A BEDFORDSHIRE woman has become the lucky winner of a lifetime supply of ice cream from one of the nation’s favourite brands.
Mary Shaw from Sandy, Bedfordshire has won a lifetime bonanza of ice cream from Mackie’s of Scotland and will now receive two litre tubs of ice cream every month for life.
With more than 50,000 entrants, it was the largest response to an on-pack and online competition that the Aberdeenshire family firm has ever had.
The 64-year-old Chef was in total disbelief after finding out she had won the lifetime supply prize and shared: “When I first got the email, I thought it might have been a joke. I couldn’t believe that it was real, but it was; I won a lifetime supply of Mackie’s ice cream!
“I’m now properly excited about it – as I received a box filled with a selection of ice cream flavours and some other goodies arrived this week – and luckily, perfectly timed for my birthday.
“I’ve been a Head Chef at restaurants all over the country and whilst working in Lauder in the Scottish borders, we wanted to use local produce – and for ice cream, we always chose Mackie’s.
Mary enjoys Mackie’s ice cream in oyster shells filled with marshmallow and dipped in chocolate and coconut – a popular combination in the West of Scotland.
Mary added: “Of course, I know Mackie’s very well and thought a lifetime supply would be fantastic. It is one of the most well-known ice cream brands. Definitely in Scotland, and now in England too.”
“I love how Mackie’s still has a wholesome, family feel. You can tell they really care about their customers and about keeping that welcoming feeling of a family-owned, Scottish business.”
The enticing competition, run by Mackie’s of Scotland, was the grand finale of its “Summer of Simple Pleasures” campaign.
The 10-week campaign awarded winners with carefully curated prizes intended to offer simple joy.
Karin Mackie, Marketing Director at Mackie’s of Scotland, said, “We may be biased, but we think that ice cream is one of the best ways to celebrate the simple things in life.
“We have had fun exploring the many different ways in which simple pleasures can sometimes bring the most joy and we hope that Mary will now enjoy her lifetime association with us – and our ice cream. The timing of her win is extra special because we can send her a year’s supply of Mackie’s ice cream each year as a birthday present!”
Mary’s favourite simple pleasure is to have some quiet time relaxing in the sun with a good book, “hopefully without any interruptions”.
Mary isn’t the first lucky winner of this coveted lifetime supply prize. Four years ago, an ice cream fan from Swindon secured the prize as part of Mackie’s celebration of their 30th anniversary of producing ice cream.
Mary said: “I used to enter competitions more often and the biggest prize I’ve ever won was a trip to Barbados in the ‘80s. All of my friends and family were hoping I’d choose them to come along, in the end I decided to take my mum because it was the kind of trip we thought we’d only dream of.
“I was born by the sea and my fondest memories are of my mum bringing us lunch as we sat on the beach. We would have an ice cream as a treat on a sunny day and I loved it.
“I think that’s the best part about winning this prize; it means I can treat people to an ice cream. I love doing that.
“I’ll definitely be sharing my vouchers – I don’t think I’d have much choice! Everyone was so happy to find out I’d won. I’ll be sharing them with my family; my nieces and nephews especially. This prize isn’t just for me, it’s for all of them.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll even have an ice cream street party once it’s allowed again!”
Mackie’s’ 10-acre solar farm has four wind turbines and a biomass energy plant on-site, which provide more than 80% of the company’s energy requirement. This is part of Mackie’s ethos of creating its products from ‘sky to scoop’; meaning that everything from milk to packaging is produced on the farm.
The ice cream company is renowned for its delicious real dairy ice cream and have been making chocolate since 2014. The much-loved ice cream is made using fresh milk and cream on the family farm in Aberdeenshire. To find out more about Mackie’s, please visit the Mackie’s of Scotland website.
