THE ICEHOUSE STORY

One of Broadstone' s more unusual businesses is Icehouse. Formed in 1997, Icehouse supplies ice cubes to several of our local bistros, restaurants, pubs & clubs. Delivering across the county from Christchurch to Weymouth and north to Cranborne, owners Alan & Debbie have come across several interesting situations and many lovely homes on their travels.

Earlier this year, Debbie was asked to supply ice for a photographic session, initially expecting a small order for crystal clear ice cubes for a drinks advertisement, it turned out a model was to be photographed in a bath full of ice cubes! Brrr! Brrr!

"Weekend music festivals at the Larmer Tree during July, and Lulworth Castle in August provided our biggest orders of the year" claimed Debbie "and with guest passes on offer we could chill out for a while and enjoy the music amidst a glorious setting." We are very fortunate to have so many loyal and regular customers, however, it is the private parties, weddings and weekend functions which are the most interesting of all. We've delivered to small flats, stately homes & castles and everyone is amazed that we offer the service we do.

Everyone likes a party but no-one likes warm beer, tepid white wine, or champagne which hasn't reached that all important temperature. Our customers quite often fill small dustbins (clean of course), rope handled tubs or even their bath or children's paddling pool with our ice and their cans and bottles.

Impromptu parties far outnumber the planned ones and we will always deliver (7 days a week) if we are physically able to do so, however, callers after 9pm may be politely refused. That said, we have delivered to night clubs on more than one occasion, when they have experienced serious breakdowns late in the evening.

Usually, next morning all the drink has disappeared but quite often there are still loads of ice cubes left albeit smaller in size. Why do our ice cubes last so long? We have Scotsman commercial ice-making machines and these are recognised as one of the best worldwide. They use a spraying technique which gives a much 'harder' ice cube. Picture a circle of a hundred upturned egg-cups with a rotating spray-bar underneath shooting up a vertical spray. The ice cube forms in the cup rather like a stalactite. When the cube reaches a certain length the harvest cycle begins, the cubes are released, fall from their moulds and are swept into a cold storage compartment. The cycle is repeated every 25 minutes approximately, 24 hours a day! This process gives it a totally different composition when compared to ice cubes taken from a moulded tray within a domestic freezer box or indeed those offered for sale by some supermarkets.

So next time you have a party give Icehouse a call on 691818, quote the Broadstone Residents Magazine and we will give you an extra bag free!

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