Recipe For A Tempting Ice Cream Display

This ice cream display cone I came across was in the small town of Seahouses on the Northumberland coast of England.

It was located outside one of those old-fashioned English ice cream parlors that seem to be from a by-gone era.

What I loved about this ice cream point of sale material was its impact.

Lots of contrasting colour and texture - a waffle style cone, scoops of different ice creams plus a swirl of cream with melba and raspberry sauce infused.

I'm not sure I could ever eat such a rich ice cream combination in real life but it certainly caught the eye of passers-by!

The Art Of Ice Cream Advertising

Ice cream barely needs any marketing in truth because it will always be popular. However, the ice cream sales trade likes to leave nothing to chance and every ice cream vendor tries to make the most of their point of sale space.

For a number of years I have taken a keen interest in ice cream point of sale material. The most common 'icon' used has to be the vanilla ice cream cone and I have photographed many of these giant display cones in all sorts of locations. Over the next few ice cream blog posts I will share some of these with you so you can get to see just how popular they are and the variations on a theme that exist.

Here is a photograph taken in Zandvoort (Netherlands). I just love the dark chocolate sauce they've added to the vanilla ice cream!

Ice Cream Sales Go Pink

As the summer draws to a close, the memories of sunshine and fun start to crystallize and for many people - adults and children alike - summer fun is often associated with ice cream.

You might have spotted an ice cream sales cart on a beach whilst on holiday and enjoyed a refreshing water ice whilst to cool you down .... you might have been to one of the many super ice cream parlors around these days for a special celebration treat and enjoyed a fabulous ice cream sundae .... or you might have simply enjoyed a weekly visit from your local ice cream truck offering locally made ice cream.

An increasing trend I have noticed is the number of ice cream kiosks outside stores during the summer hoping to tempt shoppers into an ice cream cone. Here is a photograph of one of the prettiest ice cream kiosks I have ever seen - painted PINK!

It certainly caught the eye as you walked past so there was no chance of failing to notice it. Now that's what I call good point of sale marketing!

Want more chit-chat on ice cream?
Visit ice cream recipes on Facebook

Medieval Church Triggers Ice Cream Memories

I just came across a wonderful web page about a historic medieval church in London. I'm a big fan of medieval history to be honest so am always on the lookout for new and interesting, related websites.

Thinking of this London church, reminded me of my recent day spent in London with my dear friend Mary during which we ate a delicious Eton Mess ice cream dessert at her local pub! It had followed a super salad for lunch and was the ideal 'icing on the cake' on a warm summer's day in the city. The Eton Mess must have made a big impression on me because since that day I have begun to notice it being mentioned more and more in the media.

Top TV chefs such as Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith have both published Eton Mess recipes and Nigella has even starting referring to it when publishing other recipes! I found an example here on a Daily Mail article where she writes about a Lemon Meringue Fool recipe and says:

"Think of it as Eton mess, Amalfi style."

Now that's what I call popularising an ice cream term! What's more, I never would have read that if it hadn't been for the medieval church page - who says history is dead?!

A Lifelong Love Of Ice Cream

I have written many times before about how I was brought up to enjoy ice cream as a special treat and with a sense of fun.

My late father perfected the art of how to truly appreciate a good ice cream sundae, his favourite being the Knickerbocker Glory. So it was that he became my 'Knickerbocker Glory Champion' and the memories of our visits to ice cream parlours at English seaside resorts when I was a child will stay with me for ever.

Well, the family tradition continues throughout all 3 generations of my family that are still living, from my mother to myself to my son. Here is my mother (Betty) enjoying an ice cream cone whilst out on a recent walk with us. Notice the experience of years of handling ice cream cones - the paper tissue delicately wrapped around the base of the ice cream cone and not a splash of ice cream anywhere on her clothes :)

I am delighted to share this picture with my Blog Of Ice Cream readers especially today - on what is my mother's 79th birthday.

Happy Birthday Mum!