A SMALL producer of ice cream has been recognised for its excellent home-grown products by a leading supermarket.

Just Rachel Quality Desserts has been making ice cream to traditional recipes from local cream and fruit for 16 years.

Now the independent company, run by founder Rachel Hicks, has won a major Waitrose award recognising excellence and innovation among small food producers.

The win - in the airy and ice cream section of the Small Producers Awards - means the Ledbury company receives a cheque for £5,000, as well as marketing and business advice from Waitrose. The supermarket chain is an avid supporter of locally-grown, reared and produced food and drink products.

Miss Hicks uses only cream from Herefordshire dairy cattle and fruit grown on farms in the area for her "traditional" ice cream range, which includes flavours like damson and sloe gin, gooseberry and elder flower and rhubarb, orange and Cointreau.

She has worked hard setting up her business, which now employs six people, after spotting a gap in the market for "real" ice cream, made like grandma used to make it.

Last year, the firm moved to a converted dairy in Bromsberrow, near Ledbury, where she churns up to 15,000 litres of ice cream a year in 14 flavours.

"I'm delighted with the win and proud that my achievements have been recognised," said Rachel, who pored over cookery books by Mrs Beeton and Eliza Acton to find out how they made ice cream before additives and modern food technology took over.

The £5,000 would help buy mixers and beaters to make more ice cream.

The awards were open to small producers all over the country employing less than 10 people.

Hundreds of producers entered six different categories, including dairy and ice cream, bakery, deli and recipe dishes, grocery, fresh produce and drinks.

The supreme champion was Dorset Pasty Ltd, which took home the £10,000 top prize for its superb puff pastry.