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We tried every bonkers flavour at London’s new ice cream pop-up
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
26 Jul 2022
17m
It might not feel like summer yet in the UK, but one way to mark the season is to eat a hell of a lot of ice cream... and that's the sorta mission we can get behind.
Magnums are great and all, but what if you could eat an ice cream that tastes like some of the best bits in your kitchen? We're talking Jaffa Cakes, soy sauce and even piccalilli...
That’s what’s on offer at fashion designer Anya Hindmarch’s Belgravia pop-up, The Ice Cream Project – and after a trip to the parlour for the last two years in a row, we decided it was only right we popped down again, to see what 2024's offering had to say for itself.
We wouldn't blame you if you were horrified at the thought of condiment-inspired ice creams (and in many cases, you'd be justified). But the fun of Anya Hindmarch's pop-up is that quite often, ice creams that aren't meant to work just do.
Keep reading for Twisted editor, Joanna's, very honest review. Who knows? Some of the winning flavours might surprise you.
Arriving at Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project
Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream project is tucked down a street in London’s Belgravia, in a little area known as Anya Hindmarch Village.
With fancy boutiques aplenty, it looks like the sort of place you’d usually only ever window-shop – but for a third year running, Anya’s pop-up has drawn in quite a crowd.
If you were on TikTok over the last few years, you’ll already know about Anya’s Ice Cream Project, and you might even be familiar with some of the bonkers flavours, from Heinz ketchup to Coco Pops.
But this year she’s given the collection a revamp, keeping a couple of old favourites and throwing loads of newbies into the mix, too. Ahem, did someone say Sarson's vinegar? Or Sun Pat peanut butter? Filippo Berio pesto?
Yep. Yep, they did.
So, without further ado, here’s Joanna's honest verdict on all 15 of the flavours at Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project 2024:
Heinz Beanz Ice Cream
Baked Bean ice cream – bleugh. This is one is actually a returning entrant, so I actually tried it a couple of years ago, but the nerves still kicked in as I was served up a fresh scoop.
There was certainly a distinctly ‘baked-beany’ flavour to this one, but the primary taste was tomato, and that, alongside the sweetness of the ice cream, kind of dominated over anything else.
This could have been palatable if it wasn't for the frozen baked bean which emerged on my spoon (you heard me, there's actual beans in there...)
Would you order this for anything other than novelty value? Absolutely not. But was it horrid? Also no.
Those who like beans should definitely try it for a laugh – although, maybe not on toast.
Penguin Ice Cream
This takes us back to our school lunchbox days. McVitie's Penguin ice cream is chocolatey and creamy with little bits of biscuit in it.
It tastes like a Penguin... there' s no questioning that. Then again, Penguin chocolate bars aren't that distinctive, which makes this flavour one of the more forgettable ones.
Perhaps we would have remembered it more if they shoved a joke on the tub, like they do on the wrappers...
It might just be a biscuity chocolate ice cream, but it's pretty darn tasty.
While Penguin ice cream won't be top of our leaderboard, we'd happily make our way through a tub or two.
Jaffa Cakes Ice Cream
An ice cream made of Jaffa Cakes is one of the more obvious winners in this lineup.
I was expecting this to just be a choccy orange ice cream, of sorts – which I would have been quite happy with – but it was actually so much more.
Milk chocolate ice cream. Orange jelly chunks. Actual cakey bits. Bravo, Anya. Bravo.
This is one of the safest choices if you're nervous of going in at the deep end and picking something rogue like pesto.
There's not really anything to dislike, really. Big tick from us.
Sarson's Malt Vinegar Sorbet
Vinegar on chips is a big yes for me, obvs. But vinegar ice cream? It's fair to say it's not an obvious choice.
While I was apprehensive about this one, the brain-boxes at Anya Hindmarch actually did something quite clever, here.
They paired Sarson's malt vinegar with a strawberry sorbet, so the acidity was offset by sweet, fruity notes.
I'm gonna be straight with you, I would have preferred a straight strawberry scoop if I had the choice, but as far as making a malt vinegar sorbet edible, they actually did a good job, here.
