A popular ice cream shop owner made an appearance on BBC One yesterday afternoon.
Michele Mancini, owner of the Ice Cream Factory on West Portland Street, was chatting to Roo Irvine from the Antiques Road Trip as she visited the shop as part of a trip around Ayrshire searching for hidden gems.
Roo questioned Michele on the history of his family and their experience in the ice cream trade and she even tried her hand at making her own ice cream with the help of Michele.
Michele explained how he first got into the business: "[It was] probably when I was a boy, in my mother and father's cafe. Just getting in from school and that's all you ever did, was work in the family cafe."
It was Michele's grandfather who started the original business.
"My grandparents came from Italy, early 1900s, came to London, and then came up to Scotland and opened the firt ice cream cafe in Ayr."
But tragedy struck the family in 1940, when Michele's grandfather, and all other Italians, were designated a threat after Mussolini declared war against Britain and France.
"My grandfather, he was a British citizen, he was interned on the Arandora Star. Sadly the ship was sunk, torpedoed off the west coast of Ireland and he was lost at sea.
My father's mother and my father took over the reins of the business. Ice cream cafe, fish and chips and it kind of developed from there."
Well...what do you all think of my ice-cream making skills today on @AntiqueRoadTrip? 😱🤪🤣 I had the best day with these wonderful people- a family business, hard graft & making ancestors proud!🙌 I named my ice-cream "Honey, comb on over!" What would you name yours? Do tell!😘 pic.twitter.com/q1LjHsLLvb
— Roo Irvine (@RooIrvine) May 13, 2021
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