Ice cream is universally popular, with consumption continuing to increase. According to Circana data, sales in the United Kingdom hit £1.6 billion in the 12-month period through May of 2025, amounting to a 3% increase over the previous year. The out-of-home market was valued at £605 million in 2024 by Nestlé, with more than 274 million ice cream units purchased by over 21.6 million people.
“Demand for the refreshing sweet treat remains high with consumers across a number of areas including restaurants, cafes and dessert parlors. It’s an item that is set to continue thriving as 70% of consumers say they eat ice cream out of home at least once a month (Carpigiani), with restaurants being the most popular venue,” stated Vicky Tripp, campaign and brand manager at Bidfood, the Slough, Buckinghamshire, England-headquartered foodservice wholesaler and distributor.
Unusual Taste
Exotic flavors have been a keen focus for new product development, according to the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), with the likes of matcha, lychee, mango, pistachio, coconut, passion fruit, ginger, blue bubble gum and ube (purple yam) hitting the market.
“Examples include seasonal limited editions like Christmas pudding flavor and new formats like bite-size mochi,” said Rupert Ashby, chief executive of the BFFF. “Delizia Italiana Limoncello Meringue ice cream, which won gold in the ‘best new ice cream’ retail category of the Frozen Food Awards this year, is a good example of the innovative flavors we’re seeing.”
He added: “Visual appeal and bright colors also remain a significant trend as social media continues to play a key role in younger consumers’ buying choices. Free From is now essential, not fringe. Lactosefree, vegan, gluten free and low calorie lines are mainstream and widely available. In fact, the Best New Free From product at the Frozen Food Awards back in 2023 was a dairy-free ice cream – Ice Beam by Ice Cream Treats.”
As ice cream is often an impulse purchase item category, keeping products exciting is the key to driving sales. Bite-sized and hand-held offerings are seeing growth in the market, with brands now driving innovation through snacking and sharing products.
“Ice cream snacking and handheld open up the seasonality with customers leaning into these products outside of the peak summer months too,” said Helen Caulfield, buyer at Heron Foods, the Milton, England-headquartered supermarket chain. “A further trend we’re seeing is the trade up to premium driven by flavor for ultimate indulgence. Added call outs for superior flavors and combinations are leading customers into the premium treat.”
Creating Occasions
Consumers continue to have a strong appetite for novelty and unique experiences, which has seen specialist ice cream and gelato shops entering UK high streets and leveraging their smaller scale to introduce seasonal and limited edition flavors.
“This resonates with consumers’ love of new and ever-changing options,” said Tripp. “The approach is effective, as 47% of Britons find brands that regularly release new flavors more appealing, and this rises to 56% among those who see specialist chains as a treat (Mintel, Spark). Limited edition options are also a great way for operators to tap into this trend as it creates a sense of urgency for consumers to try the flavor before it’s gone and will also encourage return visits to try the replacement.”
The Yarde Farm brand has taken advantage of this trend, recently launching an exclusive Scottish flavor. It combines traditional Southwest Dairy Ice Cream with traditional Scottish Tablet Ice Cream.
Perfect Additions
Whether in a cone as a grab-and-go treat or as a more elaborate dessert, such as a sundae or an alternative to cream or custard, numerous ice cream options are available for consumers.
“Flavor and presentation trends are often influenced by what other kinds of sweet treats can be paired with a scoop,” said Tom Styman-Heighton, development chef at Funnybones Foodservice. “Think brownies, crumbles and sticky toffee pudding. Often paired with vanilla ice cream, sticky toffee pudding is great for quickly cooling the warm dessert, but can mute the iconic flavor. To eliminate this issue, operators could utilize Funnybones’ toffee flavored ice cream to create a layered flavor profile (pictured below).”
Classic Following
Market research tends to indicate that the classics still dominate the UK scene, with Businesscoot figures from 2021 showing that 84% of Brits declared vanilla to be their favorite flavor, and well-loved brands including Magnum, Cornetto and Twister reigning supreme in the hand-held market.
“When it comes to best sellers, there’s not much movement with flavors year on year. The traditional flavors of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are always the most popular, along with the likes of Salted Caramel and Mint Choc Chip,” said Tripp. “Therefore, although it’s good to have lots of exiting and creative options, operators really need to nail their core flavors and make them as good as they can be.”
Yarde Farm, for example, has two vanilla flavors – one with pods, which works well in shakes, and a clotted cream vanilla. The brand’s chunky chocolate is made with melted Belgian chocolate and Belgian chocolate pieces, and the strawberry is made with an Italian strawberry paste.
“Although all traditional favors, these demonstrate how a premium twist can be applied to really elevate the offering,” said Tripp. “But some of Yarde Farm’s biggest growing flavors this year are the likes of lemon meringue, cherry cola sorbet, popcorn and marshmallow mudslide chocolate ice cream, long with our plant-based flavors.”
The appetite for ice cream in the UK remains strong, with the classic flavors still a popular choice. Free from options, such as vegan, gluten free, lactose free, low calorie and sugar free, were trending in 2024, with Statista data showing that 28% of ice cream consumers in Britain would be interested in trying vegan ice creams, while 26% are interested in trying reduced sugar ice creams. These trends highlight the need to serve exciting flavors to suit diverse tastes and dietary requirements alongside the classics.
