According to University of Glasgow food historian Lindsay Middleton, you are unlikely to see parmesan, spinach or brown bread flavours on the menu. However, these were all favourite ice creams of the Georgian and Victorian elite.
“One 1885 ice cream recipe called for chicken paté, curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, egg yolks and anchovies to be mixed in with gravy, gelatine and whipped cream,” she says.
Her comments come following the news that English Heritage is now selling what it calls “the best thing since sliced bread” at 13 of its sites – brown bread ice cream, inspired by a Georgian recipe.
The announcement of the flavour mentions several more outlandish Georgian flavours trialled by English Heritage before it landed on brown bread, such as Parmesan and cucumber.
And in Edinburgh, the National Trust for Scotland’s Gladstone’s Land features an ice cream parlour linked to the dairy which stood there in 1904.
The property sells elderflower and lemon curd ice cream based on a recipe from 1770, and visitors can go on several food-themed tours.