Hurrah! The sun has got its hat on and summer has come out to play. The sweet sound of ice cream vans fill the air as their slightly twisted tunes blast out the fact that frozen treats are around the corner.
Nowadays, of course, it is all different on the pictured list that is stuck to the hatch windows of the van. There may still be 99 Flakes, Screwballs and Cornetto on the menu but a lot of our childhood favourites have just melted into our memories.
For those that yearn for one last lick of their favourite lolly, here are 14 favourites from the past.
Cider Barrel
When you were under ten years of age, Cider Barrel (or Cider Quench) seemed a dangerous ice lolly to choose.
It was often joked that you couldn’t cycle home after two cider lollies but, unfortunately, Lyons Maid didn’t actually have any real cider in the mix.
In fact, it was a vague taste of sour apples but when you were a boy, it suddenly made you a man with a Cider Barrel in hand.
Funny Feet
There was nothing like sucking on a strawberry ice cream foot to cool down under the sun in the 80s.
The good news is, when Walls asked the public which brand they would most like to return to the shelves, Funny Feet was the overwhelming winner and now a new generation can get their ice cream foot kicks.
Lemonade Sparkle
This pocket money treat (it always seemed to be 12p everywhere) was thirst quenching and actually tasted of lemonade.
Of course, you had the problem that the wrapper stuck to the lolly like glue but good things come to those that wait.
There have been many lemonade lollies since but none that matched the taste of Sparkle.
Orange Maid
Sitting firmly in the sticky wrapper family was Lemonade Sparkle’s cousin, Orange Maid. A taste of fresh orange in your mouth when drinking actual fruit juice was for ‘posh’ breakfasts.
It was simpler times back then, as this was basically frozen orange juice but we loved it!
Choc Ice
Possibly the messiest way to ice cream bar between two wafers. Choc ices started melting the second they left the freezer and by the time you’d negotiated the wrapper, it was already starting to disintegrate in your hands.
A chocolate covered rectangle block of ice cream that has seemingly dropped down the popularity list over recent years.
Zoom
At a time when space travel was still mainly in the imagination of science fiction writers, Zoom seemed to represent those dreams of going into outer space.
The precursor to the rocket lolly, Zoom was three different flavours on a stick and was many people’s childhood favourite.
Dracula
For an ice lolly with a little extra bite, there was only one in the freezer you could turn to. Dracula was red enough to recolour your tongue and had a gooey surprise in the middle. Perfect for those that want to get their teeth into something tasty.
Mr. Men
This ice lolly was all to do with the wrapper and stick. A ‘hilarious’ joke on the stick was revealed as the lolly disappeared, while there was half a dozen or more Mr. Men to choose from.
The lolly itself was a basic affair but when it cost just a few pence, you couldn’t expect anything too fancy.
Rock around the choc
If you think Fab is the king of ice lollies, then take a look at Rock Around the Choc. It had the strawberry lolly base, it had the sprinkles but in the middle was a solid chocolate hit that was the enemy of any wobbly teeth.
Cola Quench
From the same family as Cider Quench came the lolly with a sweet tooth, Cola Quench.
It claimed to be a drink on a stick but the cola taste was definitely not up to the standard of a brand name.
Even so, cola was still a desirable commodity when a youngster and this was always near the top of the lolly list.
Nobbly Bobbly
Another that looked to bring sprinkles to the ice lolly arena and this time they really went to town with it.
No dipping the tip in them for Nobbly Bobbly, it was all coverage and thick chocolate underneath to boot.
It’s back in the shops now but whilst it used to be viewed as a man mountain in the world of ice lollies, it isn’t held up with the same regard by children nowadays.
Feast
Back in the day, it seemed a massive task taking on a Feast ice lolly. It certainly lived up to its name by being a beast of an ice cream that was a filling snack.
It was chocolate all the way with this one. A solid centre, biscuity bits, chocolate ice cream and all covered in a cracking coating.
Of course, the new version seems a shadow of the 80s version, mainly because it is nowhere near the feast it used to be.
Fab
Arguably the greatest ice lolly ever made. It is the self-proclaimed ‘Nation’s favourite for the past 50 years’ and you would be hard pushed to find a person that dislikes a Fab.
Strawberry lolly with scrummy white ice cream and then topped with chocolate and sprinkles – a perfect combination.
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