An Ice Cream parlour is busier than ever after rebranding to offer customers the chance to create their own unique flavours.
John Hughes, 58, is the proud owner of the Ice Cream Shop in West Kirby. Located on Grange Road, the store may seem like any other, but after only a brief few moments inside you'll soon discover it's anything from normal.
Fully kitted out with bunting, pastels and the typical dessert parlour decor, it's the unusual range of flavours found within the freezer that sets it apart from its competitors.
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Ice cream lovers can expect all of the classic big hitters from vanilla and chocolate to mint and strawberry. For those with more experimental tastebuds, Ice Cream Shop also offers everything from West-Indian mango to Cornish cream tea, and even bacon and maple syrup.
The road to becoming ice-cream's answer to Willy Wonka has been a challenging one up to this point but the initial inspiration came after he and his wife, Diamne, holidayed in Cyrpus, where they stumbled across "a little old lady who had a 23-scoop freezer."
John told the Echo: "We noticed a little run-down shack with shutters and in it was this old lady selling ice cream. She had a huge selection to choose from and she seemed so content running a business out of what was essentially nothing.
"I turned to Diane and I said, 'I could do that'." Despite his history as a private hire driver, John was confident he could make this left-field business venture a success.
In 2019, John took the necessary first steps to better understand the ice cream industry, taking on training courses with gelato machine manufacturer Carpigiani. Here he was introduced to the Antonelli brothers from Manchester, the masterminds behind one of the UK's biggest cone manufacturers and two people John credits for helping him get off the ground.
He said: "Because I'm severely dyslexic, it was very challenging because a lot of the training was regarding pasteurising. I found it very difficult to grasp but they took me under their wing and helped support me.
"Another friend of mine, Johnny Island, helped simplify the creation process for me. I don't have to pasteurize my milk, they've made it so easy for me to put all my ingredients together so I'm blessed really. I just add my milk and cream and some secret ingredients."
With education and drive under his belt, John eventually opened up shop on June 16, 2020. Sadly, as businesses struggled with the impact of the coronavirus, John also felt an even harder knockback from the local council.
He added: "We had to make the tough decision to close last year due to the council closing the pavement and ruining my trade for four months during the summer which is catastrophic for an ice cream shop.
"I didn't know what I was going to do. I went away and thought long and hard about what I can do to come back even better so I challenged myself. Now, I'm doing what I call "supermarket ice cream" to see which would make good flavours."
The challenge isn't locked to any specific unique flavour or combination; if you want it, John will make it. He added: "Companies have been coming to us and asking us to make this and that. We've made everything from breakfast cereal ice cream to bacon. We're more successful now than before we closed and by four o'clock on the weekend, the cabinet is empty."
The family man admitted the business takes more time away from his children than he'd like but they can't get enough of what their dad is creating. A special flavour, Auntie Nita's Cornish tea, made from clotted cream and jam, was also created as a tribute to his sister, Anita, who passed away. John said: "The family all love what I'm doing. It's hard sometimes not seeing people as much as I'd like but they know I'm doing what I love and they all support me so much."
Queues run from the shop every weekend and the demand for bespoke flavours is higher than ever. John said: "It's amazing. [The local community] have backed me so much and people are coming from far and wide. I'm thrilled. This isn't a job, it's fun."
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