Scoops are good but swirls are better
There’s nothing quite like the sound of the ice cream van on a sunny day to stir up some serious nostalgia and have you rummaging in your pocket for change whilst you drool at the prospect of a cone in your hand. But Mr Whippy isn’t the only soft serve in town (and have you seen how much they cost now?) as a whole host of cafes, restaurants and pop-ups are swirling some seriously inventive flavours. Forget the 99 because Siobhan Gunner aka @hotspothunter has rounded up the best soft serve ice cream in London.
Soft & Swirly
This year Sam Lowry and Farah Kezou have moved their soft serve venture, Soft & Swirly, to e5 Bakehouse in London Fields. The flavours are as creative as ever, with the likes of salted black sesame; malted milk and vanilla; watermelon and raspberry sorbet; and Greek olive oil on rotation.
Rosslyn Coffee
This strong summer hit, served at Rosslyn Coffee, marries Origin Coffee Roasters’ 24-hour cold brew with a silky vanilla-infused Estate Dairy base, and comes with an intense, deeply dark cocoa powder dusting courtesy of Melbourne’s pioneering hot-chocolate makers, Mörk.
Forza Wine
Forza Wine is an Italian restaurant and rooftop bar in Peckham, which is famous for its custardo dessert (an espresso made with custard which is as good as it sounds) but you won’t want to sleep on its soft serve, especially when there are flavours like mascarpone with stone fruit compote on offer.
Bake St
Bake St unveils a new soft serve flavour on the regs, with flavours like mango, purple lychee and butterscotch delight. Whatever flavours are on offer, you can expect some seriously impressive swirls, particularly if you go for a two-colour combo.
Le Choux
French-British pastry chef Abigail Scheuer puts a luxurious patisserie twist on soft serve at her sleek glass-fronted shop, Le Choux, set on Ladbroke Grove. She’s doing fior di latte soft serve with sliced Alphonso mango, a mango drizzle and a buttery vanilla shortbread to dunk in it.
Happy Endings x Setlist
Having supplied the base for many of London’s outstanding soft serves, Happy Endings is doing its own swirls at new Somerset House spot Setlist. Enjoy miso salt caramel and cajeta dulce de leche sundaes out on the riverside terrace.
Chin Chin Ice Cream
You can always rely on Chin Chin to do wacky things with ice cream and the Soho branch’s latest soft serve creation – potato soft serve with a potato peel glaze and salty potato stick chips – stays true to form. If dipping fries in a milkshake is your kinda vibe, you’ll love this.
Taiyakia
Live your best Little Mermaid fantasy at Chinatown dessert shop Taiyakia, where you can get a taiyaki (Japanese fish-shaped waffle) filled with a swirl of pastel-coloured soft serve decorated with shell and mermaid tail wafers.
