Necessity is the mother of invention, it is said, and nowhere is that phrase more appropriate than at Churchfields Farm in Salwarpe. Driven to diversification by the current state of British farming, the Davies family decided to use milk and cream from their herd of pedigree cows to make their own ice cream - and one year on, the business has received an unprecedented amount of interest.

"We had talked about diversifying for years," recalls Gillian Kerton, daughter of farmer Michael Davies and now in charge of the dairy. "Dad and I were doing all the farm work ourselves, but when I became pregnant with my son Edward, I had to take a step back from manual work - so it seemed like the ideal time to try something new."

After discarding the idea of making their own cheese, due to higher costs and the fact that the region already features several cheese producers, ice cream revealed itself as the obvious choice. The farm received a grant from DEFRA, and in February 2005 work began to convert an existing workshop into a dairy.

The first batch of Churchfields Farmhouse Ice Cream was made in June last year, using a carefully judged mix of milk and cream to give it a thick, creamy texture. With the milking parlour just across the yard from the dairy, plus the fact that the herd is milked three times each day, the milk is exceptionally fresh and helps to give the ice cream a clean and wholesome taste.

Gillian says the family aimed to create unusual and innovative flavours to ensure their ice cream was sufficiently different from the norm, and the prime example of this has to be the Seriously Stilton flavour, developed at the end of last year. Such was the interest in the concept - and the suggestion that the ice cream was an ideal accompaniment to mince pies or Christmas pudding - that the farm was featured on local television and in the national press.

"We first created the Stilton variety to sell at the Great British Cheese Festival in Cheltenham," explains Gillian. "Rick Gutteridge from Brazen PR, who worked for the Stilton Cheese Makers' Association, tried it and loved it - he said that they had tried to make Stilton ice cream themselves before but it hadn't really worked!"

Rick decided to mention the product in one of the association's national press releases, and almost as soon as it reached the eyes of the media, Churchfields Farm was inundated with phone calls making enquiries and requesting interviews.

"It just went crazy!" Gillian continues. "We were on the radio across the UK, from Scotland to the Home Counties - the ice cream wasn't even on sale outside our own region, but people were interested in the story anyway."

In fact, even before Seriously Stilton was invented, Churchfields Farm had been asked to take part in a BBC documentary about farmers' markets, which continue to provide the family with a platform for selling their wares. This Little Farmer, filmed in Broadway in October, was screened in May and devoted half-an-hour solely to the business.

Stilton is not the only unusual flavour created at the farm - Just Ginger, Kirsch Cherry and Walnut & Maple are all available alongside more standard varieties like Churchfields Vanilla, Summer Strawberry and Rich Chocolate. All are made using fine flavourings such as fruit pieces and real chocolate, and absolutely no artificial ingredients.

After the cows have been milked, the milk is brought straight to the dairy to be pasteurised, after which the cream and sugar are added to create a "base mix". This is aged overnight, and finally the various flavours are mixed in, with relatively small batches made at any one time.

"We do use machinery, but the process is still quite labour intensive," Gillian points out. "Bigger machines would add more air during the mixing process, but we are able to keep our mixture quite dense so the ice cream stays creamy and luxurious."

There are no plans to expand the operation, as staying true to the original ethos of producing luxury ice cream necessarily means limited production. "We're already very busy, with the day-to-day running of the farm as well!" adds Gillian, whose life recently became even more hectic with the arrival of her second baby, Louisa. However, the family are always dreaming up new flavours, such as this summer's popular Orange & Grand Marnier, and several more are in the pipeline.

As well as being sold in various local outlets, Churchfields Farmhouse Ice Cream is served in a number of pubs and restaurants all year round, meaning that the business does not have to rely entirely on seasonal trade - and the success of the venture should also ensure the farm continues for a fourth generation.

Churchfields Farmhouse Ice Cream is available from Banners Foods in Bromsgrove, the food hall at Webbs of Wychbold, Brookside Fruits Farm Shop and Brighton's Newsagents in Droitwich, as well as Broomfields Farm Shop in Holt Heath, plus several outlets in the south of the county.

www.churchfields-farm.co.uk

01905 451289