Eagerly awaited and already hugely popular, Bene Gelateria is on a mission to bring real Italian gelato to the people of Frodsham.

"It was something I'd always wanted to do," says owner, Aaron Gill, whose interest in gelato was sparked by twenty years of Italian holidays.

On one visit to Tuscany, Aaron had befriended a family of gelateria owners from Lucca, and when he decided to open up his own shop in the UK, they agreed to teach him the secrets of making gelato.

He also spent some time working with Manchester-based ice cream experts, the Antonelli Brothers, whose gelato expertise is second to none.

Aaron was then delighted to find that his Church Street shop, with its original Victorian frontage, was up for let.

He spent three months renovating the space, and developing a menu of 12 classical and not-so-classical flavours, before opening in October.

"England's used to eating ice cream, but we want to introduce them to proper gelato and change their opinions," Aaron says.

With autumn rolling into winter and the days getting colder, Aaron expected a quiet first few months. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see queues of people stretching up the street, eager to try out this new gelato experience.

"Everyone has raved about it, which is a really good feeling," he says.

"We never expected that. People were just so excited that we were opening that they flocked here!"

On some days, Aaron would be making ice cream from six in the morning until midnight, just to keep up with the demand.

"That's like baking a cake ten times a day from scratch," he says. "If you get one little thing wrong it will just fail!"

People travelled, and continue to travel, from miles around, with one gentleman returning over and over, just for the Bene Gelateria pistachio!

"I think it's because we make the gelato on the premises, and people appreciate the quality and the effort that goes into it," Aaron adds.

"It's like going to the baker's to get fresh bread."

And just like fresh bread, the gelato that you order has normally been made that morning, meaning that it is totally fresh and at its very best.

According to Aaron, there are only around a dozen gelaterias in the country which actually make their own gelato on site, "and this is one of them!

"We don't want to be buying in from anywhere else," Aaron says. "It's about us making everything on the premises. Even the sauces are freshly made by us on the day.

Bene Gelateria also have dairy-free limoncello and chocolate gelatos, which are a big hit with customers from across the county.

"I want to say a big thank you to the people who have come to support us when it's been cold and rainy and dark outside. It's a testament to the local people of Frodsham; we couldn't have done it without them."

Engaging the community has been a key aspect of the Bene Gelateria project. Keen to support other local businesses, Aaron buys his cream and milk from a nearby dairy, and his fresh fruit from his neighbour, Hales.

"If the whole community buys from each other, we won't need supermarkets," he says.

In lockdown, Aaron was pleased to see a renewed emphasis on the value of small independent businesses, as people began to walk more around their local area and notice the resources they have on their doorstep.

With this community focus in mind, Bene Gelateria will be donating 50% of profits to children's charities throughout December.

"After watching reports about children fighting for food, we decided we needed to do something.