Swoon Gelato: Opening February 11th on College Green

Thursday 11th February will see brand new independent gelato bar Swoon open its doors on College Green, serving true artisan Italian gelato made daily on the premises all year round.

Located opposite Bristol Cathedral, Swoon is brought to Bristol by Bruno Forte, who comes from a gelato making family that goes back 120 years. He’s on a mission to prove that gelato can be enjoyed all year round – he and the team will be making all of their gelato every day, churning it very slowly to give it a rich and creamy texture that differs from that of ice cream. Served at -14C (less cold than ice cream) and with less fat, gelato has more intense flavours too.

Any gelato bar that’s headed up by a former tutor at a gelato university has to be a winner, and Head Gelato Chef Luisa Fontana’s background is at the Carpigiani Gelato University at Anzola dell’Emilia, near Bologna. Luisa and the team will be using the finest and freshest ingredients, including some that are locally sourced such as milk from Somerset’s Bruton Dairy. Others (Sicilian lemons, pistachios from Bronte in Sicily and hazelnuts grown on the Alta Langa slopes of Italy) will come from further afield, due to their depth of flavour.

Gelato-wise, expect speciality flavours that include tiramisu, bacio (chocolate and hazelnut) Amarena cherry cheesecake and Crema della Nonna, a traditional Italian custard dessert, along with a regularly-changing seasonal flavour list.

The 30-seater gelato bar will allow customers to eat in or take away, and won’t just be serving gelato: you’ll also be able to choose from handmade treats such as sorbetti, stecchi (sticks of gelato dipped in chocolate) and monoporzioni (small puddings) , along with pastries from local bakeries and coffee from Extract.

The premises is sure to catch the eye when it opens too…the team are building a Gelato Lab into their bar – as Bruno describes it, “a glass-walled area at the front of the shop where customers – and passers-by – can watch our gelato being made.” Sounds far too tempting!

Swoon Gelato will open on Thursday, February 11th, and will be open from 8am to 6pm Sunday to Thursday, and from 8am to 9pm Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit their website, follow them on Twitter or find them on Facebook.