We had the privileged of enjoying a second year at the Family and Food Festival at the Manor House Hotel in Castle Combe. Despite the forecasts the rain held off, it was a great opportunity to try some fantastic food (including Marshfield Farm ice cream of course) and drink and bask in the sunshine beside the picture perfect Bybrook river. THis event ranks as one of the many highlights of our season so far.
Recently we have quietly introduced waffles to our menu at larger events. Our customers have loved the combination of a hot waffle with a scoop of Marshfield Ice Cream (Caramel Fudge and Clotted Cream is particularly popular) and drenched in Maple Syrup. We haven’t made a big deal about it but it appears that the word has got out.
Last weekend at the Beaufort Polo Club we were setting up the stall when we noticed that there were numerous telephoto lenses trained in our direction. Perhaps they were after the ultimate scoop! Fortunately the polo field separated them from us and two players in particular did a grand job of obstructing their view.
Some polo players preventing the paparazzi from getting their scoop.
These two players blocking the photographer’s view.
Perhaps this is the scoop the Paparazzi really wanted?
The ultimate scoop!
We are now taking bookings for weddings in 2014 and have a few dates left for this summer. Our vintage ice cream trike or Citroen van and award winning Marshfield Farm Ice Cream adds something different to your special day.
If you would like a quote simply tell us how many guests you expect, where the event is taking place and if you would like the van or a trike.
Citroen van set up for a wedding
Citroen ice cream van
It has probably been quite a long time since the canopy of Green Park Station in Bath was filled with clouds of steam but for a brief moment Ice Cream Events brought back some of the old atmosphere. No, we haven’t added a steam engine to our ‘fleet’ of ice cream vehicles but the fan belt to the Citroen broke just before we arrived to serve ice cream at an event there.
The old Citroen made quite an entrance, cloaked in a dense steam cloud and making a hissing sound that the Flying Scotsman would be proud of. The noise was a far cry from the playful chime sound made by the typical ice cream van.
We needed a gallon of water to cool the Citroen’s burning heart which produced yet more steam.
Green Park Station, Bath
Once the drama was over we set up stall under the beautiful station canopy and served ice cream to lots of hungry families at the So Natural Baby Fest.
Our departure was much less dramatic .
Customer’s eye view of the Citroen
Village Fete
Village Fete
The Citroen H van puts in an appearance at the annual Marshfield Village Day.
Before the event there was a parade of vintage vehicles along the A420 and then through the village, we were invited to join the parade in our 1968 Citroen van. The parade consisted of old sports cars, motor bikes, luxury cars, military vehicles and tractors of all ages. The Citroen is not normally one of the fastest vehicles on the highway however with a good tail wind and a good 1 mile gap before the next on coming vehicle it executed its first and perhaps only overtaking maneuver. With its sleek aerodynamic design the van raced past a slower vehicle and we watched it for several minutes as the 70 year old tractor slowly disappeared in the rear view mirror.
Horticultural Show
We were invited to represent Marshfield Farm Ice Cream at the Food and Family Festival at the Manor House hotel in the picture postcard village of Castle Combe. The van was parked up in this idyllic location beside the river Bybrook in the grounds of the hotel. The gardens were full of people and nostrils filled with the smells of delicious local food.
We donated a percentage of our takings to the hosts chosen charity, Childline.
If you would like us to attend your fundraising event send us an email to discuss your needs.
Charity festival in the grounds of The Manor House hotel, Castle Combe.
Thanks to the wonders of WiFi our customers that were also cycling fans were able to enjoy the final stage of the Tour de France on the tablet computer.
We were asked to go along to the graduations at Bath Spa University to serve delicious Marshfield Farm ice cream. After weeks of non-stop rain the sun finally came out for the new graduates and the H van looked at home amongst the metal chairs and tables outside the main building.
I do some research and teaching work at Bristol and Bath Universities so have access to the UK’s Eduroam free WiFi service so interested customers could follow the progress of Bradley Wiggins and the other UK riders in the penultimate day of the Tour de France live on our tablet computer.
Emily Button celebrating her graduation with a double scoop of ice cream
Tour de France on the tablet. Allez Wiggo!!
In the U S it is National Ice Cream Day. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with a cone of Marshfield Farm ice cream.
Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with a cone of Marshfield Farm’s finest
As the jet stream dumped record breaking amounts of rain on the UK in June and early July we took the opportunity to do some much needed maintenance on our ‘fleet’ of vintage vehicles . Brakes, chains and tyres all checked over on the Pashley trike while the starter motor on the Citroen H van was beginning to show its age. Fortunately the van is fitted with an old fashioned hand crank which I was having to use to get the vehicle started. While this is great for emergencies hand cranking is hard work and the recoil can break your scooping arm so it was a relief to find a new (40 year old) starter motor in Bristol.
