The Machen ice cream parlour that's been voted the best in the UK

A Welsh ice cream company has once again been voted the UK's best ice cream.

Minoli's of Machen, near Caerphilly, has taken the coveted 'Champion of Champions' at the National Ice Cream Awards four times.

Minoli's has had a parlour under the grandstand at the Royal Welsh Show since the 1990s, and the company has become famous for its cornet and tub sundaes with a Welsh flag.

But the business began in 1987 by the Richards family, when they bought a factory from an Italian firm.

They created their own secret ice cream recipe, and started making vanilla at their own farm.

It is this invention that has seen them win the ice cream 'Oscars' for a fourth time this year - a feat no other company has managed in Wales, England or Northern Ireland.

The family now run Basil & Rusty's ice cream parlour at home in Machen, selling their own original flavours as well as sundaes.

Geraint Richards, the ice cream parlour owner, said: "We hope this will raise the profile of 'Basil & Rusty's' and make us more widely known, attracting more customers from further afield.

"The number of ice cream parlours have increased considerably in recent years and we hope this will help us to stand out in the crowd."