Ice cream parlour opens for jubilee

GELATO Henley has opened its first ice cream parlour, The Scoop Room.

The shop in Duke Street welcomed its first customers on Thursday, the first day of the jubilee bank holiday weekend.

Brigitte Dowsett, 53, who became a company director in September to focus on the business and marketing, spent all of Wednesday on the final touches for the opening.

Meanwhile, the company’s creators and chefs, Ryan Barlow, 42, and Katrina Minoletti, 41, were at home making the gelato.

Mrs Dowsett, who designed the shop with the help of her friend Laura Holland, said they were keen to open the parlour in time for the jubilee.

She said: “We are really hopeful and excited for Henley residents to support and embrace us.

“We want to be the place that people get their desserts for parties, that when people go for a walk in the town they might crave a quick treat or a coffee from us and that The Henley College students may even want to grab a waffle or pancake during their break.”

Gelato Henley was created seven years ago after Mr Barlow and Ms Minoletti went to visit her father’s home town in Lake Maggiore.

Mr Barlow found that Ms Minoletti had tried every flavour from the local gelateria and as he had a passion for cooking, they decided to try making some. The couple met at the Henley Festival in their late teens and have been together ever since. Mr Barlow was born in Henley and grew up in Australia before returning to the town. Ms Minoletti grew up in London and has a British mother. The couple have two boys, aged six and nine.

Mrs Dowsett offered her expertise in the field of sales.

She said: “I tried the ice cream and it was so delicious, I just thought ‘We need to take it out there’. Ryan created something amazing.”

She put together the business plan to open a gelateria and when Lawlor’s Café closed they decided to take the space.

“It was now or never,” said Mrs Dowsett. “Summer was the best time to open and we had to take the leap.”