A ''melt-in-the-mouth'' berry ice cream has won the supreme award in the New Zealand Ice Cream Awards.
Tip Top's Boysenberry Ripple ice cream won the supreme award for a large manufacturer.
''Melt-in-the-mouth texture, great berry flavour with a smooth and rich berry ripple,'' the judges said.
Tip Top also won awards for its new-release Peaches and Cream ice cream and its Light Vanilla ice cream.
Queenstown ice cream and chocolate producer Patagonia received a gold award for its premium ice cream Dulce de Leche and silver awards for its lemon, raspberry and strawberry sorbets and its Mascarpone Cheese and Fruits of the Forest, and Dark Chocolate and Macadamia, ice creams.
And Wanaka-based Pure New Zealand Ice Cream won gold in the best of berries section for its raspberry gelato and silvers in the premium ice cream and gelato categories for its Kaffir Lime and Ginger, and boysenberry, respectively.
There were 302 entries in the annual awards.
Chief judge Kay McMath and her team of six awarded points on the basis of appearance (10) body and texture (40) and flavour (50) In the premium ice cream category, Puhoi Valley Cafe and Cheese Store's Chai Latte ice cream and New Zealand Natural English Toffee, made by New Zealand Natural Ltd, were joint best in category winners.
In the large gelato and sorbet categories, Gelatiamo, based in Auckland, scooped both best in categories with a banana gelato and a grapefruit sorbet.
The flavour for this year's featured ''best of''' category was berries.
The category winner was a raspberry sorbet made by Carrello del Gelato.
There were some novel flavours in the open creative categories.
For ice cream, these included tahini and carob molasses, and brie and vanilla.
Gelato/sorbet flavours included salted coconut, pumpkin, and cucumber and honey.
The winner across the two sections was an Earl Grey tea-flavoured ice cream made by Kapiti Ice Cream.
Much Moore Ice Cream won best in category for standard vanilla ice cream, and Emerald Foods for premium vanilla.
