A local gelateria has taken the Highlands by storm with the release of their Christmas-themed gelato.
Miele’s Gelateria has launched a Christmas dinner flavour treat in their Inverness and Aviemore branches.
The gelato is a layered masterpiece, featuring five flavours of turkey, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, honey parsnips and carrots and, of course, brussels sprouts.
If that wasn’t enough, it comes topped with a dusting of sage stuffing and drizzled with complementary gravy and cranberry sauce.
The business is run by brother duo David and Michael Miele, the latter of whom is a trained chef and the man behind making the pair’s gelato dreams a reality.
David said the idea for the ultimate Christmas creation has been in their heads for five years, but they have only managed to make it work this year.
He said: “We were thinking ‘it’s getting a bit doom and gloom again, let’s do something that’s a little bit fun and puts a smile on people’s faces.’
“Well, it might not put a smile of everyone’s face but it gives people a bit of a laugh.
“That’s what we set up the business for, to have fun, to be a bit creative, push boundaries, that’s what we’ve always wanted to do. Plus we’re a little bit nuts.”
The method behind the madness
Instead of taking the easy route, the brothers spent days perfecting each individual layer of the gelato.
David said: “My brother was the one who made it and he basically juiced a turkey.
“It took hours to just sit there are figure out the balance of fats and sugars with milk and cream for the turkey flavour alone, then after that we had to do the same with the others.
“It took hours to get the calculations for each flavour, it was probably about a day’s work just on the scientific side. A lot of work has gone into it to get it all tasting right.”
To ensure any brave testers get a bit of everything, the gelato is best served as a slice.
This isn’t a strict rule though, as David added: “It works every way, sliced up, scooped up, eating individual layers, whichever way you wish.
“If there’s someone willing to eat it we’ll serve it however they want.”
‘Most outrageous flavour yet’
David admitted he was skeptical about the flavour at first, but that it works best if you keep in mind that it will be cold and savoury.
He said: “I had that sour look on my face when I went to go try it and he had this massive grin, I’m always the devil’s advocate. I went in knowing it would be great, but at the same time thinking ‘what am I about to taste.’
“You have to try and get your head around it, it’s that ‘wait a minute, this isn’t going to be sweet’. The best way to describe it is like eating cold pizza or a cold Chinese in the morning, but this is served on a cone.”
In the past, Miele’s has made over 250 flavours including haggis and whisky, brushetta and parma violet.
However, David is certain the Christmas dinner flavour is their most wacky yet: “I think the wheels have either completely come off or we’ve lost a few screws during lockdown, I think this is the most outrageous flavour yet.
“At this time of year, rather than just shutting down we want to be having a bit more fun, it’s a thanks to the locals too. ”
Festive fun
People from far and wide have been travelling to try the new gelato.
David said: “It’s opening up our customer base and people’s horizons to try something a bit different.
“It’s unbelievable the support we have, and we’re still open in the middle of winter and there are still people coming in.
“We want to make it like you’re coming into our front living room, that’s always been our thing, it looks good, it serves good and we give great customer service. I think that means more now than ever.”
Their inventive flavours encourage people to try combinations they might never have imagined.
“We want to be a place where kids have a smile on their face but also adults,” David explained.
“The adults are actually worse than the kids, they turn into big kids when they come in. They end up having things like bubblegum and cappuccino.”
If you can’t quite get your head around Christmas dinner gelato, they also have more festive flavours including candy cane, chocolate orange and Christmas cake.
Don’t miss our taste taste tomorrow!
