Nowita Ice Cream owners share their plans for new shop on Glasgow's Hyndland Street

Husband and wife duo Jill and Jamie Inkster are the team behind Nowita, the artisanal business that started out as a humble lockdown hobby.

Pictured: Jill and Jamie Inkster outside the future home of the Nowita ice cream shop

Jill said:“We both worked full-time office jobs before the pandemic and when lockdown started we found we had so much extra time.

“Jamie has always said that he would love to be a chef, but didn’t like the stress of a professional kitchen environment, so he already had that passion.”

Jamie continued: “I used to make ice cream when friends were coming over for dinner all the time and realised that there might be a gap in the market for it in Glasgow.

“We didn’t necessarily plan for it to turn into anything bigger, but when shops like Locavore and Roots and Fruits decided to stock our products, we realised that it could work.”

After months of producing small batches of handmade ice cream between working shifts at his nine to five, Jamie now plans to turn his passion for sweet treats into a whole new career as they prepare to open up shop.

Speaking of his inspiration, he said: “I aim to take classic flavours and elevate them a little bit.

“There’s nothing too out there, but they’re just different enough to make us unique."

Jill agreed: “They’re quite accessible.

“We have standard ones like sea salt and caramel that you’re likely to find in other places but what we do is use high quality, local ingredients like Mossgiel Milk or Buckthorn Sea Salt.

“We tried a couple of test runs with standard milk and the difference is just night and day.”

Jamie said: “Using the best ingredients means, unless you really mess it up, you’ll always have a great end product."

Having found the recipe for success with their ice creams (which can be found in independent retailers across the city) Jill and Jamie are looking forward to the freedom the extra space in their new shop will bring.

Jill said: “The actual process of making our ice cream is very labour intensive.

“Working from a home means that we have to clear away all our trinkets, sterilise the whole area and turn the space into a full on production kitchen.

“It stays like that for a couple of days every time we make a new batch.

“We’re definitely ready for a new shop space now. Jamie will be able to make ice cream to his heart's content over there…"

 “And make as much mess as I want,” Jamie added.

More than just giving the pair their home kitchen back, working on the former retail unit has already helped them feel closer to their neighbours and reinforced their love of keeping things local.

Jamie said: “The idea of being a part of that community spirit really appeals to us.

“The street that our new shop will be on is full of small businesses that do their best to help each other out.

“We’re both from small areas of the Highlands and have found that living in the city can feel quite isolating.

“Ever since we got the keys for the shop people have begun to recognise us and stop to say hello.

“They’ve already made us feel so included in the community.”

With work well under way at the new Nowita HQ and the final pieces of ice cream-making equipment en route from Italy, Jamie and Jill are looking forward to the challenge of their bricks-and-mortar home.

Jamie said: “I always wanted to have a shop and the one we’ve found is perfect for what we want to do.

“There have been moments of anxiety along the way where we’ve stopped to question what on earth we’re doing but breaking it all down into little jobs has made it much more manageable.”

Jill said: “We’ve also come to realise that a lot of the businesses we admire have been in the same boat at some point.

“Everyone has been so helpful and willing to give us advice.

“We’re really quite excited.”

To find out more about Nowita click here.