You are in search of an ice cream workshop, because you just love ice cream and you are looking for a lovely outing with friends and family or you are a budding entrepreneur and you want to start an ice cream business. I have had all kinds of people at my workshops from all over the country. From Nelspruit to George everyone seems to love ice cream. 

For the last few years I have been hosting my workshops at Ganico near Randburg but our family made the decision earlier in 2024 to move to the Western Cape and chances are slim that I will be hosting anymore workshops in Johannesburg in the near future but please subscribe to my newsletter because I am still planning to create an online course when I finally have time.  The good news is that I worked on my ice cream recipe book that you will normally receive when doing my course and it is now available online to buy as an e-book. You can find the link to the recipe book here.

Workshop dates

Tickets for these events can be bought on Dineplan, download the app on your phone just search for AA Badenhorst Family Wines as the restaurant and search for the dates. 

Saturday 30 November 2024-Kalmoesfontein

Satruday 25th January 2025-Kalmoesfontein

Sat 1 Feb 2025-Kalmoesfontein

Team building

My mobile ice cream workshops is on the move, if you have a teambuilding event your are planning a year-end function or a birthday party at your home, get in contact and let’s see how we can work toghether to create a memoroble event. It can either be just a demo with a desssert table and printed recipe book or it can be a full on class where everyone joins in for an interactive workshop. Email me at info@thewoodenspoonkitchen.com to check availability for the rest of 2024.

I never really intended to start ice cream workshops, I created the class after a request from a client that wanted to buy a voucher specifically for an ice cream class for a friend. I should e-mail him and thank him for being the catalyst for more than 25 sold-out classes. My ice cream workshops are authentic, creative and interesting and hope to inspire you to become a master of homemade ice cream overnight.

I don’t know what it is with ice cream, but everyone loves it. It screams summer, it is a great dessert and reward in my household for tidy rooms, good exam results and special dates.

I am writing this post to give you an insight into what you can expect at our ice cream workshop without giving too much away.

What to expect at the workshop?

On arrival, we have tea, coffee, champagne and water ready for you. We mingle and get to know everyone. We are always a mixed bunch from all over. Some clients have even come from Kimberly, George, Nelspruit and even Swaziland.

We have a quick ice breaker {a very literal one}. To illustrate how simple it is to make ice cream. And that we don’t need so many preservatives and stabilisers in our ice cream Some clients have said they could have left after the ice breaker. It was so much fun.

I only take 24 students at a time and they are split into 6 groups of four to make different ice creams and sauces. I am no magician and also don’t own 4 ice cream machines and a blast chiller so the ice cream that you make on the day will only be ready the next day after cooling and going through the churner. So I make the ice cream in advance and we have an ice cream party afterwards.

What do we cover in class?

We start off with a demonstration of basic custard-based ice cream. Once you have mastered the basic vanilla ice cream you can add anything to it. The recipes are all based on high-quality ingredients and then you can play around with different flavourings. Learn the technical aspects of ice cream preparation, the different types of ice cream, ingredients & equipment and how to freeze ice cream so that you can prepare your own at home.

We make lovely gin sorbet that is always a favourite. Infusing ice cream with herbs develops a deeper level of flavour.

We make a vegan nice cream recipe with an Omniblend blender. I will also do a demonstration of how an Omniblend blender works and what other uses it has in the kitchen. You can also buy an Omniblend from me online or I can order on your behalf at a discounted price.

How to flavour and colour ice cream with herbs, fruits and sauces. We make three different sauces that will take your ice cream to the next level.

We also cover Gelato ice cream and what the differences are between the different ice creams.

How to use an ice cream machine and how to make ice cream without a machine. I will give you some tips and guidance on how to use an ice cream machine and what models are available. And also what the pitfalls are when making ice cream and how to overcome them.

You will also receive a beautifully designed PDF recipe booklet with full-page photographs of all the recipes we made on the day and a few extra bonus recipes or you can buy the recipe book here

If you want to re-create your own ice cream station at home for a special occasion here are a few suggestions.

• Add a variety of biscuits for ice cream sandwiches on a platter: Oreos, Dutch stroopwafels or homemade biscuits. 
• Select colourful fruits like strawberries, blueberries and kiwis. Peaches, cherries, passionfruit and mangoes will also work, depending on the season.
• Fill small Consol jars with mini marshmallows, sprinkles, different sauces and nuts
• To fill in all the gaps add some caramel popcorn
• Don’t forget the sugar cones
• If you have a variety of ice creams label them
• A pro-tip that I will use for the next classes: place ice cream containers in an ice bath so it does not melt so quickly in the summer.
• Keep ice cream scoop in boiling water for easy scooping

What my students have to say!

My husband and I love to share in experiences and we were particularly looking forward to Ankie’s ice cream making class — and what a delicious treat it was! Ankie creates a social and fun space for all participants to enjoy. She is an easy going, relaxed and thoughtful teacher. Such attention to detail with lovely touches throughout the morning. We loved the different stations and that we got to sample everything that was made with love by the participants. Definitely recommend it for a fun, relaxed and interesting morning experience with your partner, friend or family member. We look forward to attending another workshop soon! Simone Vasques

I always wanted to do an ice cream workshop and when my friend said there is 1 space left for tomorrow’s workshop through “Wooden spoon kitchen” at the Culture ban, I just booked and paid and hoped that I would not be disappointed as I had not researched the venue nor “Wooden Spoon Kitchen”.

Well, what a fantastic venue the “Culture ban” was and what a sensational workshop. The setup – the intro – the different work stations, the different ice cream we made and later consumed and my best are the ice cream recipes that are so beautifully presented in A4 size with images, ingredients and how to make them.

Thank you Ankie – you have me hooked and I will do more workshops through “Wooden Spoon kitchen”.Elonka.Reuss