Holden's & Co. Ice Cream & Village Store, Edgworth in Blackburn with Darwen

Lovely little village shop, lovely service, this is why 3 stars, we have been 3 times and sadly our last, the ice cream is poor considering it is supposed to be premium, water crystals in the ice cream on each visit with all flavours tried weak in taste, cherry, rum & raisin, cookie dough, white chocolate and more. I don’t like writing reviews like this but the ice cream is not good enough and that goes for what is sold at the new shop in Abbey village. Find a better premium ice cream or change the method of making.

We called for ice creams on our way back from a walk in the countryside and I'm lost to understand how Holdens has a good reputation. The ice cream was not fully frozen, the flavours were lacking and there were lumps of ice throughout. Prices were high when the poor quality is taken into consideration.

My husband and I had been on a walk and called in on our way home for a coffee and cake , the Malteser Brownie was to die for best I’ve ever had and my husband had a coconut & raspberry slice 😋😋.. The cappuccino’s were great 😊.. lovely place will defo return and would recommend..

Lovely little ice cream parlour & store in such a quaint little village, was really busy when we arrived today so we went for a little walk round then came back as the line to go in was out the door. When we came back we was greeted by a lovely couple of staff, even though they was really busy they had alot of time for every customer, we was recommended the original ice-cream by our friends but we settled for a mint choc chip & cookie dough which was delicious the Manager gave us a little tester of the original as we was curious to which we then had to buy a tub to take home with us. We had a glourious time tasting your ice-cream and will definitely be back again soon

This is a review on the new abbey village store. Visited today for a quick ice cream for my 7 year old daughter. yes lots of choice, but 1 scoop for £3.50 with no offer of sauce or flake. The ice cream was very carefully measured out like it was precious gold. The profits are immense and it’s a small place, and word soon spreads. Won’t be returning. Visited before but never commented but felt the need this time. The trays are small and you have to carry your own drinks and food upstairs, very odd process in my opinion.

This is not a review of the shop in Edgworth but the recently opened shop in Abbey Village. A long wait to be served while the female member of staff was chatting. I ordered two cups of tea and two cakes. I had to make two trips upstairs to cafe as I was provided with a very small tray. I was not offered any assistance but a member of staff then made three trips upstairs to take food/drink to other customers. On the subject of one of the cakes (Millionaire’s Shortbread), there was so little caramel it couldn’t be seen. On complaining to staff I was told it was a caramel shortbread (where was the caramel). I was then approached by the manager (?) who said she was sorry that I wasn’t happy and that it wasn’t personal (why would it be, they didn’t know me). Also, if I wasn’t happy about the cake, I should complain to the supplier. Not sure it’s my job to do that. I was going to buy ice cream to take home, but will go to the Edgworth shop where I’ve never had any problems. I definitely think customer service training should be undertaken.

The rum & raisin had never seen rum and a raisin wasn’t found which was also the same story with the cherry, which I give you was the right colour of nothing else. I have eaten rum and raisin all over the world and never had anything so bland.

Visited this establishment and was amazed at the choice of ice cream available. Had a wonderful time - Thank you!

We passed Holdens on the way back from a countryside walk. Having heard of Holdens ice cream brand before we thought we’d pop in and give it a try. How disappointed we were. The shop itself had a lovely selection, the staff were nice and welcoming, and everything was displayed well. We bought a tub to take away and a larger tub for home. Both were incredibly disappointing - the ice cream had a horribly grainy ice texture which reminded us of the low fat ice creams you can now buy. This would be fine if I had paid £8 for a low fat tub - but I suspect this ice cream is actually very high in calories - which would be fine if it tasted worthwhile. For £8 for a standard (Ben and Jerry’s style) tub of ice cream you’d expect a delightful, creamy, homemade luxury taste but instead it was inedible and we put it in the bin. Won’t be returning - very let down indeed.

