Nestled in one of Cheshire's most picturesque villages is an ice cream farm that has had more than its share of high profile visitors. The Great Budworth Ice Cream Farm has a picture postcard setting on the edge of the historic village, near Northwich, with a wealth of outdoor seating to enjoy your cone.
The village is regularly transformed into a film set due to its historic cottages, while the ice cream farm has been visited by some of the world's biggest pop stars in recent years. For Harry Styles is known to be a bit of a regular - and famously brought his One Direction bandmates for an ice cream when they were filming a documentary back in 2014.
Harry, who grew up in nearby Holmes Chapel, would later return to Great Budworth when he was dating American pop superstar Taylor Swift. She too got to enjoy the picturesque village with its healthy slice of quintessential English appeal.
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The success of the Great Budworth Ice Cream Farm, on the edge of the village on Heath Lane, has brought an army of new fans to the area in recent years. Such has been the success of the ice cream shop and cafe, that in 2020 they undertook an expansion with a new covered seating area to complement the outdoor picnic tables that prove popular on sunny days.
The family-run business was started as a sideline for the dairy farming Wilkinson family 28 years ago. But mum June Wilkinson still makes all the ice creams today at the age of 77.
Her son David and daughter-in-law Rachel run the ice cream farm shop and offer a range of traditional flavours as well as regular specials - like the popular salted caramel and chocolate chip that was initially created to celebrate the birth of Prince Louis in 2018 but remains a firm favourite among visitors.
June says: "We try to keep to natural, traditional flavours like mint choc chip and rum and raisin, but we also do a lot of fruity ones too." As well as ice creams, there is a full café offering, boasting local suppliers and cake-makers for the majority of their produce.
Ice creams are made at the on-site dairy every morning, which is all based at New Westgate Farm. There's a large car park in the adjoining field for visitors.
Great Budworth itself makes for a great day out in the summer, where you can venture along the cobbled walkways and feel like you're stepping back in time. Black and white timber clad properties line the tiny Cheshire village's main street, with beautiful topiary plants and flowers adorning the footpaths and the cobbled lanes which circle the majestic 14th century sandstone church at the village centre.
It's a quintessential English village scene - which is why it has caught the eye of a number of film crews in recent years, who have used Great Budworth to seamlessly transport audiences back in time in the likes of the BBC's War of The Worlds, Our Zoo and the recent remake of The Ipcress File.
While the village, nestled between Knutsford and Northwich around half an hour from Manchester, is frequently described as a hidden gem, it is well known to cyclists in the area.
They flock to the village on mornings and weekends, not least thanks to its convenient stop off locations for thirsty cyclists at the historic George and Dragon pub, as well as at the ice cream farm.
As well as a hot-spot for cyclists, the village is also popular for ramblers and those who enjoy a more leisurely stroll. In particular, the lime tree-lined avenue at the end of School Lane offers splendid views out across the Cheshire plains to the salt works and beyond.
There's also a popular three-mile walk across the fields to Arley Hall. At the foot of the village you will also find an historic water fountain which according to local folklore, sweethearts could proclaim their undying love here, and be assured that their union would indeed last until the last drop of water runs out.
The village of Great Budworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, although there's evidence of a settlement on the site dating back to Saxon times. For centuries, the houses in the village belonged to the nearby Arley Hall estate's Warburton family, to whom villagers would pay rent. They were eventually sold off to residents in the 1940s.
And, much of the character of the village today is attributed to Arley Hall's Rowland Egerton-Warburton in the 1800s, who embarked on a campaign to make over Great Budworth and 'render it picturesque in Victorian eyes'.
That meant remodelling cottages and adding decorative brickwork and chimneys, most famously at the old George and Dragon pub at the centre of the village which remains a popular stop off.
While it may seem a sleepy sort of village in modern day terms, centuries ago the route through the village would have been on the main road to London. Which goes some way to explaining why at one time such a small place had five pubs for thirsty travellers - four of which are now houses which retain the pub name, like Ring O' Bells Cottage and Saracens Head House.
Great Budworth Ice Cream Farm is open seven days a week from 12noon to 5pm. Find it at Heath Lane, Great Budworth, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 6ND
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