From bridge building to ice-cream rolling, the man behind Rolly’s Ice Cream tells us more about his journey in bringing this Thai inspired quirky sweet treat to Edinburgh…..and we’re sure glad he did!
Please tell us a bit about yourself (your background / career) and most importantly, where and how you discovered ‘rolled’ ice-cream?
Interestingly enough, I was an engineer before I took the leap into the street food business. Graduated with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 2015 and worked a couple engineering jobs, most notably would be the 2 years I spent working on the Queensferry Crossing. However, working as an engineer just didn’t motivate me as much as I thought it would and as the bridge neared completion, I knew it was time to make an important decision on what I wanted to do next. This is really how the idea for starting Rolly’s began.
As for how I discovered rolled ice cream, this was something I had seen a few years ago whilst in Thailand, but to be honest I didn’t think anything of it at the time. It wasn’t until a couple years after, videos began to surface on the internet and I found myself on YouTube spending hours watching people making rolled ice cream around the world.
When did you have the light bulb moment to introduce this fantastic concept to the people of Edinburgh?
I would have to say it was down to my older Brother who started doing his own street food business (Smokin’ Bros) with his mate and it really got me thinking. It was at a time when work on the bridge was slowing down and redundancy was imminent, and I really knew that I didn’t want to pursue a career as an engineer anymore, so it really was time to think of other options. This is when I began looking into rolled ice cream as a business and doing a little market research to see if there was anyone else doing this in the area and also where the hell I would buy one of these machines from. I soon found a supplier and after a little persuasion from my girlfriend I decided to place the order for a machine and began working on getting the logo and branding sorted.
Tell us about the journey so far……your biggest and most exciting challenges you’ve overcome.
It definitely hasn’t been an easy journey so far, that’s for sure. My first event was at the end of August last year which was an absolute sell out in a few hours which was an incredible way to start the business. However, since it was the end of August I really missed the whole of Summer which meant that every event I had after that got progressively worse simply because it was getting colder. Winter was particularly tough (as expected), I had a few events over December/January and to try sell the ice cream I was trying different approaches like adding hot desserts, so I was baking Yule Logs and Sticky Toffee Pudding to serve warm along with the ice cream rolls. But, even with these additions it was still tough and just got me praying for warmer weather, so I can go back to selling my regular menu.
However, this period really gave me time to smooth out some of the kinks. I wasn’t happy with the menu selection process and I found that I wasn’t really utilising the ice pan for what they really could do, in terms of the flavour combinations. This is when I began to experiment with mixing alcohol with the ice cream. I found this to be a real hit with my customers and realised this is a great way to market the business and to collaborate with local drinks companies.
Where do you get inspiration for your flavours and how long does it take to perfect a new one?
Initially, inspiration came from classic ice cream flavours, so how to emulate chocolate, strawberry, mint choc chip into rolled ice cream. These were pretty straightforward, the only tricky one was the strawberry as I found just chucking fresh strawberries straight into the mix would dilute it too much due to the high-water content, which meant that when you went to roll the ice cream it would crack and wouldn’t roll properly. So, I then began making the strawberries into a coulis which concentrated the flavour and turned it into a syrup so when this was added to the mix it never diluted it as much and produced much more consistent rolls.
Once, I felt the classics were ready it was then time to create some unique and exciting flavours. Ones that you can’t find anywhere else. This is when I started to experiment with the different sweets, cakes, liqueurs and looked at deconstructing some of my favourite desserts/treats like chocolate orange or banoffee pie. These ones usually take a bit longer to perfect, but the effort is always worth it as the customer’s really seem to enjoy them.
What is your favourite flavour and why?
I am more of a classic kind of guy, so my favourite is Mint Choc Chip. There’s no real reason for why apart from it’s a nostalgic flavour and one I always used to get when I was younger. It only felt right that I had to re-create a Mint Choc Chip ice cream.
Your services range from weddings, birthday parties, street markets and corporate events – how far in advance should someone book and what volume of people can you cater for?
If the menu for the event was just going to be selections from our current menu, we can be ready for an event with 3 days’ notice. The prep time is relatively quick and I can prepare enough mixture for over 100 servings in a couple hours. As for volume of people, I would say our absolute max for a days’ work would be somewhere in the region of 300-350 servings. This would mean bringing extra equipment and staff to deal with the capacity.
Please share your favourite ‘Hidden Edinburgh’ gem (a place only a local would know about)
I would have to say my favourite ‘Hidden Edinburgh’ gem would be Duddingston Loch. Either if you take a wander through Dr Neil’s Garden or head down the to the benches just off the road. It really is a great place when the sun is shining and you can just sit and look out to water.
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What is your top tip for anyone visiting Edinburgh for the first time?
I would have to say my top tip for anyone visiting Edinburgh is to jump on an open top bus tour. I took a foreign friend on one once and even I was amazed at just how much history this great city has to offer. We are truly blessed to live in Edinburgh and it should never be taken for granted.
Finally, what’s your life motto?
Fear is temporary, regret is forever.
Find Out More
www.rollysicecream.co.uk/
www.instagram.com/rollysuk
www.facebook.com/rollysuk
