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July 30, 2015

With some newspapers reporting sightings of gritters in Scotland’s hail-swept far north, this is perhaps not the best day to launch Scotland’s first ever Ice Cream Trail.

Still, while we cling optimistically to the wreckage of the summer, here are the details:

Hot on the heels of the berry trail, the Ice Cream Trail was launched today at The Milk Barn in Falkirk.

Launched to coincide with the Year of Food and Drink themed month of Delicious Dairy for August, the trail is designed to help both locals and visitors track down Scotland’s finest sliders, oysters, nougats and pokey hats.

Leaflets highlighting over 100 different ice cream businesses, from Kirkwall to Castle Douglas, will be available at relevant outlets, as well as online at Think Local and VisitScotland websites.

Billion pound ice cream economy

Nardini's: one of Scotland's famous ice cream parlours.
Nardini’s: one of Scotland’s famous ice cream parlours.

The leaflet has some interesting factoids. Apparently, it takes an average of 50 licks to eat a single scoop ice cream cone.

More seriously, it’s estimated that the ice cream market is worth £1 billion to the UK economy.

From creamy vanilla, to tasty Italian gelato, all over the country, parlours, shops and cafes sell homemade ice cream to their own specific recipe – some a well-kept secret handed down through generations, others a completely new venture.

Scots Italians

While many of today’s ice creams are a result of dairy farmers diversifying, it was Italian immigrants who first popularised ice cream in Scotland.

There is a great article about Scots Italian cafés and chippies here. Apparently, back in the 1900s, the Italian caffs were often viewed as dens of iniquity that were corrupting Scotland’s youth.

Of course, it was all racism dressed up as moral outrage but it’s interesting to think of cosy, family-run cafés as hotbeds of immoral behaviour.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, ice cream. According to the Ice Cream Trail brochure, NASA reports that ice cream is one of the top three items most missed by astronauts on space flights.

Which begs the question ‘What are the other two?’