Kikkoman Soy Sauce Ice Cream
Okay. Hear me out. This was one of the best – so much so that I even took a tub home with me. It's the third year that Kikkoman has brought its soy sauce ice cream to the pop-up, and boy was I glad it was back.
Sweet and salty, this offering was the most balanced of all the ice creams. Think salted caramel ice cream but with a slightly more savoury undertone.
You could definitely taste the soy sauce in this scoop, but it wasn’t overwhelming, instead just offering a pleasant umami flavour note.
The PR at Anya’s pop-up once told me that someone on TikTok ate this with their sushi…I would not recommend that one bit. However, plonk a dollop with a rich, chocolate fudge cake and you’re in business.
Maldon Salt Sorbet
Rich, dark chocolate sorbet seasoned with chunks of flaked sea salt…what’s not to love about that?
This sorbet was a real treat. It was bold. It was rich. It was crying to be plonked on top of a chocolate cake and scoffed greedily.
If Jaffa Cake and Penguin ice cream made you feel like a kid, this tub essentially did the opposite. It made me feel all grown up and sophisticated.
Granted, it would be quite hard to eat a lot of this sorbet in one go, because it’s heavy. Buy some and save it to enjoy in small doses. You won’t regret it.
Branston Piccalilli Ice Cream
For those who aren't in the know, picalilli is made from the likes of cauliflower, onion and gherkin... you guessed it, pickled.
It's mustardy and acidic, and quite often eaten with a ham sandwich or cold cuts of meat.
Should it be churned into ice cream? Absolutely not.
This was the least favourite of the day by far, for me. There were chunks of frozen pickled veg, which quite frankly should never belong in an ice cream tub.
Believe it or or not, the PR told me this was some people's favourite of the day. Those people need their heads checking.
There are some ice creams that should never be, and – sorry, Anya – I believe that piccalilli is one of 'em.
Bird's Custard Ice Cream
It probably won't surprise you that Bird's custard ice cream is delicious. It basically tastes like vanilla ice cream but creamier, and richer. Win, win.
This one's so bloody moreish. It'd work really well with fresh strawberries or another sweet, tart fruit.
This one was knocking about last year, too, and I'm not surprised it's back again. You have to pad out the pesto and the piccalilli flavours with some crowd-pleasers, after all.
It's not the most groundbreaking of the bunch, sure, but it did leave me questioning why I hadn't ever had custard ice cream before.
So, maybe it is kinda genius, after all?
Robinsons Barley Water Lemon Sorbet
It's hard to argue with Robinsons lemon squash in sorbet form.
It's light and tart and creamy – a solid choice. Of course, we've all had lemon sorbet before, and that's basically what this one is.
This would do nicely on a summer's day, whilst sitting in the garden.
It doesn't pack the same punch as Jaffa Cake or pesto, but then again, maybe that's not a bad thing?
Filippo Berio Pesto Ice Cream
Let's be honest, you were waiting for this one, weren't you?
Pesto ice cream was probably the most hotly anticipated of this year's lineup, and I was excited and trepidatious to try it, in equal measure.
Thankfully, this wasn't actually unpleasant by any means. It tasted... well, as you'd expect really – herby, nutty, salty and very much like a jar of pesto.
The issue I had was that this ice cream didn't commit hard enough to being savoury. I would even have appreciated some cheesiness, but it was still kinda inexplicably sweet.
It's for that reason I wasn't sure when I would have eaten this in a real life situation. Although, saying that, the friend I brought with me loved it so much she's heading back to buy a tub, so, pesto looks set to be a crowd divider.
Tropicana Orange Juice Ice Cream
Sorbet for breakfast? You couldn't... could you?! But, hang on! If it's orange juice flavour, then it's all good, right?
This one was all in all a really pleasant addition to Anya's ice cream pop-up lineup.
Like the lemon squash flavour, it was a bit more classic than some of the other menu items.
It was, in essence, an orange sorbet, but a nice one at that.
(As a rule, I'm very much team 'orange juice with bits' though...)
Sun Pat Crunchy Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Anya Hindmarch's Ice Cream project has previously brought us the likes of KP salted peanut ice cream (scroll on down for that one).
But ya know what? This might actually be better. It was comforting and cosy and cried out to be eaten in PJs on the sofa.