I went into your shop yesterday, my step-dad got for himself and I just wanted one scoop of ice cream in a tub. I was told I couldn't have one scoop I have to have two. I explained that I wasn't having a cone to limit the calories and for the same reason I definitely didn't want two. She said she could give me one scoop but I'd have to pay for two. You are the only ice cream shop who has a minimum order of two scoops for a tub, and I wouldn't mind but your small tub is only for one scoop anyway. It's a total cheek and diabolical!!!! Why should anyone have to pay for two if they only want one??!! Very restrictive and not a customer friendly ruling. I wasn't overly impressed with your flavours either.

Best ice cream ever,service great,lovely staff it's a must to visit,well done, need more shop's like this

Yummy cherry ice cream, steak pasties and frothy coffee, friendly service, will return and recommend

Best Ice cream I've had in a while, and the servers are very nice. Me and my friends go back frequently because of the ice cream quality. Definitely recommend it!

Best ice cream in a long time! Bernadette was a star and kept me coming back for more. I'm going to have to find and visit the store now. 5 stars!

Delicious ice cream lots of choice , it’s the only ice cream my grandson can have without any reaction to , as they both are lactose intolerance, normally they would react in minutes off eating it , but definitely not with holdens ice cream they love it . The best .

Demanding you pay for a double scoop of ice cream when you only want a single scoop. The ice cream is good and I have been going there since the 1990’s, but I object to being to and will not be subject to profiteering So sadly I will no longer travel and wait in a slow long queue and pay for expensive ice cream

Called in this afternoon and asked for one scoop of ice cream . I was told very abruptly that “ we are not doing one scoop at the moment “ I pointed to menu above which showed scoop choices including one scoop . The extremely rude lady merely repeated herself “ we are not doing one scoop at the moment - but if you want one scoop I will have to charge you for two !!!! “ Appalling customer service and this is not the first time had uncomfortable experience in this shop . I will not return .

Visited this afternoon as a treat for my daughter. Very rude and abrupt lady barked at us to move back fromThe doorway to allow people out ( although they were only browsing and hadn’t yet been served )My daughter said the Cookie dough ice cream Was vanilla with one tiny piece of cookie dough !!Won’t be returning, overpriced and poor customer service.

We travelled all the way from Lytham St Annes and joined the queue. The lady owner suddenly announced that the shop was shutting, since being the last to be served, We explained we had travelled a great distance. However she replied (with scoop at the ready) “we have been here all day, no more orders!” Now surely they would want a little extra cash in these hard times!

Visited for Afternoon Tea and fizz🥂 Sampled the new menu. Sandwiches were plump, tasty and soo fresh. Scones were lovely and the homemade cakes delicious 😋. We couldn’t eat them all so had to take them home. I’ll definitely be back.

We decided to visit for lunch. We found the venue located on the Main Street an Edgworth. Note parking is only available on street. However as it’s a residential area there was a lot of residents cars. The shop is very pleasant and stocked with some local artisan products plus a choice of ice creams made by the company. In the back is a cafe which has a nice menu. Good to visit at least once if you are in the area.

Haigh Hall cafe & ice cream shop. OMG, just loved the Toffee Apple ice cream, also had some of the Treacle Toffee too. My friend loved the gingerbread latte (best one she's ever had..... much better than Costa ) Having chatted with the lovely staff, we decided it would be a great idea for Holdens to make a gingerbread ice cream.Our long walk round Haigh Hall was truly topped off by the treat of one of the best ice creams we've had. We'll be back soon.

Went in and there was loads of ice cream on offer, one of the party wanted a coffee ice cream this was unfortunately there was none available. The ice-cream was nice and staff seemed friendly.

ques can be very long here! Best to go off peak times like during the week! the original vanilla ice cream is the best flavour I’ve found! great ice cream but i find it can be a little over priced for food. good location as near entwistle and wayoh reservoirs.

The shop has seen a revamp since the death of the eponymous Jack, who ran the shop for years. The sit down area is well presented and the ice cream is excellent. Had 2 nice sundaes on a Sunday afternoon and whilst the sit down area is tight it’s a nice addition. As ever there is limited parking around the double roundabout in the centre of Edgworth.

