It's got my tastebuds going! The most creative ice creams that were created in South Tyneside

We couldn’t miss out on celebrating this big day which arrives on July 1 each year.

After all, South Tyneside has a history of coming up with some fantastically creative flavours over the years, as reported in the Shields Gazette.

A limited edition salted caramel ice cream was available to buy in 2015 but only for the duration of Restaurant Week.

It was launched after Joe Minchella discovered that salt panning took place in the town centuries ago, with people regularly boiling up sea water to extract the salt.

Minchellas came up with Christmas pudding ice cream in December 2012 and it looked delicious.

A distinctive raisin flavour

Owner Michael Minchella and his son Joe’s creation had all the usual ingredients of the festive favourite, including a distinctive raisin flavour.

It also had a generous dollop of the famous Minchella ice cream.

The public loved it and it was added to the menu at the company’s cafes in Ocean Road and Sea Road, South Shields.

Memories of the sweet mince pie

But that wasn’t all. If you loved treats with a festive twist, a sweet mince pie ice cream was also created.

Joe, 24, manager of the Ocean Road shop which opened in 1943, was the fourth generation to join the family business.

He said in 2012: "We wanted to do something in tune with the festive season so we came up with the Christmas pudding ice cream.

Cup win was the icing on the cake

"Most people love Christmas pudding and ice cream, so putting them together seemed the logical thing to do.”

Joe added: "We firmly believe that the secret to making exceptional ice cream is a combination of the best-quality ingredients and years of knowledge and experience, which has been passed through the family for generations."

The festive flavoured ice cream was already a hit among industry experts.

It was first unveiled in 2011 at an Ice Cream Alliance gathering in Harrogate and it won the Silver Challenge Cup.

Minchella & Co launched a full menu free from dairy and animal products in 2019.

After previously running several limited-edition vegan specials to gauge the popularity of the products, the ice-cream artists went all out with menu including traditional favourites such as the knickerbocker glory, sundaes and floats and the good old vegan ‘99’ style cone – complete with flake made from vegan milk chocolate.

We want your verdict about the quirkiest ice cream you have ever tried. Email [email protected]