As we age we all make those inevitable comparisons of life today with the life of our formative years and psychologists have probably got a name and a formula for this age/nostalgia ratio. Let’s be brutally honest here – a lot of things were genuinely better in my own youth such as common courtesy, self-reliance, peoples vocabulary and those little free gifts that came in a box of corn flakes – but I am sure we have all encountered older folk who hammer on about how life was so much better in their more Utopian past and who never seem to quietly contemplate what is actually better.

So, before slipping into the irretrievable status of grumpy old man I thought it time to take a serious look at things that have genuinely improved during my lifetime here in England. This should not include new inventions and technologies as that is an ongoing process for all generations – some good and some bad. It would be easy to nominate the dishwasher for example but that would not be comparing like for like. The big white box that currently sits in my utility room equates – in my childhood – to my mother or even myself. So leaving aside new technologies the task is to consider what has improved and my first nomination is – ice cream (or, more accurately, ‘iced cream’).

I now know that in some countries of this world ice cream was always pretty good and I would guess that if, as a child, I had taken regular tea at Claridges then I wouldn’t be making this comparison today. But tea at Claridges not having been on my social agenda I, like most Brits, had a choice of pap from ‘Walls‘ or pap from ‘Lyons Maid‘. Or, if really lucky, something a little more interesting from the questionably named ‘Mr Whippy’.

Looking back it really was pretty awful and I find it hard to believe that we not only ate the stuff but looked forward to having it again. Mostly it was watery except, of course, for the special occasion ‘Cornish’ which was spiced up with a little colouring and a teaspoon of engine oil.

I remember the first time I encountered what ice cream could be and what it has now become. A local and decent restaurant also ran a petrol station and small shop next door. While rummaging through their ice cream freezer I encountered a tub named ‘English Toffee’. This was clearly put in there by mistake as it was restaurant quality and was also alone. But the guy at the till obviously didn’t know that and sold it to me anyway. Like those pivotal moments in history where you will always remember what you were doing when you heard the news I recall exactly what film I was sitting watching (‘Key Largo‘) when the first spoonful of this magnificent confection hit the taste buds.

Go into almost any grocery shop today, big or small, and you will almost certainly be able to buy ice cream that does not remind you of emulsified and watered down oil and the next time your Grandfather starts ranting on about the good old days, go and buy him a tub of Ben and Jerry’s ‘Cookie Dough’.