So good! Will definitely be back. I went to Holdens with my family and we all had the best ice cream ever.

I've been comeing here on and off while in work over the last few weeks and the food is excellent. all the staff have been lovely. (which there are many) especially the lady who works Monday mornings very polite and offed a free taste of the fresh scones. wide range off services, aswell a sit in cafe which offers excellent afternoon tea it also fresh bread, milk, tea bags....... basicly a corner shop. its not cheap.. but it is v good quality and well worth it, i will return if ever return to the area

Called in here to the cafe to give my daughter a break from her exam revision so a bit of a run out and a foodie treat It was quiet in the cafe as it was late in the afternoon and we got served promptly by the lovely waitress All the food was really fresh and really tasty The egg mayonnaise sandwich on brown was the nicest sandwich I’ve had for a long time just right without being too mayonnaisy and the coleslaw was gorgeous We all had a piece of cake with vanilla ice cream after and another round of drinks and it made a lovely afternoonThe icecream counter was kept busy most of the time with walkers and visitorsWe really love it here and will be back in The not too distant future Hope the waitress enjoyed her sons visit from Thailand who she hasn’t seen for 6 months x

This ice cream is amazing Now different flavours This just gets better Visited this place for 20 years plus Hope to visit for another 20 years

We love this shop and have been going since I was a child, the ice cream is wonderful and the reason we have given it a three otherwise today it would have been a 1 at best. The service was appalling, staff all over the show doing very little other than ignoring us and not serving us!! Couldn’t even be bothered to speak to us to say they would be with us shortly. Good job the ice cream is that good and we know they are usually better or we would have just walked out.

My favourite is the original holders vanilla flavour. Can be very busy at most times but the staff seem to get through the ques quickly.

I called by on my way to visit family, the service from the two ladies working was great, even considering how busy it was. A lovely cafe and would definitely recommend!

Thought we would call in for an ice cream and as it was late on in the day thought we would have an early tea. Well the ice cream was probably the best thing on menu. The food we had was awful . I was hoping it would have been ok so I cud take my mum for a change but no wont be going back . VILE .........

After a nice dog walk along entwistle reservoir, decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream, always heard good things about this place so decided to give it try.

Went into the haigh hall ice cream shop with my family yesterday and the lovely lady that was working was very helpful and went above and beyond to make our visit very please, will definitely be returning, 100% recommended, 5 stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

People flock here at the weekend to sample the ice cream. It's been like that for years and I think it's become a bit of a tradition for a lot of people, to have a drive out and sample an ice cream. Personally I don't know why they flock here because the ice cream isn't that special! The shop has recently been renovated and is now quite fancy inside. Perhaps that's why they have had to put up their prices! Give it a try if you are in the area but don't expect too much.

We popped in for a drink and ice cream for the kids. You can’t fault the ice cream, it is the BEST ice cream but the cafe is a different story! I ordered a latte, it was served in a small glass cup (not much bigger than an espresso cup) and was what I can only describe as luke warm, insepid and totally vile! My husband was given a coffee cup with his pot of tea and £2.25 for a can of pop is extortionate! The lady serving really did not seem happy to be there and the atmosphere wasn’t great. There was also another couple who were complaining about the food they had. So all in all not the best experience! When I compare the cost and service to my local (The Garden Shed Ice Cream Parlour in Ainsworth) there is no comparison! Won’t be rushing back!

Excellent ice cream here. Since the original owner died there is considerably more choice. The vanilla is the original and the best, there is always a queue when the sun is out but it is worth a visit at any time of year. Not tried sitting in the premises but there are tables inside the shop.

Approx 20 flavours available, including black Treacle Toffee ice cream. We ate them in the shop as too cold outside ! Also great cafe area at the rear.

Heard about the ice cream here and I must say it’s great definetly worth a trip out - it’s a shame you can’t eat in - but was great I’ve cream!

Great ice cream restaurant with deli food thrown in. Good clean atmosphere and friendly staff. The ice cream alone is well worth a visit.

