Scream for ice-cream – the best in Britain

Summer is a-comin’ in, and even if the British weather lets us all down a bit, that means ice-cream.

Whether it’s a drippy cone on a gritty beach or an elegant sundae in a posh parlour, an ice-cream is as much part of the Great British Day Out as historic houses, afternoon tea and dodging sudden showers.

We spend more than a billion pounds each year in the UK on ice-cream and a fair proportion of that will be at the seaside.

Best ice-cream in Hove?

In Brighton we’re spoilt for choice with some of the best and most intriguing flavours around.

We’re very lucky to live a short stroll away from Marrocco’s, on Hove seafront, where the queues are always long, but the service efficient, friendly and fast.

They do “so much more than ice-cream”, being an Italian restaurant too, but it’s their soft scoops that draw the passers-by. Pork Belly positively raves about their chocolate-chilli.

Vegan ice-cream in Brighton

Boho Gelato and Gelato Gusto offer artisan scoops in the city centre but we’ve recently discovered JoJo’s in Western Road which we loved – not just because of its great range of dairy-free options.

I don’t always trust a sorbet as many have cream or milk powder to give them a little ooomph. A straight water ice is safe but can be a little bland.

Not so at JoJo’s.

My peach sorbet was delicious and the rice and passion fruit was delectably creamy.

Pork Belly, uninhibited by dietary restrictions, opted for their chocolate brownie sundae which was frankly huge.

They change the range regularly so keep an eye on their menu

We’d like to invite you all to try them but it could get a little crowded.

So here are a few others around the country that you might enjoy.

Ice creams of the British Isles

The Minghellas have been making ices on the Isle of Wight for more than sixty years and they boast they have the largest range of flavours in the UK. And yes, they are the same family that produced acclaimed screen-writer and film director Anthony Minghella whose romantic classic Truly, Madly, Deeply definitely needs a bowl of ice cream (and a supply of hankies).

Rossi’s in Southend focus on the now classic flavours of vanilla, mint choc-chip and rum and raisin, though their lemon sorbet netted them a Gold Trophy in the national awards. Celebrity fans apparently include Alison Moyet and Jamie Oliver.

Brucciani’s in Morecambe has been around since the 1930s and still has its trademark wooden panelling interior where you can sit and sip an old fashioned milkshake too.

And probably the most famous ice cream parlour in Scotland is Nardini’s in Largs, serving 32 flavours in its recently restored art deco building.

If you like a double scoop of nostalgia with your ice try Morelli’s in Broadstairs, Kent. Founder Giuseppe started selling from the back of his bicycle in 1907 before graduating to a van. Later his son Mario established the parlour in the 1930s and by the fifties Mario’s son, another Giuseppe, was serving 20 flavours. Today it’s a worldwide brand, but the parlour retains its retro fifties feel.

Ice-cream history

We’ve had ice-cream in the UK for far longer than most people realise.

The London Canal Museum is a great source of facts, figures and curiosities of the early ice-cream makers.

Agnes B Marshall was the mother of invention when it came to British ice-cream, creating a patent home freezer, devising what was probably the first ice cream cone (beating the Americans by nearly 10 years) and toying with the revolutionary idea of “liquid air” to create frozen delights at the table.

Today liquid nitrogen ice-cream makers pop up at events everywhere. Two great places to watch ice cream freeze in front of your very eyes are The Chin Chin Laboratories in Camden Lock and Soho in London and Cardiff’s Science Cream.

There is something very appealing and sci-fi about watching mixers whirling amid billowing clouds of nitrogen.

Aficionados of the nitro-freeze system say it produces a smooth cream with very few ice crystals.

Best West Country ice-creams

With its reputation for clotted cream it’s no wonder the west country boasts some excellent ice creams.

At Roskilly’s in Helston, Cornwall you can tour the farm, meet the animals then eat the organic ice cream and at Devon’s Otter Valley Dairy, near Exeter, you can go from cow to cone in moments.

Another Cornish ice cream champ is Mr B’s in Hayle which uses locally sourced produce to offer more than 200 flavours which leads me on to a question of taste.

Vanilla remains the top flavour in Britain with chocolate a cool second, but if you’re more adventurous how about rhubarb and ginger? Chocolate and cardamom? Thai green curry or even a dash of gin?

Murphy’s runs several shops in Ireland and they have a fascinating approach to flavour. In fact they’ll pretty much try anything. Amongst their successes are candied chilli pepper, honey and lavender and Christmas pudding. Their weirdest is probably blue cheese and caramelised shallot and their worst was smoked salmon flavour. They say their licorice, spicy clove and avocado ices tasted great but they couldn’t persuade customers to buy them.

What about you? Where do you think serves the best ice-cream?

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