On Danish ice cream

Every town along Denmark’s Riviera has one thing in common: a local ice cream shop. It’s usually family-run, usually organic, and always with a queue out the door on a warm afternoon.

In Tilsvilde, it’s Hansens. In Gilleleje, it’s Søsters. At Tothaven farm they make their own. In Helsingør, a shop that’s been scooping the same recipes for a century. Ice cream in Denmark is a summer institution.

Danes split ice cream into two camps. Flødeis is cream-based — rich, dense, closer to a good custard than what most visitors expect from a cone. Sodavandsis is the fruit-juice, water-based alternative, lighter and sharper.

Order a soft-serve and you’ll be asked if you want guf on top, which is a whipped, marshmallow-like topping that’s very Danish. It’s somewhere between cream and meringue. You’ll also spot isvaffel, which is an open waffle cone with scoops of ice cream.

It’s tempting to think that family farms are the reason for how good the ice cream is. That’s not quite the real story. Danish dairy farming is large-scale and among the most efficient in Europe, not a patchwork of smallholdings. Denmark was the first country in the world to introduce government-regulated organic farming standards, back in 1987, and organic milk makes up a notably higher share of Danish dairy production than in most of the EU. Decades of some of the strictest dairy standards in Europe are the reason a homemade scoop from a farm shop in a town of a few thousand people can taste this good.

As you’re driving around the region, keep an eye out for local farm shops where the ice cream will be made from the milk of the cows in the field next to the car park. It’s a great stop with kids as the animals are also right there.

Build one ice cream into your day, the way Danish families do in summer. You will have decided on a favourite ice cream shop in no time.

Discover our full 7-day itinerary of the North Zealand coastal region.