Who Screams for Ice Cream…We Do!
Who celebrated National Ice Cream Day (17th July), we did… us Brits consumed over 450mt in volume last year so, safe to say, we are quite fond of the stuff! In fact it’s one of the oldest, manufactured desserts, commercial production dates back to the 1850’s, the first large-scale manufacturing plant located in Baltimore, USA.
Who doesn’t love an ice cream on a hot summer’s day… the ice cream van jingle luring us all out to queue eagerly in line: you can download compilations on You Tube, try it, in the depths of winter…see how many of your neighbours come out! Anticipation & choice… sticky fingers with a classic 99 plus flake, fab, rocket, Cornetto, a very grown-up & extremely indulgent Magnum (Unilever) Double Gold Caramel Billionaire … Handheld stick, cornet, oyster shell, block, sandwich, mini tub… chocolate orange & honeycomb a favourite from Mackie’s @mackiesofscotland Maybe a Haagen-Dazs (General Mills) Gelato Caramel Swirl or shall we just go large? A whole 465ml of the UK’s most popular tub (via Statisca) Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough, or perhaps a pack of the cookie dough bites https://www.benjerry.co.uk/flavours/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-chunks … yes please!
For the kids head to Iceland for a veritable sweet shop of flavours, all our favourites re-created into lollies courtesy of their collaboration with Barratt: Wham Rocket lollies with sugar crystal dip, Black Jack ice cream, Refreshers lollies, Giant Strawberry water ice lollies, Flumps Mini Vanilla Flavour Ice Cream Lollies, there is even Dolly Mix lollies & new this summer Fruittella Fruit Stack Ice Lollies. Not to mention Swizzles branded Drumstick Squashies Jumbo Lollies & Parma Violet lollies, plus Tango branded ‘sub-zero tang & Capri-Sun ‘freezies’. Wanting something a little healthier for them? Try BCorp Company Jude’s@judesicecream: ‘Little Jude’s Fruit & Veg Rockets’, raspberry & beetroot/orange & carrot/apple & spinach, find them in your local Co-op.
The ongoing iced coffee trend has re-invented itself into ice cream format: try Sainsburys Taste the Difference limited edition Iced Coffee Ice Cream, 
using West Country cream, Colombian coffee & rippled with coffee sauce… add a scoop to your iced coffee turn it into an indulgent frozen milkshake treat. Grocer Gold Award ‘food brand of the year’ winner, Little Moons https://littlemoons.com have just launched a limited edition iced latte coffee to their portfolio of flavours, their ice cream balls are wrapped in a thin soft layer of steamed rice flour dough. More mochi style ice cream dessert bites from Doughlicious @doughlicious_dough ‘Dough Chi’, instead of the glutinous rice the outer shell is cookie dough, immediate winner! Try the summery Eton Mess rolled in meringue crumbs, strawberry cookie dough & fresh strawberry ice cream or the Cinnamon Churro: cinnamon ice cream, toasty cinnamon cookie dough & cinnamon cookie crumbs. M&S have launched a similar version Ice Cream Mini Bites, wrapped in cookie dough: chocolate truffle, birthday cake & salted caramel options. Doughnuts anyone? Try Aldi’s freezers, they’ve introduced a ‘Doughnut Ice Cream’ to their frozen desserts range this year. Mix & match indulgence & health at Waitrosewith their ‘helping you live holistically’ Gut Health vanilla or mango & coconut kefir frozen yoghurts. A collision of health & indulgence from Oppo Brothers @oppobrothers Harry & Charlie, using stevia leaf & coconut oil, their multi Grocer Great Taste Award winning products are 60% lower in sugar & calories than standard ice cream. They treated Wimbledon goers to their new Salted Caramel Ice Cream Snacking Balls this year. Healthy brand Halo Top have a dedicated ‘Keto Series’ flavour line up, just 5-10g net carbs per pint https://halotop.com/keto-ice-cream Turtle cheesecake anyone? An ice cream adventure at Nuii https://nuiiicecream.com/en/our-story/ who source their hero ingredients to evoke strong emotional connections to global locations.
