Tip Top solves marshmallow ice cream riddles

Tip Top says it has 'conquered marshmallow', leading to what could be the world's first novelty ice cream wrapped in the sticky substance. Photo / Babiche Martens

It's taken nine years, nine trials and more than a little determination, but Tip Top has finally conquered the complexities of marshmallow ice-cream.

The New Zealand ice-cream maker created a chocolate fish-shaped ice cream wrapped in marshmallow on a stick just under a decade ago but it proved to be "a formidable production challenge" and was discontinued.

However, the creative team was not to be beaten and has now been rewarded for its efforts with the Memphis Meltdown Rocky Road, thought to be the world's first novelty ice cream wrapped in marshmallow.

The super-sweet treat delivers chocolate ice cream rippled with raspberry jelly, dipped in pink marshmallow, and smothered in chocolate, nuts and coconut - on a stick.

"This time we can say we have conquered marshmallow," said Tip Top spokeswoman Angelina Ashcroft.

The engineering and operations team rose to the challenge of working with the sticky confection, she said.

"Pipes clogged with quick-setting marshmallow wouldn't be conducive to seamless manufacturing, so the engineers worked out a way to heat and insulate the pipes to allow the marshmallow to flow."

It will be available in dairies and service stations nationwide this week and in supermarkets from June 21.

- NZPA