Covered in a candyfloss and sugar pink coating, Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelati, The Definitive Guide (2010) is
a sweet treat that all ice cream lovers should tuck into. Described as “the
ultimate ice-cream lover’s bible with over 400 heavenly recipes,” Caroline and
Robin Weir’s book is an essential ingredient to any ice cream collection.
Purchasing this work to research the history of ice cream, I was not
disappointed, as the Weir’s extensive exploration and efficient presentation of
ice cream’s development, makes the text delightfully digestible.
Chronologically structured from circa 300 to 1995, the book’s Origins &
History section recognises the first record of ice cream as an “iced-milk” (13),
originating in China amid 618-907 and continues to acknowledge the first
written account of “ices being served in England” (16) in 1672, by Elias
Ashmole. Ashmole notes the serving of ice cream to the King’s table during the
Feast of St George (28th-29th May 1671). Continuing to
scoop through this delectable timeline of frozen delights, a year which
captured my attention was 1850, a year in which Carlo Gatti established the ‘Hokey
Pokey’, penny ice and resulted in me doing the hokey-cokey to the London Canal
Museum.
