Erik Kuiper from ice cream shop De IJskuip in Dennekamp was named the best ice cream maker in Europe this week in Bologna's Gelato World Tour 2017. "We got tens from the jury", the happy man said to RTL Nieuws.

The masterpiece that won Kuiper the European title was his 'honey-yogurt-raspberry ice cream', with walnuts, fresh honey and raspberries. "The beautiful thing is that we make everything as pure and as organic as we can. The walnuts come from our own garden, the raspberries are from the neighbor, the honey from a beekeeper in the neighborhood and the milk comes from our own Jersey cows."

"After tasting our ice cream, the biggest ice cream makers of Italy called 'bellissimo, bellissimo!'," Kuiper said to the broadcaster. "The jury said to me: don't do a thing to this, don't change anything."

The fact that the Dennekamp ice cream shop sells the best ice cream in Europe, did not go unnoticed. "Since we've been back in the Netherlands, there's a large line in front of the door. Last night extra people came to help and we made ice cream until midnight", Kuiper said to RTL. "Today will likely be busy again."

By winning the European title, Kuiper qualified for the world championships in Rimini in September.