ALMOST all of us must remember the nostalgic sound of the ice cream van's cheery tunes as it turned down our road during the summer holidays.
Whether we were allowed one or not was another matter, however.
Zina, 55, from Surrey, knows only too well the delight an ice cream van can bring to children, having been an ice cream lady for over 20 years.
Here, she gives Fabulous the 'inside scoop' of what her job really involves – from the celebs she's served, the secret to making a perfect Mr Whippy, and that one annoying question she's always asked…
Ice job
It might sound like an easy life, but actually there's a lot more to being an ice cream lady than just serving treats and listening to upbeat music.
Zina reveals: "I get up around 6.30am and clean the van, drain the ice cream machine and clean it all, go to buy stock, and then head to work on my pitch in West End Esher, Surrey, which is a tiny little village in the suburbs.
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"I tend to get there around 11.30am when the kids are at school and earlier when the children are off school, and then weekends around 10am.
"I’m there for passing trade and the villagers who all know me – I've been there so long I’m almost a permanent fixture on the village green!
"You get to know people after so long and everyone goes past with a wave and a smile and quite often pop over for a little chat.
"I leave after six usually although sometimes in the summer on Friday nights the kids do cricket so I’m there until around 7pm, then drive straight home."
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Flavour of the month
There's one big question we all want to know the answer to – why does an ice cream from the van taste so much better than shop-bought from the freezer?
Zina says: "Good quality ingredients, and you have to hold the cone in a certain way to get the large whip.
"The most popular orders are Mr Whippy with a flake, Mr bubble lolly, cider lollies with the older generation, and the Oreo and marshmallow cones that we do.
"As it’s quite an affluent area I’m asked if I do flavours like salted caramel or bubblegum – but I’m strictly vanilla Mr Whippy.
"People often ask for strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce and lime sauce – they’re not on the menu but I do have them."
Celebrity fans
It's not just school kids that get a craving for a lolly or ice cream either.
Zina says: "I’ve had quite a few footballers come to the van, and I once had Andy Murray come to buy ice cream.
"All of them have been very nice.
"I was once reading a magazine with Louise Redknapp in it and she approached the van as I was reading it, and was so lovely!"
Ice ice baby
Obviously having a job that involves serving up sweet treats means Zina wins brownie points, especially with her daughter's mates.
Zina says: "My daughter used to be quite shy about the fact in front of her friends.
"I did do one year at her school fete though, and I was number one mum that day.
"I love being an ice cream lady – the people are lovely and it’s incredibly scenic where I am and very peaceful, and I've seen children grow up as I’ve been here for so long."
99 problems – but a flake ain't one
While there are many perks, as with any customer-facing role, there are going to be some moments where you want to roll your eyes.
Zina says: "As I’m based in a little village most of my customers are wonderful.
"Occasionally you might get the odd man making a rude gesture about a 99 – but generally it doesn’t happen very often."
In terms of annoying questions Zina gets all the time, she says: "[People ask] why isn’t it 99p anymore?
"It’s always been called a 99 flake, not the fact it was 99p.
"When I’m busy people say 'oh you must be raking it in', but actually the cost of running an ice cream van can be pretty high.
"If anything goes wrong it can cost thousands.
"When we had to get a generator to make it more environmentally friendly, and it cost so much money.
"The least favourite part is boredom on a slow day in the van.
"I take magazines but if the weather turns the lack of customers can turn the business from super busy to almost nothing."
A 'cream' come true
For Zina, making her customers smile is the most important thing.
Zina says: "People always assume it’s an ice cream man when they come up so when they see it’s a lady it does make people smile if they’re newcomers.
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"Most children say they want to be an ice cream lady when they grow up.
"Even if you don’t buy an ice cream when you walk past my van, I like to have a chat!"
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