It’s the smooth, delicious taste of summer – even when the weather’s disappointing! July is ice cream month, so let’s take a look at the UK’s most popular ice creams, and how you can make your own homemade summer treat.
Did you know…?
- Ice cream using milk was invented in China and brought to Italy 1,000 years later by Marco Polo.
- It’s thought that it was brought to Britain by Italians in the 18th century.
- In the mid-19th century, industrial commercial refrigeration was introduced making mass production possible. Street vendor carts started to appear.
- Ice cream became a fashionable dessert served at social gatherings and at the seaside in Victorian Britain.
- Soft serve was introduced in the 1930s and that led to shops selling a wide variety of flavours. Now, there’s an increasing interest in small batch and artisan ice cream producers in the UK.
- New Zealanders eat the most of it per person in the world – the average Kiwi eats 28.4 litres of ice cream per year.
- It takes 5.4kg of milk to make 4.5 litres.
What are the UK’s top ten flavours?
- Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Mint choc chip
- Salted caramel
- Rum and raisin
- Pistachio
- Raspberry
- Coffee
- Cookie dough
What are some of the most unusual flavours?
- Glow-in-the-dark ice cream made using jellyfish protein – made in Bristol
- Pizza flavour with basil, tomatoes, oregano, and garlic – made in the USA
- “Pet bird” flavour made using bird seed, fruit, and nuts – made in Tokyo
- Byakuya flavour made from Parmesan and truffles and costing $15,000 per kilogram – made for a gourmet restaurant in Japan
If you need a dairy free or vegan alternative…
Try a coconut milk ice cream, lemon ice cream, a vegan vanilla made with cashews, or an elderflower and coconut ice cream.
How can you make your own?
Ice cream makers are widely available to buy and easy to use, but you can also simply whip double cream into stiff peaks, add condensed milk and your favourite flavour and then freeze in Tupperware or an old ice cream container. Make sure it’s airtight.
You could also just freeze your cream and condensed milk base ice cream, then take out and add chunks to a food processor, pulsing until smooth. Then, add your flavourings or other additions like fruit pieces or chocolate chips and refreeze in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Try making rum and raisin, raspberry and dark chocolate terrine, coconut, caramel, and pecan, or strawberry shortbread ice creams.
Take a look at our sample menus to see the delicious desserts we make at 1861.
