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 Is your Ice Cream Parlour the Best in the UK?

The Ice Cream Alliance (ICA) has re-launched* the UK’s first competition to find the best Ice Cream Parlour of the Year and the main sponsor is www.antonelli.co.uk.  It is open to all parlours in the UK (not just ICA members) as long they are registered as a Food Business with the Local Authority or Food Standards Authority.

The winner will receive a Trophy, significant local and national PR coverage and £500 voucher for Antonelli Bros products.

To enter just complete the Entry Form and send us a short video. Full details and the Entry Form can be found here.

Entrants will be judged, for instance on their…

  • Premises
  • Machinery
  • Equipment
  • Utensils
  • Working Practices
  • Hygiene Standards
  • Allergen Information
  • Packaging Type
  • Management Controls
  • Ice Cream Quality
  • Display

All entrants will be appraised by a team of experienced judges who will produce a shortlist of six finalists.  These shortlisted parlours will be visited by an independent and professional mystery shopper.

The closing date for entries is 31st March 2023. The winner will be announced at the end of May 2023.

Entry costs are £249 (ex VAT) for ICA members and £349 (ex VAT) for non-members.

Additionally further information on Antonelli visit: www.antonelli.co.uk

For further information on the ICA and Parlour of the Year, click here

Ice Cream Parlour of the Year was originally launched in February 2020 but wasas a result postponed because of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Pinks Ice Cream Parlour Scoops Prestigious Ice Cream Awards

Pinks Parlour, Waterloo Square, Bognor Regis has won three awards at the National Ice Cream Championships 2021 run by the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the sector’s UK trade association. Their Vegan Pina Colada and Pistachio flavours beat all comers in this, the most prestigious ice cream competition in the country which has been running for 76 years.

“I’m so delighted to have won,” exclaimed Katy Alston, owner and founder. “When we first opened we could only offer ice lollies to our customers who were dairy intolerant. Now we have won an award for our Vegan Pina Colada!” Katy added: “Bognor Regis is a wonderful place full of lovely people and we’re honoured to be making our wonderful homemade gelato ice cream for them.”

Former ice cream van maestro Katy decided to expand in 2019 by opening her first parlour investing in the newest equipment to make the finest gelato ice cream they could. They learned best practice and recipes from both their colleagues in the ICA and their travels round Italy. Just two years later Katy and son Henri and the team are winning awards.

The championships are normally held at the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show in Harrogate and hundreds of products are submitted across thirteen categories. Because of the pandemic this show was cancelled.

“The ICA decided that despite lockdowns and severe restrictions on trading we needed to show our sectors resilience by continuing with these annual awards,” commented Zelica Carr, ICA CEO. “I want to thank all those who entered and our dedicated panel of judges who tasted the entries and selected winners in a socially distanced and Covid secure procedure at our head office.”

“Congratulations to Katy and her team,” added Zelica. “There was very stiff competition in all the categories so to win three times is a big achievement.”

Ice cream parlours and ice cream vans have been hard hit in this pandemic losing a total of £289million in income in 2020*. That is just the tip of the iceberg when you add lost ice cream sales in cafes, restaurants and hotels and the economic impact to businesses along the supply chain – manufacturers, flavour houses, wholesalers and others. That is why the ICA has launched Great British Ice Cream Staycation campaign, in which Pinks Parlour is participating, to support ice cream sales in the hospitality sector.

For more information on Pinks Parlour visit: www.pinksparlour.co.uk

For more information on the ICA visit:  www.ice-cream.org

*The ICA surveyed members in March 2021

Marvin Benton Awards – Congratulations to Tony Federici

Congratulations to Tony Federici, here we share some touching words from his Daughter. 

“We are delighted that dad has been nominated for this prestigious award. He is truly the most wonderful man and father (we know we’re biased) and he has dedicated his entire life to ice cream. It’s literally in his, and now our, blood. How wonderful that we might be able to share how great he is with the world.

As a father, dad taught us many things. Family (as well as ice cream) is his heart. He taught us good values for life and business and taught us strong work ethics. He showed us the meaning of hard work and how passion and commitment are at the centre of every decision and every single thing we do. He taught us results and success come from being consistent with working hard and passion. Through his hardwork in the ice cream business, from his years on the vans and in the factory, he showed all of us that to succeed in life we must work together, support each other and share our love and successes with each other. He is the epitome of the strength of the family bond.

He was never wasteful in his manufacturing, he showed us how to be careful whilst being innovative. He strived to forge a new way, to create our own path, to find the new thing, the latest tastes, the newest production strategies and yet never to forget when we are, who we are and what we could become. 

In his younger years, he was known for being Mr Charisma! He knew all the children on his van rounds and had nicknames for them all – though he called us all, his own children, Fred! People came to the van, not just for his ice cream, but for the banter. He always had a new joke (we would roll our eyes) but he’d always make people laugh. He still does – he’s the King of Dad Jokes! He is still well-known around the town and loved by everyone!”

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