Seven in ten adults admit to ice cream being their favourite dessert for reasons as diverse as to make us happy to curing a hangover. In-fact Ocado were so intrigued with ice cream profiles last year & just why we love it so much that they teamed up with gastro-physicist Józef Youssef to launch a unique ice cream menu to match mood & occasion using ingredients from the Ocado range. Creations included: ‘Maxin Relaxin’, using Hackney Gelato butterscotch ice cream, camomile caramel, pumpkin seeds & Brazil nuts sandwiched between Belvita honey & nut biscuits. The serve containing selenium to help prevent cell damage & improve mood, pumpkin seed for blood pressure & camomile to relax & reduce anxiety. Whilst ‘Good Vibes’ comes bursting with tryptophan ingredients: milk, peanuts, chocolate, to increase serotonin levels & mood boost. Read more about the mood matching menu here: https://blog.ocado.com/food/the-mastermind-behind-the-mood-matched-ice-cream-serve-menu/
When eating out 57% of us state we would choose ice cream for dessert (Ocado, 2021). From fine dining to fast casual there is plenty on offer. Soft serve is high on the menu at Chef Tim Booton’s dessert bar, the Grill, Dorchester, your choice on the sprinkles! https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/london/the-dorchester/restaurants-bars/the-grill-at-the-dorchester/
Simple but exquisite flavour from Luke French at Joro, https://www.jororestaurant.co.uk Tahitian vanilla & 20-year-old Mirin; a little more complex, try it coupled with birch & coffee shoyu caramel & bullion shards. Who didn’t love French’s ‘Ma Larkin Perfick Sundae’ dessert on Great British Menu earlier this year? Even Tom Kerridge called the flavours fantastic!
Or a cheeky little cone from Sarah Frankland, Pennyhill Park @sarahfranklandpastry honey soft serve, chocolate sauce, honeycomb, popping candy & chocolate shards
If you’ve not tried Yee Kwan https://yeekwan.com then your taste buds are in for a treat with her portfolio of exquisitely flavoured Asian inspired sorbets & ice creams, think chocolate miso, red Thai tea & black sesame seed. Available nationwide & on the menu in a number of Asian cuisine restaurants. Kwan recently announced on LinkedIn the opening of her own ice creamery based in Kommune Food Hall (Sheffield), where you can try her Tokyo inspired ‘Maffles’ (mochi waffles) or treat yourself to a Bangkok Belle served in a Harajuku style crepe cone, filled with toasted coconut ice cream, fresh mango & passion fruit sauce. Northern Bloc https://northern-bloc.com are offering foodservice venues the Whip! A premium, plant-based palm oil & gluten free soft serve, no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, sustainably sourced, biodegradable, truly an ice cream to make us feel good! And of course, anyone for a McDonald’s McFlurry? Tiramisu is the hot flavour this summer, along with Nestle Milky Bar. But the real Happy Endings https://www.happyendingsldn.com are the ice cream sandwiches. Try the iconic ‘Malty One’: malted milk parfait between oaty biscuits, magic malt crumbs, half-dipped in Original Beans Femmes de Virunga 55% milk chocolate or a Strawberry Shorty: Strawberry cheesecake parfait, vanilla marshmallow, strawberry jam, or a hint of Original Beans Cru Virunga 70% dark chocolate, between buttery brown sugar shortbread. Available across London & selected venues nationwide.
Within the artisanal sector they are going all out with crazily wacky flavour combos & novelty decorated creations.
Builder’s Tea & Digestives @Udderlicious who do a flavour poll each month so you can fill their freezers with your favourite monthly flavours. Cones & tubs reminiscent of the freakshake trend from a few years back @softservesociety try Matcha Madness, Berry Special or Espresso yourself… charcoal coconut anyone, choose toppings of marshmallow fluff & candyfloss. The Observer named Chin Chin Club the future of ice cream ‘https://chinchinicecream.com/chin-chin-ice-cream/soho/ try Strawberry Shiso, Tahini Halva or Burnt Butter Caramel; add on bee pollen honeycomb, hazelnut sand or truffle crumble.
For over 10 years, Chin Chin Lab in Camden, have continually pushed the boundaries of ice cream, producing liquid nitrogen ice creams with the velvety texture of Luther Vandross. With notable flavours such as ‘Freshly-cut green grass’ and ‘Strawberry and Hay’, their certainly not shy about experimenting with flavours and ideas outside of the status quo. A lot of their more daring flavours seem more inspired by evocative memories.
Frozen desserts include a Salty Hazelnut Tiramisu, Lemon Meringue Alaska & Bruleed ice cream slices… we’re on our way!The prettiest of ice cream creations from @milktraincafe almost too pretty to eat! Swooned in Cinderella style candy floss clouds, specialities include seasonal ice cream ‘trees’: Springtime Blossom or Autumnal Maple, who could resist? Colours of the rainbow Colours of the rainbow @whipkelham chill down with a ‘Pool Party’: bubble gum whip, edible tropical flowers, pineapple & a flamingo! or a Sundae Carnival: fruity Skittles whip, candy lollies sour belts, strands & drop.
