The Ultimate Guide to Classic British Ice Creams

The UK is heating up this week, and the country’s lack of air-conditioning means a lot of sweating indoors under the soft breeze of a floor fan. While Brits up and down the country complain about the heatwave, we can only see it as one thing: an excuse to raid the supermarket freezer aisles for the ultimate cool-down comfort: ice cream.

Whether you’re looking for your next indulgence or curious about UK sweets, read on for our ultimate guide to Britain’s favourite ice creams.

Ice Creams Vs. Ice Lollies

When we say ‘ice creams’, we also mean ice lollies – or popsicles, if you’re from the US. Still, there’s a bit of a distinction. Technically, lollies are flavoured juice frozen into bright, cheerful shapes. Whereas ice creams are – well, ice creams. Creamy, milky goodness.

So, here’s our guide to the UK’s most iconic frozen treats, rated out of ten for taste:

1) Ice Pops

Taste Rating: 5/10

What these simple sticks of fruity freshness lack in refinement, they make up for in pure nostalgic joy. Every Brit has a slightly traumatic memory of eating these at a school disco or a friend’s birthday party – especially the ones that turn your tongue a magic blue.

There’s a reason Ice Pops are mostly reserved for the kids, though. While many Brits still love them for their simplicity, let’s admit it: they’re very, very average.

2) Cornetto (and its fancier cousin, the Viennetta)

Taste Rating: 7/10

Oooh! The Cornetto: the epitome of things-you-thought-were-fancy-but-weren’t-really. Maybe it’s the Italian name, maybe it’s the advertising (think dramatic opera), but the Cornetto is an undisputed classic – from the gold foil wrapping to the nugget of solid chocolate waiting at the bottom of the cone. We’re rating it a 7/10 because it’s just good. Not extraordinary, not bad, but solidly good.

Then there’s the Viennetta – another not-so-Italian delight. Easily found in any supermarket freezer aisle, a Viennetta is a log of rippled vanilla ice cream layered with

thin sheets of dark chocolate. Everyone knows the satisfying crack as you slice through it. Despite its reputation as a posh dessert, it’s actually very cheap. And kind of brilliant: 9/10

3) Fruit Pastille

Taste Rating: 9/10

Inspired by the jelly sweets of the same name, Fruit Pastille lollies are a colourful combo of five flavours: blueberry, raspberry, orange, pineapple, and lime. Sweet and slightly tangy, they’re very refreshing and perfect if you need a bit of variety in your desserts.

They lose a point for the first flavour, though. Sorry, blueberry lovers.

4) Magnum

Taste Rating: 10/10

While the Cornetto is fake-fancy, magnums are fancy-fancy – and you’ll know it, thanks to the price tag. Magnum ice cream bars are known for their intense marketing: slow motion, moody lighting, a seductive whisper of indulgence like it’s a perfume ad.

While they can be pricey, they are what they claim: rich, high-quality chocolate, creamy ice cream, and lots of unique flavour combinations (the Double Gold Caramel Billionaire bar deserves a spot on everyone’s 10/10 list).

5) Calippo

Taste Rating: 8/10

Bold, bright orange, and super sweet, the Calippo is a summer staple that can’t be skipped. A frozen tube of citrusy juice that you squeeze from the bottom – and always manage to push too hard and launch it across the room at least once per summer. It’s like opening a packet of sunshine, except this one won’t burn you.

6) Fab

Taste Rating: 10/10

The name says it all. The Fab, short for fabulous, has everything: textures, flavour, and serious nostalgia. These ice-cream/lolly hybrids are one of the only truly retro treats that still holds up.

They come in three delicious sections: a chocolate coating with rainbow sprinkles, creamy vanilla ice cream in the middle, and a fruity red lolly at the base. There’s nothing more to say: the frozen sprinkles + strawberry + chocolate combo just works.

Plus, at £2.50 for 6, they’re very student friendly.

7. Twister

Taste Rating: 8/10

Another ice-cream lolly hybrid, Twisters have a creamy vanilla centre wrapped in a spiral of lime and strawberry flavoured ice. The texture shouldn’t work, but it just does. Refreshing, tangy, fun, and weirdly hypnotic to look at, they easily earn an 8/10.

8. 99 Flake (Mr Whippy)

Taste Rating: 11/10

The undisputed queen of the British seaside and the ice cream van, the 99 Flake is simplicity in all its perfection: soft-serve vanilla in a wafer cone with a crumbly Cadbury flake stuck into the side like the crown it deserves.

Nobody knows exactly why it’s called a 99. Some say it’s the original price (99p), while others believe it derives from the shop’s address where it was invented. Whatever the reason, the famous 99 is, in our opinion, the best UK ice cream.

Bonus points if eaten from a van by the sea (we’re looking at you, Eastbourne students).

9. Mini Milk

Taste Rating: 6/10 (or 10/10 if you’re under 10 years old)

Mini milks offer another journey back to childhood wonder. No flashy layers, no sprinkles, no chocolate shell – just a smooth, milky lolly in classic flavours like vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.

They’re made with real milk, giving them a gentle creaminess and the illusion that they’re almost healthy (they’re not). Adults might find them a little underwhelming, but for children and the young at heart, they’re like a little (chilly) hug on a stick.

10. Choc Ice

Taste Rating: 2/10

Unless you’re doing this to yourself as a lesson in UK nostalgia, stay away. These may look appealing – and they’re undeniably classic - but Choc Ices are as bland as the name: thin, cheap chocolate and a tasteless vanilla ice cream centre. A budget Magnum with no stick.

Every grandparent has a box in the back of their freezer. They insist they’re delicious, but they also grew up with SPAM fritters and powdered milk – so can they really be trusted? You be the judge.

Now you know your Calippos from your Cornettos, it’s time to hit the supermarket aisles this summer. Whether you’re a Fab fanatic, a 99 loyalist, or a fierce defender of the Choc Ice, we’re sure you’ll find your favourite antidote to the heat.

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