This Sun Pat crunchy ice cream is thick and creamy, with chunks of salty nuts in there, for good measure.
The saltiness really delivered here, creating a nice balance of sweet and savoury. Dollop this on a brownie and you're in business.
Perello Olive Ice Cream
Someone check on the bros in the east London delis, immediately. Perello olive ice cream now exists, and it's actually pretty good.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Olive oil and ice cream are a great combination – decadent and umami flavour notes with a sweet ice cream base.
There are little bits of olive in this one, which to be quite honest I could have done without.
It would make a pretty cracking present for any pal who loves Perello's though.
Tiptree Orange Marmalade Ice Cream
Unfortunately I don't love marmalade, so this ice cream didn't get a particularly fair shot. Saying that, even as a marmalade sceptic, I can't say there's much wrong with this.
This one was light and creamy, with a subtle hit of zesty, fruity orange hitting your palate.
It could have been bolder on the orange flavour, but that set it apart from the Tropicana sorbet.
In truth, the range doesn't really need both, though, and I'd probably pick the Tropicana.
Kenco Coffee Ice Cream
We all love coffee ice cream, don't we? It's a tried and tested formula.
This Kenco ice cream tasted like an iced latte, which is no bad thing. The cream in the ice cream emulated milkiness and the coffee taste was pleasant but subtle.
Personally, I would have preferred a bolder hit of coffee from this ice cream – an espresso rather than a latte.
Nevertheless, a tub could be polished off very easily indeed.
Intrigued what we thought of the 2022 and 2023 flavours?
Don’t worry, we've got you.
They might not be for sale any more, but we wouldn’t blame you if you were curious what Kellogg’s Frosties, Heinz mayo and Lea and Perrins taste like in ice cream form.
So, we've summarised some of the most memorable past flavours below...
HP Sauce Ice Cream
Another ice cream we never dreamed of trying... HP Sauce (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
I can’t pretend I was looking forward to this one. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about brown sauce on a burger or a sausage, but in ice cream form? Surely not.
To my relief, the malty flavours you’d expect in HP Sauce didn’t really come through, here. However, instead, the ice cream itself just tasted rather sweet and tangy, thanks to the fruity notes of tomato and tamarind.
All in all, I found this scoop rather confusing. It was emulating the flavours of HP Sauce, but trying too hard to taste like a sweet ice cream at the same time.
I almost wanted it to commit a little harder to being savoury (with a stronger hit of spices, perhaps), but it just stopped short.
Saying that, if you love HP Sauce it’s definitely one to tick off the bucket list.
Kellogg’s Frosties Ice Cream
Frosties ice cream is pretty inspired, tbh (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Frosties ice cream just worked.
Think crunchy Frosties layered on top of a sweet and a creamy scoop of ice cream, which tasted reminiscent of the sugary milk left in the bottom of the bowl at the end of your breakfast.
This scoop delivered on texture and also on flavour. Not only did it taste like breakfast, but it tasted like nostalgia.
Screw cereal, I would go as far to say that I could eat this every day.
Polo Ice Cream
A good minty ice cream is all about the balance (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
There’s no way of sugarcoating this. This ice cream just tastes like pure spearmint. Although, so does a Polo, so I guess that means they nailed this one?
The Polo ice cream definitely serves a purpose, acting as a palate cleanser after some more of the questionable flavours on the menu.
I’d probably love it if a restaurant gave me a small scoop of this after a big meal. However, I’d steer clear of ordering a whole tub, unless you want to feel like you’ve just swallowed a tube of toothpaste…
Lyle’s Golden Syrup Ice Cream
Nobody can argue with sweet, syrupy ice cream (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
This one was another corker. You might expect golden syrup to be a little too sweet, but again, the milkiness of the ice cream really offset that perfectly.
Granted, you probably couldn’t eat a whole pot of this one, but dump a scoop of it next to your pudding and you’re going to be in for a treat.
I must admit, a somewhat ‘normal’, sugary flavour also came as a welcome relief after some of the less desirable savoury options.
10/10, would buy again.
Lea and Perrins Ice Cream
Love Worcestershire sauce? Try it in ice cream form (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
Like the condiment itself, Lea and Perrins’ Worcestershire sauce ice cream wasn’t dissimilar to the ketchup or brown sauce versions, except for the fact it was slightly more sour, with a bigger hit of tamarind.