Always a pleasure to visit here. On a rainy cold day we had a ride out . We had coffee and afternoon cakes , it was lovely . We got ice cream as well for my granddaughter . Would have loved to try the pumpkin flavour ice cream , but it hadnt gone on sale when we were there . Still another excuse to visit again and give it a try . The staff are always lovely and a lovely relaxed feeling in cafe . Would reccommend anyone to visit if they can

After not visiting Holdens for awhile, after a long walk, we were happy to see that they now offered lunches! We had 2 toasted sandwiches (one pesto with cheese and the other cheese and onion) which was garnished with salad, homemade coleslaw and crisps in a very aesthetically pleasing manner. The waitress who served us was very pleasant and provided a good service. The interior is very well decorated and furnished. We will definitely be coming back!

We visited here late on a Saturday afternoon around 430pm so the cafe was only serving drinks and cakes and not other food but that was fine with us

My daughter 30 something, said after pub lunch, I fancy from Fredrick, I said what about the ice cream shop, she said which one, I said the only one I knew in the 60s, up Edgworth, Holden’s she said, I only know it as the Ice cream shop. Nostalgia at its best still superb.

I've been visiting Holdens for the last 60 years on and off, moved away from home in the mid sixties but still try and get back once a year to the only ice cream that is homemade and delicious for miles around.

We used to visit this shop when the kids were younger. Moved to Australia but put it on the list of must-does for this visit; didn’t disappoint! This is the best ice cream in the northern hemisphere...... sorry the world. They don’t queue out of the door for nothing!

My son came and bought 2 litres of ice cream yesterday costing £13 has we were told it was the best ice cream going well all I can say what a let down worst I have ever had no taste what so ever so won’t be going back rate it 0

I have been coming to this shop for over 40 years since I was a little girl and it has always been my favourite ice-cream. I've recently been and the vanilla ice cream which is what they are famous for has changed it is nothing like what the shop is famous for. While eating it from my tub this week I noticed it said made the same way from the secret family recipe, what a lie, it now taste just the same as any supermarket ice-cream but extremely expensive which I don't mind paying for the old recipe ice-cream. They have ripped the heart out of the shop to modernise it and now distroyed the ice-cream by changing the one thing the shop is famous for. I shan't be coming here again unless they change the recipe back. Its over priced supermarket quality ice-cream.

This place has long been the place to flock to on a sunny day and it remains a destination for great quality home made ice cream. There’s a good selection of flavours available and despite the often long queue you are always served efficiently and with a smile!

Not the cheapest ice cream around but you get what you pay for! Something for everyone with a wide range of flavours.

Enjoyed our visit. Staff all friendly and food well presented. Will definately come back. Thank you.

Always a treat when in the Edgworth/Turton area. Never fails to please. Trying to just have one though isn't always as easy as it sounds.

Fan of the new decor, just taken the traditional feel away from it, Ice cream is okay however it is highly over priced.

Went in for filter coffee and toasted teacake, excellent service and good ambience. Mid priced at £2.45 for cappuccino or espresso.

Have been to Holden's in Edgworth on a few occasions recently now - the quality of coffee and cakes on offer are excellent! The cafe is spotless, very much relaxed and the staff can’t do enough for you. If your looking for somewhere local to meet up for a coffee/cake or sandwich in Edgworth then Holdens is the place - you won’t be dissapointed.

I visited last week and was very impressed with the refurb! Lovely staff and quality produce... keep up the great work!

Good choice of flavours even in November, not the cheapest of ice creams, but worth it! Highly recommended.

The home made ice cream is excellent. Whenever I am in the area I always strive to stop there for an ice cream. The shop is extremely popular, which is no surprise given the quality of the ice cream offered.

Yummiest ice cream for miles,just wish there was one closer to me lol. I would highly recommend this delicious shop to everyone

This ice cream shop is a must visit place.The ice cream is delicious.There are lots of flavours to choose from what a delight yummy.

So glad we visited The White Horse on saturday so we could visit the Holdens Ice Cream shop across the road. We always came to this shop for the ice cream when the children were little they are now 32 and 28 !!! So pleased its not changed - a little gem that has wonderful ice cream.

