A visit to a good cafe sometimes puts my decision to eat plant-based foods to the test.

A display of cakes - with a scrumptious Victoria sponge, a rich carrot cake or a tasty looking coffee and walnut can really be a temptation. While this small amount of self discipline may be good the waistline, it does sometimes make me feel momentarily glum.

The same applies for ice cream - particularly chocolate ice cream. On a Friday evening, sitting on sofa after a long week at work, a helping of chocolate ice cream it is a treat I have been missing.

I have tried some vegan alternatives and they’ve been a bit hit or miss. My favourite, to date, has been the Coconut Collaborative’s Dark Chocolate Snowconut Sticks. These are effectively ice lollies with a coating of crispy dark chocolate. The main ingredient is coconut cream, and they are very tasty indeed.

I like the taste and the texture, and at 204 calories per 95ml lolly, they are not too calorific for an occasional ice cream indulgence. You can buy three for £3.50 at Sainsbury’s and one reviewer with a Magnum addiction writes, “not in the same class as Magnums, but they certainly fill a void.” I can’t argue with that.

Nonetheless - they are not chocolate ice cream. I had been hearing rumours that Ben & Jerry’s were working on a vegan ice cream and thought that surely, if anyone can do it, these masters of ice cream making can come up with the goods.

Finally, over the weekend, I spotted this holy grail. Lined up and illuminated in the freezer compartment of a local supermarket, Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert with Fudge Brownies.

Ever keen to boost their social awareness, Ben & Jerry’s describe it as “fabulously fudgy brownies... from New York’s Greyston Bakery, where producing great baked goods is part of their greater-good mission to provide jobs and training to low-income city residents.” They use Fairtrade certified cocoa, sugar, and vanilla, and the main ingredient is almond milk, along with sugar and coconut oil - but hey, ice cream (or in this case - non-dairy frozen dessert) is never going to be a health food. It’s 200 calories for a 100g serving, and costs £5.50 for a 500ml tub from Sainsbury’s.

Most importantly - it tastes delicious. In fact, it tastes like real chocolate ice cream. Cold, creamy, chocolatey, melt in the mouth chocolate ice cream.