There were also some salty and umami flavour notes going on here, as well as a hint of spice.
However I can’t pretend it tasted quite right in ice cream form.
Quirky? Yes. Genuinely enjoyable? Not so much.
Heinz Salad Cream Ice Cream
Heinz Salad Cream ice cream? Save this for someone you hate (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
I’m going to level with you. I hate Salad Cream, so this one was always going to be a bias review.
Saying that, I simply can’t understand why anybody would order this one. It was like the mayo ice cream, but with much more of an acidic, mustardy kick.
The sweetness that had been rather generously added to the Ketchup and HP Sauce ice creams was amiss here, and instead all you tasted was the condiment, in its pure, vinegary form.
Who knows? Maybe that’s what floats some people’s boats, but it was a no from me.
Heinz Mayo Ice Cream
Mayo ice cream sounds absolutely cursed... but was it? (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
Making mayo ice cream taste pleasant is a tough gig, let’s be honest.
Mayo itself is a wonderful condiment, but it doesn’t really taste of much – it’s basically just lemony and slightly eggy.
In some ways, that was the saving grace of this ice cream. Compared to the likes of HP Sauce and ketchup, it was actually quite mild, although there was an unmistakably ‘mayo-ey’ aftertaste that lingered on the tongue.
It’s quirky and different, so you’ll probably appreciate trying this ice cream once. However, we can’t think of an instance where would ever actually eat this IRL.
Quaker Rolled Oats Ice Cream
Porridge ice cream has all the potential to be pretty great (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
This one was interesting. I love a bowl of porridge for breakfast, but there were so many dry porridge oats stirred into this ice cream that they left my tongue feeling bristly.
That aside, the ice cream itself was pretty tasty – thick and velvety and almost savoury with oatiness, if not for the hint of maple syrup that had been thrown in there, too.
On its own, I’d order this one again, but the oats mixed through it didn’t quite work.
PG Tips Ice Cream
Tea ice cream is actually inspired...(Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
Tea lovers, assemble. I can now confirm that PG Tips ice cream is an absolute revelation.
Distilled in ice cream form, the first thing I noticed is how the flavour notes of the tea really sung. You got all the richness and body of the tea in each spoonful of ice cream, and the creaminess of the ice cream replaced the milk you’d usually have in your cuppa, so it actually tasted remarkably similar.
This is the sort of ice cream you could eat a lot of – and I could have, if I didn’t still ten more ice creams to try.
It’s delightfully fragrant and moreish. Just pass a rich tea biscuit for dunking and I reckon I could have happily polished off a pot.
Ribena Sorbet
Ribena ice cream was of 2023's cohort (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
I must caveat this by saying I don’t like squash (I know, I know, it’s weird).
Saying that, this was basically just a really nice blueberry sorbet – deep purple in colour with little bits of blueberry inside it.
The flavour of this sorbet was really concentrated. It was just the right amount of sweet, creamy and sharp.
If you’re after one of the more refreshing and genuinely tasty options on the menu, Ribena sorbet is a safe way to go.
Ambrosia Rice Pudding Ice Cream
This was another certified hit (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
This one’s another of the crème de la crème.
If you thought rice pudding was one of the most comforting desserts of all time, you’d obviously be correct, but rice pudding ice cream? That might even top it.
Creamy ice cream compliments the rich, sweet and milky flavours of a rice pudding perfectly, and there are even little pieces of starchy rice tucked into this bad boy, too.
This is one of the subtler flavours of the bunch, but it means you could probably eat a dangerous amount straight out of the tub.
Kellogg’s Coco Pops Ice Cream
This one will make you feel like a kid again (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
A returning gem.
Just like last year, Coco Pops in ice cream form was a big yes from me – even if, I’ll admit, it was one of the least adventurous options on the menu.
We all knew chocolate ice cream adorned with a Coco Pop garnish was going to be tasty, didn’t we? But nonetheless, I can confirm that it was.
This was richer thank your typical chocolate ice cream. You could taste the cocoa powder and the barley and rice from the cereal gave it a depth of flavour, too.
