Just a quick blog post today as the weather is b e a utiful and we should all be making the most of it! I'm finally back in my hometown and favourite city of York and I couldn't be happier! There are so many things I love about my city but one of the main things has got to be the incredible amount of independent bars, restaurants, cafe's and shops inside the city walls. Today, in keeping with the sunshine, we're going to go down one of York's many side streets to cool down in the cutest mini ice cream parlour EVER!
Tucked behind Brown's department store down a street named Back Swinegate lies the Luxury Ice Cream Company, or as they like to be called; LICC.
The shop front is small but trust me you cannot miss it! The first clue you are nearby is a small line of bright pink umbrellas and seating outside- perfect for the summer!
York doesn't have many shops wholly dedicated to ice cream but LICC pulls out all of the stops to be the best and most typically adorable ice cream and sweetshop. The outside of the parlour is bursting with cute features; mini trees line the doorway, bunting hangs from the windows and even the sign is shaped like an ice cream.
For me, what I have always really loved about LICC is the way in which it manages to be busy, packed full to bursting with decorations and quirks yet is not in the slightest bit tacky or cluttered. All of the decorations- and yes, there are a LOT- seem to fit nicely together and have been picked tastefully so the parlour just feels cosy and pretty and still holds that element of luxury that the name indicates. The prettiness extends to the inside of LICC too as bright colours, vintage sweet adverts and jars of sweets from both past and present adorn the walls.
Seating is limited, with only four or five tables inside and three outside although a lot of people like to eat ice cream whilst exploring the city and as the Minster is a stones throw away from LICC I imagine most people head out with their treats. If you do decide do sit in however, you will be surrounded by colour and sat on vintage looking pink chairs and tables.
Now for the important part- the ice cream! It's worth mentioning that alongside the ice cream and sweets, LICC also have a selection of homemade cakes and coffees to choose from although in the 27 degree heat I only had eyes for the ice cream!
Here we are! Rows and rows of the stuff! The flavours change fairly often as LICC makes its own ice cream and therefore every time you go there could well be a new surprise! The best part is, if you're curious about a flavour or unsure you can just ask for a taste...which is exactly what I did with the brown bread ice cream (it was delicious by the way!). Tubs or cones, ice cream or sorbet, chocolates or fruit there is absolutely an ice cream for everyone! From standard vanilla, chocolate and strawberry to oreo, malteaser, ginger, chocolate brownie and ferrero rocher you can imagine the time it takes to decide which to pick!
To make life even harder, there are all sorts of sauces, toppings and even chocolate figures that you can add to your ice cream to make it that bit more special. For those that are simply too indecisive there is a menu so sundaes and old favourites such as a knickerbocker glory and banana split are all up for grabs!
I couldn't resist the chocolate brownie ice cream complete with real homemade brownie inside and paired it with the malteaser ice cream- a little more vanilla-y but crammed with malteasers and flecks of chocolate. Heavenly!
My partner in crime for the day, Kim, chose completely different to me, opting for the cherry bakewell ice cream and was overjoyed when she discovered a third of a real cherry bakewell hidden inside! She couldn't resist a bit of chocolate either and teamed her cherry with the cookies and cream ice cream. Not a lot of talking went on as we sat outside and demolished the lot!
There we have it! One of my favourite place in York full stop! For coffee and a cake or to enjoy the city's best ice cream from a local business head to 20 Back Swinegate and look out for the pink!
How have you been enjoying the weather? What flavour would you pick?
G x
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