DIVERSIFICATION is always a scary endeavour but a Kendal couple with a lot of bottle are refusing to be put off by the presence of a supermarket on their doorstep.

Despite being just opposite retail giant Asda, Heather and Roger Gardner of Natland Mill Beck Farm are forging ahead with plans to create a farm shop, ice cream parlour and visitor centre.

"We'll have to compete with the corner shop," as Heather calls it. "But if we can compete with Asda I think we will be doing quite well!"

The pair are not too fazed however, since they calculate that they will be catering to a different market, offering a quite different product. Instead the location will be a strength since the store means there's lots of potential passing trade.

A planning application has just been submitted to South Lakeland District Council to build a new on-farm parlour where Heather intends to create luxury ice cream churned from the milk of their 120-strong Fresian herd.

The long-term vision is to take advantage of their edge-of-town site to tempt customers to a farm shop-come-cafe selling not just the ice cream but other farm goodies including cuts from their son's Aberdeen Angus herd.

Alongside the retail they want to set-up the farm as an educational attraction where people can get close to the animals and learn how ice cream and other milk products are made.

"We hope to have some breeds of cattle for the young ones to see and room in the shop for educational visits from schools," explained Heather. "We would like the public to see how the milk is produced, what different things it can be made into."

The diversification plan has been two years in the making so far, as the couple devise means of adding value to their milk while taking advantage of their central location.

In preparation, Heather who is also a South Lakeland district councillor - has taken training courses in developing ice cream at Ayreshire Agricultural College.

If all goes well and the planning application meets council approval, the couple hope to have their venture up and running by Spring 2005.