At Tsuriji in Camden, you can get a sundae with layer upon layer of texture, flavour and visuals, filed with red bean paste, shiritama mochi & monaka biscuit, smothered in a light and delicate matcha soft serve. This is less kick you in the face sugar bomb and more…coaxing you gently, into a dreamlike world between savoury and sweet. Asian desserts have changed the narrative; does a dessert need to be totally sweet? Do we need to fear type 2 diabetes with every mouthful? Where could this lead us, what kind of weird and wonderful flavours could we be introduced to?
If you’re in Bristol take a trip to Farro’s bakery @farrobakery where they are serving up a new flavour each month from their newly installed soft serve machine. June’s flavour was Panela (unrefined whole cane sugar) & vanilla soft serve, the sugar giving a golden caramel colour, finished with pain au chocolate croissant crisps, breakfast appropriate? Why not! Chose yours in a tub or sandwiched between the sweetened, laminated layers of a Kouign cake. More breakfast appropriate occasions at @lazysundae Northern Quarter, Manchester, combining Eastern influences with a signature of marshmallow fluff! Try the classic Hong Kong breakfast of pineapple ice cream bao with milk tea ice cream, more iced coffee ice cream Vietnamese this time or maybe a morning honey oat Oolong ice cream to start your day.
Head West cross the Atlantic to Portland, Oregon for a taste of Salt & Straw @saltandstraw who have just released a trio of culinary perfumes after 4 years of development with a local perfumery. ‘It’s like suddenly being able to taste in 3D. Spritz onto ice cream a ‘cloud of cocoa’, a ‘swoon of citrus’ or a ‘plumes of blumes’ & elevate the sensory experience of this favourite of treats. New flavour pairings from co-founder Malek & his team of culinary creators for summer 2022 include Goat’s Cheese Marionberry & Habanero - ‘an edible tongue-twister of sweet berries, funky goat’s cheese, & complex habanero heat that slowly reveals itself with a pleasant burn’ - coupled with Arbequina olive oil or go for a Boysenberry oat milk sherbet with a wild foraged berry slab pie. Yum Actually, a small-scale ice cream producer based in NYC offer a full serving of fruit or veg in every cup & 40% lower in sugar than other leading brands. The ice-cream mini tubs named 2021’s best dairy snack for kids in the World Dairy Innovation Awards, https://yumactually.com
Head East to Australia for the extreme decadence of a ‘Blue Velvet’ ice cream sandwich from @gelatomessina yoghurt & boysenberry, baked cheesecake chunks sandwiched between blueberry velvet cake & dipped in cheesecake white chocolate or perhaps a buttermilk chocolate cake gelato, ganache & coated pretzels… go healthy with a @Calipress Acai bowl: frozen acai berry fruit slush loaded with fruits & granolas make the healthiest of ice cream starts to your day!
Savoury flavours from TikTok’r @Suziethefoodie who found a salted pretzel & honey Dijon mustard ice cream, a collaboration from New York based Van Leeuwen Ice cream brand & Grey Poupon (Kraft) in Walmart, perhaps not such a surprise as we find they have previously collaborated with Kraft creating a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ice cream.
If you were chillin' in Toronto on June 23th you might have got a lick of the ‘Frenchsicle’, made by Happy Pops in collaboration with French’s, who decided that the ketchup condiment deserved to be centre stage for a change, not just an addition! … a savoury tomato flavour perfectly balanced with a hint of salty sweetness…
The Ice Cream project by Anya Hindmarch in Kensington @anyahindmarch @southbankfoodie, is a clever use of food as a tool for advertising. More associated with handbags than handmade ice cream, they have focused on store cupboard staples, familiar to most, as inspiration. Flavours such as Lea & Perrins, Kikkoman soy sauce and Heinz’s salad cream rub shoulders with less controversial flavours like polo and Lyles golden syrup. But this isn’t about great Ice cream, this is a clever use of food to generate traction on social media. The power of food to draw us in, evoking emotions, memories and inspiring conversation. What brand can honestly say they don’t want that. With consumers increasingly fatigued by the sheer volume of choice available, the grounding effect of food has the potential to connect you with new customers. But only until 28th August so hurry hurry, before it all melts!
Looking for more ice cream inspiration, get in touch emma@fis-group.co.uk we can fulfil all your needs be it innovation, creation, sensory or market research.
Finally, if in London then read more from the Evening Standard who have listed London’s Top Ice Cream Parlours 2022: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/best-ice-cream-parlours-london-113325021.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD8PPDfX7qpPPSpNWT0G7jB5FuEqE93PYl4mDRVgZTHiqUmOBUGZ7PcO4RDARAVDp5QLsS3J6c1BzMxOh5sM9pqFp9-4TaD7k2YkmntF7gx-yuccQ2YCQw4T40GUHC_mIWSoY0xr13OpDxbMZ_CVPxTbxQ5H-NQTaCEHjwqq3Y_P