By Julie Fralich
Finally a sunny, bright day in New Gloucester, so Michael and I decided to go check out the gelato at Thompson’s Orchard. We had been by many times and seen the sign but weren’t sure when it was open for business and what it was all about. We met up with Mike Thompson late in the day and admired his new cooler and array of over 20 varieties of gelato.
According to Mike, all the flavors come from Italy – but some of the ingredients are specially made from the bakery (for example, the blueberry pie) or from his apples and cider.
We also learned that unlike ice cream, gelato is made with milk instead of cream and it’s a soft consistency – somewhere between soft serve and regular ice cream. Thompson’s is trying to reduce its carbon footprint, so the gelato is offered in cookie bowls or in cones. We each got a cookie bowl with 4 small scoops. I tried pistachio, chocolate, raspberry with chocolate pennies, and blueberry. Michael went for the straight-up vanilla bean. All the flavors were delicious and it was fun to be able to try a few varieties in one serving.
Mike Thompson says he will be open from 9 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday, with hours extending to 9 pm as the weather improves. For something refreshing and different, definitely check out Thompson’s gelato!
