Okey Cokey Memories

THESE DAYS ice cream seems to be part of our food menu but in my early days this was not the case.

My first taste of ice cream was taken in Mrs Clement’s shop whilst waiting in Groby for the Markfield bus to take me home. I joined the other children for a piece of greaseproof paper on which was deposited one scoop of yellow ice which tasted suspiciously like cold custard. A treat then it was.

In the 1950s Rossa and Masserella sent their ice cream vans with jingles and the Okey Men into our village. They had plenty of customers, even up at Hillside, where the girls used to chat up the drivers, who had at least three sorts of ice cream to sell.

The local ice cream king, however, was Luigi Brucciani who lived with his family in splendour at The White House on Bradgate Hill, Markfield. In 1893, the Bruccianis came to England to promote their authentic Italian ice cream. Recently, they celebrated 130 years of business owning several restaurants.

Their English was limited but a fortune was made. Luigi had a restaurant in High Street in Leicester and could be seen often behind the counter sporting a yellow bow tie on all occasions. He was a very ‘hands-on’ owner.

My dad worked next door and became friendly with Mr Brucciani who told him that his cafe was on the wrong side of the street for making money!

My mother taught his son Michael in school and always enjoyed seeing him come in his uniform of frilly shirt and blue velvet trousersItalian style.

One day Michael was thrilled to confide in my mum that dad (Luigi) had spent the weekend perfecting a new flavour of ice cream. Pepperming Ice was the result and soon appeared in the restaurant.

Apparently the Romans were the first to discover ice cream and now we benefit from the skill of the later Italians in perfecting the many flavours we have today.

The Brucciani family now own several restaurants and cafes, some in the north of England, and their ice cream is said to be the best in the country.

I’d love to try it again!

Margaret Pike, Markfield