Ice Cream

Perhaps not the time of the year for it, but we were recently discussing the variety of ice cream vans that used to come to the village. Way back when I was very young there was an Italian bloke with a tricycle who used to come around on a sunday and, of course, there was always Wall's. We also had, at various times, Mr Softee, Mr Whippy and Fortes all recognisable by the different chimes on their vans.

When I moved to the west of scotland I found that the ice cream van was alive and well, but besides selling ice cream they were mini mobile general stores touring the estates from the moment the kids left school until late at night. You could get bread, milk, potatoes, crisps , cigarettes and a variety of soft drinks as well as your cornets and cornetto's.

Sadly, as some will remember, in Glasgow the vans were also used for drug dealing which led to a lethal feud amongst dealers known as 'the ice cream wars'. This feud over territory culmonated kin the incineration of several members of the Doyle family in an arson attack and the wrongful imprisonment of two men whose convictions were subsequently quashed.

A long way indeed from 'Mr Whippy'.