A flurry of new dessert parlours across the UK could provide new and exciting opportunities for the dairy industry, according to a new article.

With 92 ice-cream parlours opening in 2018, new ingredients and quality, innovative products could help the dairy sector lick this new trend.

According to a new article by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), these popular new venues are set to increase further – with the top ten chains forecast to open an additional 86 sites this year.

The article, which is titled The Inside Scoop on Dessert Parlours, shows that this new dining experience is particularly popular with young people and families.

Research suggests that young people are drinking less alcohol than previous generations, but still want places to socialise. Ice-cream parlours fill the void of pubs and offers extravagant desserts which tap into consumer demand for out-of-home indulgence.

The food also plays into the social media trend, with many customers sharing images of eye-catching ‘freakshakes’ and ‘bubble waffles’ online.

AHDB Analyst Zoe Avison and author of the article said: “We can see from this research that there is a real resurgence in dessert parlours as many people are looking to combine socialising with indulging. These findings contradict previous perceptions that consumers, especially younger people, are moving away from dairy, which is great news for the sector.

“As a result of this surge in popularity, these venues now offer a number of new and exciting opportunities for the dairy industry, with dairy featuring heavily on the menus.”

The full article can be downloaded from the AHDB website here.