A FAMILY ice-cream firm at Easton, near Winchester, won five medals in the Great Taste Awards held in London.

Jude's Ices collected a gold, three silvers and a bronze for their up-market product. "We are quite chuffed," said Jude Mezger, who gave her name to the brand.

The business was started three years ago by her husband, Theo, who set out with the modest ambition of making ice-cream that would be good enough to be sold in the village restaurant, the Chestnut Horse. Now Judes ice-cream is sold in village shops for miles around - not to mention the Conran restaurants in London and Harvey Nichols, the top people's department store in Knightsbridge.

"We're trying to pitch right at the top end of the market," said Alex Mezger, a key member of the family team which, helped by five part-time staff, produces and markets the range. "All our products are home-made on our farm at Easton.

"We source our ingredients from farms around us."

Flavours change with the time of year, to make use of ingredients that are in season - and there's a Christmas pudding flavour, too.

Alex said the family had received enormous encouragement from the Chestnut Horse.

It was a pistachio-flavoured ice-cream that won gold while the family's silver winners were Elderflower Sorbet, Mandarin and Grand Marnier Sorbet and Very Vanilla and Ginger Spice took bronze.

For further information, visit www.judes.co.uk.