The decline of a British classic
A favourite British tradition, and a fond childhood memory for many is the magical sound of the ice cream van driving past your house. The pleading look at mum and dad to hand over a pound coin in the hope of purchasing the all-time classic 99 (with a flake of course) is an all too familiar feeling – but what does the ice cream van represent today?
With supermarkets increasing their stock of brand after brand of ice cream, and every flavour known to man crammed into a couple of large freezers, the convenience and cost-effective tactic of purchasing a multipack to make sure you’re not caught out on those summer days is far too tempting to resist.
More often today you will find ice cream vans setting up temporary residency in highly populated areas such as a park or festival, and thus being comparable to a ‘popup shop’ rather than the old tradition of being able to buy ice cream outside your front door. With the popularity of festivals building year on year in the UK it is no surprise that the classic ‘ice-cream van’ has adapted into spin offs with themes such as ‘vintage’, stocking organic, luxury ice-cream to add a premium finish – which of course is reflected in the cost.
We all remember the day when the 99 ice cream became the £1.50 ice cream (now often sold for £2.50+), but kept its original name causing almost as much outrage as when the 10p Freddo chocolate bar subtly tried to raise its prices to a staggering 30p in 2017!
In recent years the ice cream van has been hit by critics suggesting that it is not only generating unwanted noise pollution but also promoting widespread childhood obesity, causing councils to put a ban on them entering housing estates, parks and schools. These new regulations have meant that a fleet of ice cream vans once estimated to be 20,000 strong has been reduced to nearly a quarter of the size, leaving many people with a pang of nostalgia.
In an ever-changing world where small businesses find competition lurking around every corner, it is no wonder that the ice cream van has had to move with the times and become more creative. Sadly, the ice cream van seems to be sharing the fate of the similarly endangered milk float. New obstacles and challenges are constantly appearing and it is no surprise that many ice cream van drivers have hung up their scoops and said goodbye to their days of selling ice cream, and those melodic chimes are fading away into memory.
