eat+drink

chill factor

It’s the summer food that never falls out of favour. Here’s the latest scoop on enjoying the cold stuff

words by Sophy Grimshaw

Dog-licious! – new trend

It’s official: dogs want to eat ice cream. Or at least, their owners want them to eat it. US brands including Frosty Paws, Dogsters and Frost Bite are selling healthy, canine-adapted versions of the summer treat in the frozen food sections of America’s supermarkets. To help dogs enjoy social gatherings in the hot weather rather than just lie around panting as they are wont to do, Frost Bite will even cater for ‘doggie ice cream block parties’. And it’s not only dogs in the USA who can cool down with meaty, vanilla and peanut butter flavours. Online pet boutique CollarGirl.com has posted a recipe that shows anyone how to make their mutt a frozen dessert from scratch, based on bananas, honey, peanut butter and plain yoghurt. Alternatively, Britain’s Diva Dogs can deliver your order for freeze-dried dog ice cream internationally. They sell the Pooch Passions brand. But the question, as posed by one bemused owner, is how will your dog hold the cone?

www.divadogs.co.uk

Tub of love – Rome

Rome’s ice cream connoisseurs know that the gelato to beat all gelati is to be had at San Crispino. With so many flavours of sorbet and ice cream at this take-out only parlour that ‘fresh walnut and dried fig’ is an option, don’t let yourself down by choosing vanilla. That said, pistachio is a simple classic by Italian standards and some regard it as the single best scoop at San Crispino. If you’re wracked with indecision, opt for a seasonal fruit flavour. The brothers who own the place vow in their mission statement to “stand up to the danger of standardised flavours” and “get taste buds accustomed to the genuine article”. As it turns out, making taste buds happy is a serious business: San Crispino won’t serve ice cream in a wafer cone in case this compromises the careful balance of flavours. A bit uptight perhaps, but let them worry about that. Your job is just to fill one of the paper cups with the best ice cream of your life and then take a walk around Rome. There are three locations in the city including one by the Trevi Fountain.

www.ilgelatodisancrispino.com

Ices for adults – London

When a new luxury casino opened near London’s Leicester Square in June this year, among the roulette wheels and poker chips at Casino At The Empire was Mocha, a boutique ice-creamery. During a break from your night of dice-rolling, you can head here to choose between sorbet (the redcurrant flavour is excellent) or ice cream. Have it served in a cone, on top of a cupcake, or – for those determined to emphasise that they’re on a winning streak – on a silver platter. The casino’s necessary legal age limit of 18 years means a refreshing absence of screaming children around the freezer. Though that doesn’t mean the parlour’s too grown-up for a bit of fun: toppings include jelly babies and cookie crumbs. For legal reasons, you’ll need to be a member, or a member’s guest, to enter the casino, but membership is free and you can join on arrival.