Master Ice Cream Academy by Häagen-Dazs

                                                                                                                                                       © Haagen Dazs

As well documented on this blog I am an ice cream lover!  So I could not resist the invitation by Häagen-Dazs to a very special pop-up event this week. Häagen-Dazs is continuing to grow and expand its ongoing campaign called “Masters of Real.” As part of this, on August 4th, in London’s Bloomsbury Square, the company hosted a Master Ice Cream Academy. The event highlighted how the company takes great care to use only quality ingredients in its products. It was a multi-sensory activity, one that also involved a chance to enjoy the lovely flavour of the company’s ice cream. One of the interesting physical aspects of this event is the setting up of a glass dome in the garden at the centre of Bloomsbury Square, London, and this is where the activities took place.
Some prominent experts and social media personality have been invited by Häagen-Dazs to share their expertise and wealth of relevant experience with the attendees. These “Masters of Real” include Dan Doherty, who has gained much fame because of his culinary skills on display at the Duck and Waffle. Barry Smith, who is both an academician as well as a founder of The Centre for the Study of the Senses and Rosie Thomas, the famous blogger who runs the most desirable lifestyle blog thelondoner.me. Finally, Häagen-Dazs experts who provided more guidance on the idea behind multi-sensory eating, as well as the food integrity of Häagen-Dazs products.

The idea of engaging various senses while eating is nothing new. For example, when a person is eating, that individual doesn’t just taste the food using her taste buds, but also appreciates the scent of what she/he is eating. What may be surprising to some, however, is that other senses also have a role to play. For example, it has been found that the colour, shade and hue of a particular dish, will affect the diner’s perception of its sweetness. It has also been found that the sweet or bitter nature of food perception can change if the customer is listening to certain instruments or music. In fact, there is a growing recognition of how the other aspects of the dining experience outside of the food itself, such as the look, scent and timing of the food can all affect the diner’s perception of taste.

Great care is taken when it comes to the timing of ice cream service. More specifically, the product is taken out of the freezer and allowed to sit for ten minutes so that it can reach the best temperature for eating. This isn’t just about heightening anticipation in the diners. It’s also about maximising the taste and texture of the product and its ingredients.

So in the Häagen-Dazs event, we were exposed to the idea that flavour and taste are two different things, as well as how the scent of food plays a huge part of the dining experience. We also experienced how what we see can affect flavour (eating with your eyes), in addition to enjoying the company’s delicious ice cream products.

Here’s an excellent and very informative video where  Professor Barry Smith, founder of the Centre for the Study of the Senses, explaining the perception of sense works.

 

Häagen-Dazs’ Peach Melba Float Recipe By Dan Doherty, Executive Chef at Duck and Waffle

Häagen-Dazs’ Peach Melba Float Recipe
By Dan Doherty

Ingredients
•    Ripe peaches
•    Fresh strawberries
•    1 x tub of Häagen-Dazs Strawberries & Cream
•    Rose Champagne
•    Toasted almonds

Method
1)Slice the peaches and strawberries and place a couple of each in the bottom of a tall glass
2)Add a scoop of Häagen-Dazs Strawberries & Cream ice cream
3)Repeat both layers
4)Sprinkle with toasted almonds
5)Top up with Rose Champagne – Enjoy!

                      © Haagen Dazs . Prof Barry Smith, Alison Gray (Häagen-Dazs Taste tester) Rosie Thomas and Dan Doherty
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Disclosure:  I was a guest of Häagen-Dazs and Great British Chefs at this event, which was free and open to the public. All images by me (Rosana) unless otherwise stated.

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6 Comments

  1. Leesha Starr
    August 7, 2015 / 12:32 am

    I am very jealous! I love Häagen-Dazs so much! This looks like it was a great day and I'd love to try the ice-cream float.

  2. August 7, 2015 / 7:35 am

    HI Leesha, It was a beautiful event and the ice cream float is so delicious! R

  3. August 8, 2015 / 9:34 am

    Oh my the Peach Melba float sounds delightful, perfect for a sunny Summer's day. I have to say that Hagen Dazs certainly have it right when it comes to ice-cream and it really does affect all your senses when you eat it.

    Looks like you had a fantastic time.

  4. August 8, 2015 / 9:48 am

    Hi Angela, I agreed with you Haagen Dazs rocks!

  5. Olivia Thristan
    August 9, 2015 / 9:47 am

    I love this ice cream it's da bomb! It taste so good 🙂 x

  6. August 9, 2015 / 11:24 am

    Hi OLivia, I agreed with you Haagen Dazs is amazing and I love the fact that they care about the quality of ingredients they use. R