Early last winter, I was on a road trip to Winchester, Virginia. I decided to explore its main street, North Loudoun St, which has been made into a scenic pedestrian thoroughfare. Among the many restaurants and shops, one place stood out from the rest. An old fashioned ice cream parlor called Red Fox Creamery.

Red Fox Creamery is the creation of Kathy Puffinburger. She started it in the early 2000s as Middleburg Creamery, selling goods at a retail location in Middleburg. In 2008 she moved to a production facility in Winchester in order to save costs, and sold her ice cream at fairs and farmers markets. But she missed having a shop where she could interact with customers, opening the retail location in downtown Winchester in 2010. Red Fox Creamery quickly amassed a loyal customer base.

The ice cream at the creamery is made in house. It is served in cups or cones. Other ice cream treats offered are: Sundaes, Shakes, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Floats, and Freezes (?). The was a choice of 13 flavors the day I visited. These include standbys such as Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies n’ Cream, and Butter Pecan. But they had some flavors that were quite unique. Some highlights: Toasted Coconut, Brownie Bites, and Banana Pudding.

After much deliberation, I decided on two: Andes Mint Chip and Oatmeal Creme Pie. Andes Mint Chip is a sweet cream ice cream with chunks of Andes mint chocolate mixed in. A large amount of mint chocolate. The ice cream is almost 50% chips. And the sweet cream is delicious. A fabulous combination. The Oatmeal Cream Pie is also a sweet cream ice cream, but with an oatmeal cream cookie mixed in. This flavor also has a large amount of mix in. So much so that the taste is dominated by the cream pie. Also noteworthy is that there is not any preservatives in the house made ice cream. This gives it a rich cream taste. It also has the side effect of melting quickly. So don’t dawdle while eating it.

In addition to ice cream. Red Fox Creamery has a variety of baked good available. I think there were cakes and pies, but most of the display case was taken up by cookies. The flavors were Walnut Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip. Peanut Butter Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Oatmeal Crasin. Another case had a selection of Chocolate Truffles.

I decided to order an Oatmeal Crasin cookie to go. I liked it well enough. The frosting was very sweet, but complimented the cookie very well. It is good, but did not wow me like the ice cream did.

Red Fox Creamery also has a small lunch menu. It consists of: hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, chili, and soups. Sandwiches include Grilled Cheese, BLT, Tuna or Chicken salad, and a variety of luncheon meats. All items on the menu are homemade.

The Red Fox Creamery has a relaxed, laid back atmosphere. Equal parts classic ice cream parlor and a deli. There is good amount of seating area and the walls are adorned with a variety of pictures: foxes, family photos, and statements of kindness and faith. There was a bit of a line when I arrived, but it moved quickly. A constant stream of people came in while I was there, and this was winter time! I’ve heard it is very crowded during the summer months. With the quality of their ice cream, I am not surprised.