The beginning
It is thought that ice cream was first seen in Britain at Windsor Castle in 1671 served at a banquet for the Feast of St George. It was so rare that it was exclusively for the royal table of King Charles II and the remaining guests had to watch and be amazed at what the royals were eating.
Eager to follow the king, the rich of the country cut ice from rivers and lakes on their estates and stored it in purpose built ice-houses. The ice was stored under straw and bark until the summer when it was used for cooling drinks, making water ices and ‘iced creams’.
The first recipe for ice cream was published in English in 1718 and a custard based ice cream was developed in France around 1750.
