As award follows award, an ice cream parlour and cafe in Rowde knows it has found the winning recipe.

The hat-trick of accolades for Rowdey Cow began with a Taste of the West gold award for the cafe and tea rooms category last year, a highly commended award in the start-up category in the Countryside Alliance Awards south western regional final and most recently the Trip Advisor Certificate for Excellence for 2014.

Sue Thompson, who runs Rowdey Cow on her father Adrian White’s dairy farm, said: “This is my first attempt at a business and I’m really pleased with how it is going and the awards show that others think we are doing something right.

"The Trip Advisor award is based on getting consistently good customer reviews on Trip Advisor, so to receive that was a wonderful surprise.

"Customers have said they love the ice cream, it’s child-friendly and the food is locally sourced produce.

“As well as a good customer base locally, we are getting people visiting from further afield due to word of mouth.”

Rowdey Cow opened just over two years ago and the gelato, Italian-style ice cream is made by hand using the milk produced by Mr White’s dairy cows.

The parlour has 16 different flavours on offer at once: particular favourites so far this year include Key Lime Pie, Snickers, Pina Colada (without the alcohol) and, in response to customer requests, a Knickerbocker Glory.

The popularity of the ice cream led to local shops stocking it including St Arbucks cafe in Market Lavington, Mipo at Lydeway, Woodborough Garden Centre, the Boat House at Bradford on Avon, Avebury Community Shop and Poulshot Lodge Butchers.

The cafe, which has spectacular views of Roundway Hill and has a child’s play area and farm animals, has also hosted two wedding receptions.

When it opened the cafe had four staff but now has 20 staff, most of them part-time.

Mrs Thompson added: “We never imagined that the business would grow as quickly and be as popular as it is. It has been really worthwhile.”