A lucky 100 competition winners, press and bloggers were given exclusive access to the multi-million pound Ice Cream Farm development last weekend ahead of its official opening on Tuesday of this week (July 21).

The Tattenhall site, which remains free to enter, now includes a ‘snow-emitting’ life-size magical ice cream tree that sits at the heart of this world of fun.

Winning guests offered a sneak preview had excelled in the #IceCreamFace competition which involved entrants uploading their best ‘ice cream face’ to the new Ice Cream Farm microsite.

The Ice Cream Farm report that children ‘watched in amazement’ as they wandered through the upside down Flavour Forest to reach the enchanting ice cream tree, the only one of its kind in the world. Overflowing with giant scoops of melting ice cream, it oozes a freezing mist that parts to reveal a world of adventures just behind.

One of the highlights was Honeycomb Canyon, Europe’s largest indoor sand and water play area. Guests also enjoyed a round of mini golf at Strawberry Falls, which comes complete with a giant waterfall flowing with strawberry pink water.

This was followed by a stroll through Daisy’s magical garden, which is part of the ‘free play’ area of the site where kids can play, crawl, bounce and swing to their hearts’ content.

Jonathan Fell, director of The Ice Cream Farm and the brains behind the £4m-plus redevelopment, said: “It was fantastic seeing so many smiling faces on Saturday.

“The plans have been a long time in the making and we were so excited about the launch. We have assessed every area of The Ice Cream Farm to create, what we believe to be, the ultimate tourist attraction.”

The Ice Cream Farm scooped up the planner’s approval late last year and has been working around the clock to create ‘a mouth-watering’ and unique tourist attraction.

The site was still being ‘tweaked’ during the preview to ensure that everything was perfect for Tuesday’s launch. The plans have included the development of unused areas of the farm site, as well as making substantial changes to current buildings and land.

Set around a 1,000 sq metre ice cream parlour, the attraction is considered to be the largest purpose-built ice cream parlour in the world, which houses the ever-increasing list of award-winning ice creams and sorbets that draw people from around the nation.

The site has retained its ‘free to enter’ policy, with certain areas of the site comprising a ‘pay as you play’ facility, such as Strawberry Falls Adventure Golf and Honeycomb Canyon sand and water play.

A new Play Pass concept allows visitors to make huge savings on each visit to the site and has been rolled out throughout.