The No 99 ice-cream is synonymous with summertime, with the soft whipped cream cone and chocolate flake a treat Brits have enjoyed for generations. But have you ever wondered why it is called a 99?
According to Cadbury, speaking with Birmingham Live newspaper, it has not got anything to do with its original price, as many people believe.
Indeed, lots of parents reminisce about the ice-cream costing less than £1 in their childhood, whereas they would not get much change from a £5 note for two cones these days, if any at all.
In fact, The Sun recently reported that an ice-cream van near Borough Market in south London has been selling the cool snacks for £5 each, with the rising cost of fuel, ingredients and energy bills forcing the sell to hike up prices.
However, Cadbury’s spokesperson said the name actually hails back to the Italian royal family.
“In the days of the monarchy in Italy, the King had an elite guard consisting of 99 soldiers,” they stated, adding: “Subsequently, anything really special or first class was known as ‘99’.”
At the time Cadbury launched its small chocolate Flakes for ice-creams in 1930, there were a lot of ex-pat Italians in the UK. Therefore, in an attempt to appeal to them, the company named the Flake a ‘99’.
There is likely to have been a big demand for ice-creams of any sort recently, as temperatures across the country have been in high-20Cs and low-30Cs over the last few days, which is significantly warmer than the average reading for June at 18C.
Get your hands on cream chargers in Manchester today.