rossi’s lemon ice
One of my favourite food bloggers, Kavey of KaveyEats, hit upon a great idea for bloggers everywhere to explore their childhood ice cream-related memory. Like most Britons, particularly those that grew up on the coast, ice cream is a very tangible memory to me. One brand in particular is the first that comes to mind: not Wall’s, not Lyons Maid, not Haagen-Dazs. Rossi’s. And their specialty is the Rossi Lemon Ice.
This is the kiosk I would get my Rossi’s lemon ice from. (Image copyright Upixa.com via “Southend Sites”)
Rossi’s is known throughout South Essex as the ice cream brand. The Rossi’s van came round my street every night after school, you could stroll along Marine Parade and visit their shop, or drop by their kiosk on Southend High Street. I was astonished as I grew up and went outside of the county to realise no-one else had heard of it. But it’s a brand that goes back eighty years, and it’s familiar blue-and-white livery is a prominent landmark on the Southend promenade.
The Rossi brand was started by the Rossi family in 1932, both selling and manufacturing in the Southend area. Nearly a hundred years later and a few changes in ownership and the product is still sold and made in South East Essex – truly one of the brands associated with the region.
The kiosk is now unfortunately gone, yet you can buy tubs of their ice cream in many grocers and delis throughout the county. It’s not quite as magic buying it this way, but it still tastes the same as when I was eating it thirty years ago.
Their “vanilla” ice cream is great – doesn’t actually taste of vanilla, it tastes of white, but it’s great – but the crown jewel in their flavour riches is the lemon sorbet, or as it’s more commonly known, “the Rossi lemon ice”. If you’ve not had the pleasure it doesn’t quite taste like a sorbet that you are used to; it’s smooth and extremely fine-grained, with a curious luminous yellow hue. But it’s the perfect treat on a hot Summer stroll along Southend High Street.
The Rossi kiosk on Western Esplanade, Southend-on-Sea 2023
For my attempt I needed a really strong syrup with a slick of gelatine to try and recreate the smooth texture of the Rossi lemon ice. After freezing I was amazed how close to the real thing it tasted! It’s a perfect little scoop of childhood memories.
Visit KaveyEats for more info and lots of brill ice cream recipes!
Rossi's lemon ice
Ingredients
- 300 ml water
- 200 g sugar
- 150 ml lemon zest and juice about 4 lemons
- 1 leaf of gelatine snipped into tiny pieces
- 1-2 drops yellow food colouring optional
Instructions
- Peel and juice the lemons - I would try and keep the zest as large as possible to make it easy to fish out later. Bring everything to boil in a saucepan. As soon as it boils take it off the heat and whisk vigorously to dissolve the sugar and gelatine. Strain off the zest. Pour into a freezable container and freeze overnight.
- When ready to serve, whizz up in a food processor and serve in a cornet, garnished with a Cadbury's Flake.
I’ve never heard of Rossi’s but I grew up in Luton, so it’s not surprising. Sadly, I don’t remember any local or regional ice cream specialists from my area at all. Love that you recreated your childhood favourite. And thanks for the lovely comments.
I’m not deluded then, the brand didn’t spread that far! Glad to join in Kavey.
Love, love, love Rossi’s. Did you know that they no longer serve the lemon ice in cones (only tubs) as it is prone to toppling over and falling on the floor! Fact!
I did not know that! That networking evening at Rossi’s was not a complete waste of time.
Another great fact is that the vanilla cone tastes soooo good thanks to it being made using double cream instead of single… I could go all day 🙂
I’ll get KP to try this recipe when we find somewhere to settle down… Looks yummy!
Ooh heaven! I used to like the half lemon, half vanilla they used to do from the same machine!
What witchcraft is this? I never knew this was an option!
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I love Rossi ice cream. I especially like the really retro parlour they have down on the seafront near Westcliff. It’s like stepping back to the 50’s in there. Well done for recreating some Gary. Long live Rossi and long live Essex. That is all.
Not a lot I can add to that Dan! Well said.
I had totally forgotten about Rossi ice cream since leaving Essex ten years ago, now I have a massive craving for it! Thanks for a trip down memory lane.
I’ve seen Rossi’s on day trips to Southend. I’ve always wondered if there was a Status Quo connection somewhere?!
The history section of Rossi’s website neglects to mention that bit of trivia.
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Yes, Francis Rossi is related to the Rossi ice cream company–I believe his father ran the business for many, many years.
That’s a great piece of trivia!