This reminded of the Coco Pops flavoured milk you’d glug out the bowl as a kid. A proper treat if you’re looking to please your inner child.
Branston Pickle Ice Cream
This Branston ice cream is one for the pickle people out there.
Am I a pickle person? I thought I was… but it turns out pickle ice cream didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
It’s made with mellow cheddar cheese and real chunks of Branston pickle (which were a bit off-putting, tbh), but I was so ready to try it and love it.
I think this one needed to lean into its savoury flavours a little more. Perhaps a sharper, saltier cheddar would have done the trick? Instead, it tasted a little sweet and ultimately confused.
A promise of a Ploughmans in ice cream form is hard to live up to. Still, you’ve gotta give props for the innovation.
Tiptree Lemon Curd Ice Cream
Tart and creamy - what more could you expect from lemon curd ice cream? (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
I thought this might be a flavour that would make me wince, but it was a smart move to make this an ice cream not a sorbet.
You see, Tiptree Sicilian lemon curd is another one of those flavours that just comes together when you add some dairy into the mix.
The sharp, tart zinginess was there, but so was the luscious creaminess, and the two worked in glorious harmony.
This might not be one of the daring choices, but it’s one of the genuinely, really nice ones.
Dangerously scoffable.
KP Original Salted Peanut Ice Cream
Salty, nutty ice cream is a chocolate cake's best friend (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
Oooft. This one was a banger.
The ice cream was smooth and velvety, but you could taste the rich, roasted flavour of the nuts coming through, too.
There were some nutty chunks in there for good measure, as well.
Am I surprised a peanut ice cream worked? Not in the slightest. If you love peanut butter, you’re going to want a generous scoop of this.
Warburtons Crumpet Ice Cream
Crumpet ice cream is a rogue one, sure, but Anya made me question why it wasn’t on all supermarket shelves.
It just worked. It was sweet and buttery and carby, kinda like a stack of pancakes you’d order if you went for brunch.
There was a lightly toasted flavour to this one, and actual chunks of spongey crumpet in every mouthful, which was a fun touch.
It was also one of the least controversial flavours of the bunch. Was it weird? Absolutely. But before I tried it I knew it was gonna slap.
Bird’s Eye Petit Pois
Sweet frozen peas should work pretty well in an ice cream, right? (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
From crumpet to Bird’s Eye Petit Pois… oh, the contrast.
It has to be said that this one wasn’t one of my faves, although there was nothing unpleasant about the flavour itself.
Pea ice cream should work in theory – because peas are sweet and all that – however this was a bit thick and lumpy, like frozen mushy peas.
There were actual peas in there, which I wasn’t mad at, but if they’d made this a smoother blend I reckon it would have been more appetising.
Instead, this scoop kind of looked ready to be dolloped on a plate alongside a chippy tea.
Blue Dragon Original Sweet Chilli Ice Cream
Sweet chilli ice cream sounds like one of the less appetising ones (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
Sweet chilli sauce ice cream is something I never would have imagined working, and reader, I think I was right.
I’ve seen others claim this was their favourite flavour of the bunch, so don’t be fully swayed by my tastebuds.
However, for me, the balance of vanilla ice cream and sweet chilli sauce was just a little off, and it kind of just tasted like… cold vanilla stir fry?
The description for this one promised a touch of heat, and that would have been welcome, actually. Instead, the sweetness kind of took over.
Still, I dare you to try it.
Heinz Ketchup Ice Cream
This one's an eyebrow raiser (Credit: Joanna Freedman for Twisted)
This was a 2022 hit, hence why it’s back on menus.
Perhaps the most divisive ice cream of the lot, the Ketchup scoop was actually pretty uncontroversial in flavour.
It was sweet, tangy, and (you guessed it) tomatoey – basically a more palatable approach to a scoop of frozen Heinz Ketchup.
More sugary and less savoury, you could probably dunk a chip in it if you really wanted, but it didn’t taste too much like the condiment to the point where a whole tub of it would, quite frankly, just be rank.
As with all the other savoury options, a hardcore ketchup fanatic might have been disappointed that this didn’t pack the same punch, but I can see why Anya’s ice cream connoisseurs went in a slightly subtler direction.
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