Mr Whippy Leeds: Meet the city's own king of the cones
He is Leeds’s own king of the cones.
Ian Smith has been serving up delicious lip-licking ice cream to the masses for five decades.
His family has been in the business since 1962 when his dad ran the Mr Softie franchise in Leeds with Ian helping serve customers at the age of eight.
He now runs his own ice cream selling empire as Mr Whippy Leeds. The fleet boasts four new ice cream vans and three vintage vans from the 1960s.
And it continues to be a family affair - his wife Tracy works in the business as do his two daughters - Stephanie, 34 and Leanne, 32 - who work on the vans.
“It is all or nothing this job. It can be all hands on decks,” said Ian, 57. It’s a happy job really. You bring joy to people. It puts smiles on people faces. My granddaughter Rosie is only 12. She has worked with me a few days. She is getting into it now.”
Ian will be a familiar face to generations of visitors to Roundhay Park. He was based in the green gem for 25 years with three vans - Lakeside, Tram Park and Arena - before pulling out two years ago.
“I worked on the Lakeside pitch,” said Ian. “We had a great customer base and people will remember me. Nothing lasts forever in this job.”
He has a permanent pitch on Briggate in the city centre and works on corporate and private events including weddings.
Ian says the ice cream van ‘stop me and buy one’ concept has changed down the decades.
“When I first started we went up and down the streets. People would come out and buy one. You would go at the same time every day. People were waiting for you. Customers moaned if you missed or were late. It was a daily thing,” says Ian. “That has gone now. That is why you have permanent pitches. Ice cream has become an impulse buy. It is an instant decision.”
His vans use Greensleeves as the signature tune and Mr Whippy represents soft ice cream.
“It is fresh as well and that is what makes it the best,” he is quick to point out.
He has a clear best seller among the vast array of choice - the traditional 99.
“A cone with a flake out sells everything 3/1,” says Ian from Crossgates in east Leeds. “People think it was once sold for 99p. It never was and never will be. Imagine all the pennies you would have to give back.”
Looking to the future Ian predicts change for the ice cream vans as the world moves towards a greener, cleaner planet.
“Sitting with an engine idling is becoming a thing. In the 1960s and 1970s people could smell the petrol and paraffin from the vans. The future is ice cream vans which can function without the engine running. ”
Ian has just been awarded Mobiler of the Year for the second year running from the Ice Cream Alliance, a UK Trade Association for ice cream manufacturers and retailers which was founded in 1944. The mission of the Alliance is to encourage and support the production, vending and consumption of premium quality ice creams and other frozen treats.
Catherine McNeil, director of operations of the Ice Cream Alliance: "It’s people like Ian who truly give the ice cream industry its good name. We’re incredibly proud of his achievements and his passion for the craft, and it’s wonderful to see him well-loved by his local community in Leeds.”
She added: “Winning Mobiler of the Year, Champion of Champions was no small feat for Ian. He was up against some of the best in the business around the country. But Ian stood out for his dedication to quality, impeccable hygiene, and positive impact on the community. We hope his success inspires the next generation of ice cream vendors to follow in his footsteps."
* National Ice Cream Day is celebrated on Sunday, July 20. It was US President Ronald Reagan who wanted to commemorate a treat enjoyed by over 90 percent of the US population. In 1984, he decreed a day for ice cream - the third Sunday in July.