National Ice Cream Day originated in 1948 and originally lasted a whole month! The 31-day occasion was proposed by President Ronald Reagan as a way of boosting dairy production post-war in America, and since then has taken off as a global celebration.

The history of ice cream is obscure, with some sources citing the frozen dessert as far back as the 1st century in Roman cookbooks. The first recorded mention of ice cream in England was in 1671 when Charles II asked for a plate of ice cream at his feast. Since then, the sweet treat has become synonymous with English summertime and warmer weather. In a recent survey, thousands of people were asked to select their favourite frozen treat and soft serve came in third, proving its popularity is still as strong as ever.

Professional Ice Cream Machines

Making delicious and refreshing ice cream has never been easier with our professional ice cream machines. These machines deliver performance and reliability in a compact design, with some higher-end ones having an output capacity of 300 cups per hour. Soft-serve ice cream has always been a bestseller, especially on hot summer days. Ice cream is even a popular treat during the winter months, an icy blast of flavoursome sweetness to finish off a meal.

Professional ice cream machines are used up and down the country by a range of venues, from hotels to dessert parlours, to pubs. These machines increase your ice cream output and make high-quality and flavourful ice cream, that will leave an impression on your guests. They elevate your dessert serving and make it easier for staff to serve ice cream quickly and hassle-free.

Professional ice cream machines aren't just pieces of machinery, they're an investment. You aren't just saving money, you're also making money. If you serve a simple cone (an 80g serving), you can sell it at £1.50, making £1.11 per portion. This works out to around £88 for a daily profit, and £621 for a weekly profit, making up to £32,000 per annum!

Alternatively, if you serve 40 servings a day at £3.95 (for a more luxurious ice cream serving of 100g), your profit per portion is around £2.95, your daily profit would be around £118, and your weekly profit would be around £826, making an annual profit of up to £42,592!

Leasing

You can lease a professional ice cream from us, instead of investing in a machine yourself. Cooksmill in partnership with Kennet Equipment Leasing is pleased to offer leasing on equipment orders over £1,000 (excluding VAT). Leasing is one of the most popular methods of purchasing equipment today as it allows you to have the best equipment without disrupting your cash flow or using up all your lines of credit.

In addition all lease payments are treated as an allowable business expense and therefore attract tax relief for the full duration of the lease.

You can view all the information about leasing, including our leasing calculator, on our leasing form page here.

Ice Cream Accessories

Storing ice cream can prove tricky, as it needs to be stored correctly to keep the sweet treat in the best state for serving. Our 4-litre ice cream container is one of our bestselling items, and that’s for a reason! Made from food-grade polypropylene, this 4 ltr tub allows home cooks and restauranteurs to store their own ice cream. This tub allows the ice cream to be quickly stored in the freezer, and the tub can easily fit into chest freezers or display counters. Made from strong, sturdy plastic this container will keep your ice cream in optimum condition. This container is also washable and reusable, providing a long working life.

Serving the perfect scoop of ice cream doesn’t stop after storing. The scooping itself can sometimes prove to be difficult, as anyone who’s tried to scoop out frozen solid ice cream knows! We have durable aluminium ice cream dippers available in different sizes which make it easier to quickly and efficiently scoop ice cream, ready for customers or yourself. Having a reliable ice cream scoop for dessert shops and catering locations ensures that all customers get the same size, and saves you food in the long run. Correctly portioning ice cream, instead of eye-balling and estimating, takes all the hard work out of serving.

How you present your ice cream is also crucial. Whether you’re a takeaway-only parlour or a sitting in restaurant, we have the serving dishes you need. Glass dishes are often the go-to, thanks to their iconic design and reliability. The Havana Dessert Dish is stylish and functional and would serve as a perfect dish for ice cream. The Disposable Paper Ice Cream Tub 5oz are great for locations that want a reusable, yet cheap alternative to the glass dishes. These paper bowls have a 5oz capacity for plenty of ice cream.

Disposable food serving cartons are becoming increasingly popular, especially as ordering food to go is on the rise. We offer several disposable ice cream tubs in different colours and sizes, including 4oz, 5oz and 8oz. These ice cream tubs make serving ice cream simple and easy, and these tubs are made from high quality materials, ensuring your ice cream doesn’t leak!

With hot summer days on the horizon, ice cream is going to be in high demand. Whether you’re a restaurant, hotel, or dessert parlour, having tasty ice cream ready for customers is sure to put your establishment in the good books, bringing customers back time and time again. Cooksmill offers everything you need, from ice cream making to serving, to help you embrace this delicious frozen dessert, and improve your profit margins.