YOU could be forgiven for thinking that Christmas and New Year would signal a quiet period in the life of an ice cream business.

Trips to tucked-away ice cream parlours for a cheeky cornet are the preserve of the summer months, are they not?

Well, yes and no. Susan Archer, who runs Archer’s Jersey Ice Cream with her husband John, would not deny that customers flock to their farm at Walworth, near Darlington, during hot weather.

Other locations, such as the recently-opened parlour on Redcar sea front, as well as franchised parlours in Northallerton, Yarm and Jesmond, would also attest to this.

It is true that lashings of luscious, freshly-made ice cream, in a variety of flavours as high as you can count, is the image that springs to mind when you think of Archer’s.

But, Sue explains, that is just part of the story, with wholesale contracts accounting for a third of Archer’s ice cream turnover.

And ice cream itself is only one component of the overall business, with sales of milk from the farm’s herd of black and white Friesians accounting for a large proportion of revenue.

It is the 150-strong herd of beautiful Jersey cows that provides the milk for the famous Archer’s ice cream, giving it that luxurious taste coveted by high-end outlets in the North-East, North Yorkshire and further afield.

One of the most recent franchises to open was at Heswall and Lark Lane, on the Wirral, taking the Archer’s brand across the Pennines.

Archer’s has other aces up its sleeve when it comes to keeping trade ticking over all year round.

When the D&S Times called, Susan was preparing for a queue of customers, keen to stock up on festive treats such as Christmas puddingflavoured ice cream and hand-decorated ice cream cakes, to beat a path to her door on Christmas Eve.

“We only close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Mondays during the winter to keep costs down,” she says. “The rest of the time we are open.

“I don’t think many people are aware that we’re open all year round, but the farm is always working and we decided that if people would be coming out to us, it’s a long way to come and we didn’t want to be closed when they got here.

“People still come in for an ice cream in winter; there is a big roaring fire and it’s very cosy.”

As well as owned and franchised parlours, Archer’s ice cream can be found in Cooper’s Tea Rooms in Darlington, Headlam Hall Hotel, the Rose and Crown in Romaldkirk and Roots farm shop on the A19 near Northallerton.

Together with their children, Susan and John started the ice cream business with a herd of Jersey cows after losing their original herd of Holstein Friesians back during the foot and mouth outbreak of the early 2000s.

Many of the products are made on site, at both New Moor Farm and the Archer’s unit at the Station, in Richmond, the thinking being that ice cream – like most things – tastes better when it’s fresh.

And what does the future of the business hold? Two of John and Susan’s children have completed degrees in agriculture, while the third hopes to follow a similar path with a course in agribusiness.

Although Susan says it’s “full steam ahead” for her and John at the moment, there will come a time to pass on the reins to the next generation. The business couldn’t be in safer hands.