The great drought of 2012
Pashley Ice Cream trike. Image used with the permission of Pashley Ltd.
Pashley have very kindly allowed us to show some of the images from their archive on our blog. The company has been making work bikes for over 80 years and some of the design used in these vehicles was revolutionary even by today’s standards. The trike above has a built in hot and cold water system, fitted hand towel and nail brush locker, cone holders and aerodynamic design. I want one of these!!
The Pashley Superior in the advert below is not quite as curvy as the model above but it is still a radical design and offers many features no longer seen in today’s models such as the optional copper tanks for keeping pies hot in the winter. After the summer we have had so far this year I also like the idea of the air tight lids to “keep out the driving rain”.
While the ice cream boxes used on these trikes have clearly changed over time the classic style and quality workmanship of the frame is still recognisable.
Our Pashley trike from 2012
Not all ice cream trikes are Pashleys. Pashley have been hand building working bicycles and tricycles in the Midlands for over 80 years. The bikes use quality components such as Brooks saddles and are a real pleasure to use. Unlike many of the imported ice cream trikes Pashleys don’t use noisy electrical freezers and can be used far from a power or water supply. Once set up they only occupy a small space and can be wheeled almost anywhere.
A Pashley looks great at all kinds of small events such as fetes, parties or weddings and can be themed to suit the event.
Our ice cream trikes are hand-made by the bike makers Pashley. They have been building work bikes for over 80 years. The saddles are made by Brooks in the Midlands. With the metal rivets sticking out from the top it doesn’t look very comfortable but many cyclists swear by them and the saddle is a much more comfortable place to sit than in the driver’s seat of the Citroen van.
To stop the cycle running away when it is parked it has a locking hand brake (just out of focus below saddle) which locks the back wheel firmly and two brakes on the front wheels when moving. An emergency stop on an ice cream trike is not a pretty sight.
Brooks Saddle
The trike doesn’t need much space so it can be placed right in the middle of the action (see below), it doesn’t need electricity to stay cold or a constant water supply and can be wheeled almost anywhere.
The Pashley trike somewhere in the middle of the Queen Charlton Village Fete
If you would like the trike at your event give us a call.
Although the weather wasn’t brilliant on the Saturday we had quite a few customers enjoying the polo from the shelter of our ice cream van. The weather on Sunday was much better and some spectators even sought shelter from the sun under the van’s canopy.
We have attended this event for years but this was the first time we have taken the Citroen. While Mary and Sam served ice cream Nigel was on hand to answer technical questions about the van. While the Audi stand opposite showed off their latest high tech models we also had a few people (adults) sitting behind the steering wheel of the van.
I really don’t know much about Polo but the chap in the picture below (on the right) must be quite good as he seemed to get quite a few cheers from the crowd. Picture taken from the H van.
View from the H Van – Beaufort Polo Club
Beaufort Polo
The Citroen H van was in its element at the Hartham Park Boules competition. The weather was almost Mediterranean, the atmosphere was great and Marshfield Farm’s new Strawberry and Clotted Cream Ice Cream went down a storm.
Citroen HY Van in the Summer Sun
Hartham Park is home to one of the 3 remaining Stické Tennis courts left in the world. The other two being in Devon and India. The picture below shows our van as it drove passed this strange building. I like the way the woodwork of the court matches the Citroen chevrons.
Citroen HY van in front of the Hartham Park Sticke Tennis Court
We hope to make it to a few more boules competitions in the area this year.
Rain didn’t stop the people of Bath from coming out and having a great time in Henrietta Park. The fancy dress dog competition saw dogs dressed in crowns while the jazz band kept our feet tapping. One of the charities the organisers were raising money for was Dorothy House Hospice who Nige raised nearly £1000 for in April when he ran the London Marathon.
Pashley Trike setting up in Henrietta Park, Bath
If you are holding a fundraising event and you would like delicious Marshfield Farm Ice Cream give us a call on 0777 904 3247
Marshfield was bathed in sun for this year’s May Fair. It was great to see so many stalls out and hear the brass band. We dusted down the Pashley Trike for the event.
Marshfield May Fair
We gave a percentage of our takings to Marshfield WI.
If you would like us to attend your village fete give us a call on 0777 904 3247
When I (Nige) is not selling ice cream I am a commercial photographer and one of my personal and non-commercial interests is pinhole photography. I make cameras out of boxes and tins, some of which are exposed for a minute or two others for months or even years. As the Pinhole Wizard I have over 40 cameras continually photographing numerous locations including National Trust sites across the South West. I thought I might try mixing my jobs and point the pinhole camera at our van. You can see a couple of results below, keen observers familiar with the ice cream business will recognise the dishes I use for processing the pictures in the darkroom (4L ice cream tubs).
