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‘With Love’ Fortified Ice Cream
A collaboration between Van Diemen’s Land Creamery and Calvary Hospital has resulted in a specially formulated ice cream they claim will transform patient care.
This nutrient-dense, high-protein ice cream has been created particularly for those in palliative and aged care who struggle with traditional meals.
Media release – Van Diemen’s Land Creamery, 29 July 2025
With Love: A Tasmanian Fortified Ice Cream Bringing Dignity Back to Patient Care
An innovative fortified ice cream crafted in Tasmania to bring dignity, strength and real care to clinical nutrition.
Developed by Van Diemen’s Land Creamery in partnership with Calvary Hospital in Tasmania, ‘With Love’ is an innovative, nutritionally fortified ice cream created with care and compassion. It’s a product born from a connection to the community, to patients, to the people who care for them and to the belief that food should offer comfort, especially in life’s most challenging moments.
It didn’t start as a project. It started with a question,” said Carly Palmer, General Manager at Van Diemen’s Land Creamery.
“Rob Johnston from Calvary and I had worked together during his years as a chef. He called and said, ‘Can you make a nutrient-dense, high-protein ice cream that tastes good—something patients would genuinely enjoy?’ I said, Challenge accepted.”
That moment became the seed for ‘With Love’. It had to meet clinical goals, taste good and carry the same quality and texture as our award-winning premium range.
“Creating a food for special medical purposes isn’t simple—regulations are strict, and rightly so,” said Palmer.
“But we knew that if we got it right, we could support people facing real challenges— unintended weight loss, fatigue, recovery, loss of appetite.
That’s who this is for. And that’s why it had to be done properly—nutritionally, clinically, and with care.”
Developed in consultation with clinical dietitians, ‘With Love’ delivers high protein, essential vitamins and a premium mouthfeel and flavour in a form that’s easy to finish and offers comfort. It’s designed with the patient in mind—from formulation to packaging.
Crafted from certified organic Tasmanian milk, it carries the same attention and integrity that defines every product from Van Diemen’s Land Creamery.
“We were making a supplement, yes—but it had to be the whole package,” Palmer said.
“It needed to meet clinical needs but also taste like something people would choose, not just accept. We already make the best ice cream we possibly can, and we have the right support to fortify it into something that holds nutritionally, emotionally and in every detail.”
“This reflects the long-held values of the Sisters to provide the fundamentals of care to the sick and dying,” said Kate Pryde, General Manager of Calvary St Vincent’s Hospital. Eating is a basic human right and care need. This act speaks to how we value innovation in care and compassion at Calvary.”
The project has also received support from the Tasmanian Government’s State Growth team, which recognised ‘With Love’ as a homegrown innovation centred on dignity in care. Their backing, alongside the support of hospital teams, nutritionists and community voices—each of whom believed in doing better for people in care—helped make this possible.
With Love represents the first step in a broader vision for Tasmanian-led innovation in clinical nutrition, bringing together healthcare, industry and government to rethink how we nourish people in care.
Plans include expanded product ranges, ward-based research in collaboration with Calvary and new development to explore prebiotic-enriched options.
Carly Palmer was recently named a finalist in the 2025 Tasmanian Palliative Care Awards for Outstanding Achievement and Innovation in Palliative Care, in recognition of her leadership and contribution through initiatives like ‘With Love’. It’s proof that when you build something with care in a place like Tasmania, it can change lives far beyond it.
‘With Love’ officially launches 30 July 2025. From August, Van Diemen’s Land Creamery will offer free two-week trials to hospitals and aged care homes across Tasmania. The goal: to reach more people who may benefit and to gather honest feedback from those in care—because they deserve a say in the food and nutrition offered.
Media release – Calvary Health Care, 28 July 2025
Calvary’s palliative care patients lick nutritional needs one ice cream at a time
A ‘revolutionary’ fortified ice cream initially created specifically for Calvary palliative care patients will be launched in Elizabeth Town on Wednesday 30 July 2025. “From little things, big things grow” accurately sums up how an innovative idea from the heart to improve patient care, led to a dietary supplement for future Tasmanian patients.
Following a tasting back in 2023 of palliative care patients’ food, the then Calvary Hospitality Services Manager, Rob Johnston, posed the question:
“Could ice cream be used to deliver nutrients in a way that patients would actually enjoy?”
Nearly two years since Van Diemen’s Creamery General Manager Carly Palmer provided a swift reply to the ask, the launch of the new ‘With Love’ ice cream is set to change the way patients respond to their food.
Calvary Launceston General Manager Kate Pryde said that failing tastebuds and difficulties in swallowing for many palliative care patients can mean they struggle to eat solid foods or enjoy their often soft or liquid meals.
“Traditionally ice cream is the go-to food for anyone who can’t swallow food but, for palliative patients undergoing treatment, the ongoing nutritional aspect of what they are eating is so critical to how they fare,” Pryde said.
“Of all the patients we care for at Calvary it just seemed right to attempt to improve the quality of taste being offered with nutritional benefits,” Ms Pryde said. “Calvary is proud to have inspired this product with a simple patient-focused question.
“It reflects the long-held values of the Sisters to provide the fundamental elements of care to the sick and dying. Eating is a basic human right and care need. This act speaks to how we value innovation in care and compassion at Calvary.” Pryde said.
Palmer is thrilled to finally launch the nutrient-rich ice cream. “I was on board the second the question was asked,” Palmer said. “I just thought – challenge accepted.”
A big part of Palmer’s undertaking was to speak to an independent nutritionist to find out how high protein, calorie density and calcium, together with fortified vitamin D and B12 would make a difference. She threw herself into the research to begin formulating a high-protein, fortified ice cream that still tasted like the creamery’s premium range.
“The regulatory hurdles were challenging, however the creative side kept me going. Learning how to process the ice cream differently, as well as adapting for texture and delicacy with the higher protein load, which was genuinely exciting.
“What pulled me through was how every single person I spoke to about the project lit up.
Accredited practicing dietician Stephen Hodgkinson, who was working at Calvary at the time, shared his knowledge providing practical advice on supplements and proteins.
“There is a lot of science behind understanding the biochemistry of food, and while there has been much work in developing nutritional drinks, they can’t compete with the anticipation of tasting quality ice cream,” Hodgkinson said.
“A lot of aged people can become malnourished over time, and the longer they are hospitalised, the more weight they tend to lose.
“Due to their deteriorating muscle mass it is critical for older people to get more protein.
“As we age, humans need more of it for our skin, immunity and energy levels. And nothing says ‘appetite-builder’ like ice cream, there is almost a universal reaction to it,” he said.
“This collaboration with Calvary to pilot and trial this comfort food happened organically and should stand as an example of what’s possible when people work together with shared purpose,” Palmer said.
“The Calvary team has shown humility and enthusiasm at every step. They share our values and want the same things we do.”
*Rob Johnston was a Tasmanian Palliative Care Award recipient in 2023 recognising his involvement in this innovation.
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