I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

The 1927 song couldn’t be more apt! Here we are in the middle of a heatwave and all we can think of is ice cream. So, that’s what we thought we’d bring you.

Some ice cream facts…

Did you know the ice cream cone was popularised at the 1904 World’s Fair in St Louis, Missouri? Before an edible container became the norm, Victorian street vendors would serve the ‘Penny Lick’ in a glass or ceramic bowl, and then just wipe it out for the next customer. It was banned eventually due to public health issues, understandably!

The ice cream van, with its call to sweltering children everywhere, is a British invention. One of the best-known tunes is O Sole Mio, although most of us probably know it more as ‘Just One Cornetto’. The first refrigerated van was designed by engineer Bryan Whitby in 1962. The Whitby Morrison van is still one of the most recognised ice cream vans around, shipped to 60 countries.

Ice cream has always had a strong visual language of its own, from hand-painted vans and striped awnings to bright menu boards, playful packaging and the particular sort of lettering that seems to belong only to summer. It is probably why designers are so drawn to it. Before anyone has tasted a flavour, the colours, names, type and packaging have already started doing their work.

We had a little taste of that ourselves when we worked on the branding and signage for Proper Vintage Cornwall, whose vintage ice cream set-up, including an adorable trike, had exactly that sort of cheerful, nostalgic charm.

The country that consumes the most? That’s New Zealand, at around 7.5 gallons per person per year. And although vanilla is still the most popular flavour, some very bizarre ones have been developed since.

Anya Hindmarch has the very popular Ice Cream Project in its London concept store, selling everything from Paxo stuffing ice cream to Tunnock’s Caramel and Kikkoman soy sauce. Crazy, but we love the packaging!

Ben and Jerry’s receive over 13,000 flavour suggestions a year! There really doesn’t seem to be a shortage of combinations.

Now some recipes. If you would like a recipe for something incredibly odd, and a little on brand, then here you can find pickle, yes, pickle ice cream. Maybe something a little more conventional? Try honey and lime ice cream, with 4 ingredients, optional added gin, and easy to make at home. Or Emma is always raving about the dairy-free healthy version, frozen bananas whipped up with whatever cupboard ingredients she can find! She hasn’t yet tried adding Bisto though…

(Title image ‘Ice, Ice, Baby’ by Juliane Boulanger)