The pictures are crude, even when compared to the typical mobile phone camera however, they have a mystery to them and it is great to be able to produce images for our website with nothing more than a tin that would otherwise go into the recycling. Our van and trikes can be hired for film or photo shoots, contact us if you would like more information.
Pinhole camera made from coffee tin
Citroen H van photographed with coffee tin camera
Citroen H van photographed with coffee tin camera
In the darkroom with ice cream developing tanks
We were recently asked by a London based PR company if we could serve ice cream to one of their clients as a special Christmas treat. While we could have turned up with our vintage van or the old trike the weather was pretty grim with snow forecast so the solution was to serve Marshfield Farm mini tubs from an usherette tray.
With the tray we could visit every desk and workplace from the warehouse and loading bay to the MD’s office without taking the staff away from their work at the companies busiest time of the year. We provided a choice of ice cream flavours including the very seasonal Christmas pudding flavour.
Despite the weather the ice cream went down a storm.
The Marshfield Mudlark is a cross country run which takes its name from the undershoe quality of the fields, footpaths and tracks that it follows. Normally it is a mud-bath but thanks to a spell of unseasonably good weather it was actually quite dry. Most years the runners warm up after the run with a bacon sandwich, hot chocolate or perhaps a beer but this year they had ice cream.
The H van had one last hora-ah of the season, there was even a queue of exhausted runners waiting for a guilt-free ice cream. We gave a dollop of our takings to Marshfield School PTA.
Marshfield Mudlark – cross country run
If you would like one of our vintage vehicles to sell ice cream at your event send us an email to info@icecreamevents.co.uk
Winner of the veteran’s category
Unlike most modern cars our 1968 Citroen H van doesnt always start first time. In fact it sometimes doesnt start at all however, like many vehicles from this period it is fitted with a hand crank. To avoid being run over by your car the vehicle must be in neutral, the choke (remember that?) is pulled out and the crank handle is inserted through a hole at the front of the vehicle. Cars with their engines at the back such as the older VW Beatles had the hole at the back.
If you are lucky it starts after a couple of turns, if you are unlucky it doesnt. If you are really unlucky it starts with a kick and breaks your wrist. This is one of the reasons they no longer fit hand cranks.
Here is a video of me (Nige) starting the van with the hand crank.
If you look closely at the inside of the bonnet you will see some of the old red paint from the vans previous life as a fire engine.
What a brilliant little festival!! Great music, fantastic food, magical location, lovely people, even the loos had fresh flowers. The Citroen van was on duty serving hot chocolate (with a dollop of Vanilla ice cream) and ice cream to the hungry masses.
Citroen H van at T on the Farm Festival
We can attend events big and small, if you would like to talk to us about your event call 0777 904 3247 or email us at info@icecreamevents.co.uk
Ros and Kirstie taking after serving 4 delicious flavours of ice cream at Helena and Kieran’s wedding
If you would like us to attend your wedding with our trike, van or usherette tray please call Ros on 0777 904 3247
We have just done our first Jazz event at Dyrham Park with our Citroen H Van. The van was originally a fire engine in the south of France but H vans make great ice cream vans. I am 6′ tall and can stand up easily inside, they are very easy to load and unload and they are very French. If you have ever been to the village of Dyrham you will know there is a very steep hill to it from the A46. The brakes in the van are not exactly power assisted and the lack of seat belts, air bags or crumple zones along with the forward opening ‘suicide doors‘ only added to my fear as I headed down to the National Trust site.
Once on site I relaxed to the sound of distant jazz, the van looked just the part and much of the time was spent answering questions from visitors and pointing to oily or rusty things under the bonnet.
Citroen H – ice cream van
The journey home was less dramatic and I have now mastered braking with the engine though this does tend to produce the occasional backfire.
Citroen H van at Dyrham Park
Grace chilling out on the trike at the start of the fete in Henrietta Park in Bath.
Pashley Trike with Grace on the saddle
We were recently invited to attend a charity fundraising event at The Rec in Bath. Being big Rugby fans we jumped at the chance it was only later in the conversation we discovered the sport we in question was Lacrosse. I didn’t know much about the sport but thought it sounded interesting. When we arrived I am glad we turned up in the Citroen van rather than the trike. The thick corrugated panels of the van provided great protection from the ball.
Lacrosse at The Rec in Bath
Lacrosse is a fast moving sport, many of the players were as big as forwards in rugby. While we were parked a good distance from the field the hard ball still rattled off the roof a few times. While many of the players had ice cream to help them to cool down there were a few players that found it helped to soothe swollen gums and bruised cheeks.
Lacrosse at Bath Rugby Club
We were recently invited to attend an educational, fund raising event organised by EColerne in Colerne near Corsham. We learnt about local green initiatives and were able to give a percentage of our takings to local green projects.
Ice Cream Events 