Locally known for great ice cream, very quirky and old school. If you are passing and fancy a real ice cream, this is the place for you.

What a disappointment at holdens ice cream shop.it certenly was not the same recipe as when jack had it.its lost its charm .the ice cream served was like a low cost ice cream .i was brought up on holdens ice cream .the rum and raisins had not a glimmer of raisins.no one was quing like they used to it looks like Richard court is trying to be like Fredericks at Chorley.and it's not working the amount of business you must have lost .would make jack turn in his grave .the original ice cream used to stick to the roof of your mouth this certainly doesn't.i think you have been done thinking you bought every secret of jacks .one very disappointed customer .will not be buying again .maybe you should stick to selling cars Richard

The long queues outside the shop are testament to the quality of the ice cream here. Jack's recipe has been passed on to the next generation and it still tastes great but there does appear to be unnecessary experimentation in other flavours. My main gripe is the price, it is lovely ice cream but the price goes up every time

Lovely choice of ice creams and sorbets available in the shop - and a good choice of cones... no sliders or oysters though which is a pity!

Haigh Hall in the school holidays with the children, queued for a ridiculous amount of time due to their being only one person the taking orders, serving and taking payment. Steep prices and very average ice cream. First time i have experienced Holden's ice cream and not impressed.

Not been for several years but after a bank holiday drive fancied a detour on the way home. Glad we did, their ice cream is impressive

Have been going to ice cream shop for years & have noticed a massive change in traditional vanilla ice cream doesn't taste nice anymore, must be a completely different recipe not impressed 🙁

Called here with my family on Sunday (mother's day) - it was just before 4.30 and noticed from the sign in the door it closed at 5pm that day - the shop was busy so we started to queue outside - presuming it was to keep the shop from overcrowding - one family was let out with their ice creams and the door was closed in our faces and locked by the elderly man at the door - a second family was let out and the same happened again - and the crowd was building up outside - and as it's near moorland our children were beginning to get cold - the door opened again and a third family came out and the old man barked WE ARE CLOSED!! - so I politely answered 'could you not have told me ten minutes ago? And walked to the car with upset children - I heard others in the queue knocking on the door as it was still twenty minutes to closing and they were totally ignored - but I had already decided it didn't matter anyway as I would NOT be spending my hard earned cash with such a RUDE man - we drove into bromley cross and were served by a lovely shopkeeper - I know you've had good feed in the past Holdens ice cream - but I will never know what your ice cream is like - as I find you the rudest person I've ever met and I'll spend my money with a better service thank you

I see that other reviews bemoan the ice cream served here. All I can say is YES they do have some way out flavours - madras (yes curry!) and Hot Cross Bun but the tastes are fantastic and the staff are lovely.

My husband grew up in the area so a trip to Holdens ice cream shop was a trip down memory lane.

I have been eating Holden`s ice cream most of my life and at 52 that`s quite a long time! I had family that lived across the road when I was young. It is not the same recipe since it was taken over a few years ago, although they try and say it is. Although they still make vanilla ice cream (that was the only flavour the old couple that had it ever made) it doesn`t stick to the roof of your mouth like it used to. Too many flavours, not enough love.

Not the cheapest ice cream around but the taste is nothing like the cheap stuff from the supermarket. Very popular so you can queue on busy/sunny days, but it is worth it and it gives you time to decide which flavour to pick!

Holders Ice Cream shop is ten now I d for its amazing, creamy , probably perfect ice cream. Since Jacks sad demise the ice cream has gone down hill and is not a patch on the original being full of ice crystals. Jack Holden was a proud man and a central figure in village life - he would not be happy!

When in Bolton, it is well worth travelling up to Edgworth for the most delicious home made ice cream from Holdens. Pricey, but worth it!

But this one has to be one of the best in the area... beats Fredericks anyday! Not an enormous selection of Ice Cream BUT there is enough choice to keep even the fussiest of eater happy... and the prices are not too steep either!