Ice cream made in the New Forest has also been consumed in Libya and the Falkland Islands.

The open day gave key customers a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes and view the areas where milk and other ingredients are turned into ice cream before being stored at minus 25 degrees pending distribution.

One worker said: “In summer leaving the freezer involves going from -25 to +25 – it’s just incredible.”