We’re all melting under what feels like the second never-ending heatwave of the summer. Staying hydrated is, of course, the most important thing, but we might as well use this as an excuse to try some new ice cream flavours while we’re at it.

And what a choice we have. Really, the world is our oyster. From chocolatiers serving up unexpected Japanese-inspired flavours to Roman-style frozen desserts that are worth crossing the city for, London’s gelato scene is pulling out all the stops this summer. These ice creams may not quench your thirst, but they will make all your sweet summer dreams come true.

Without further ado, here are some of our favourite brand-new creations from London’s most prized gelaterias.

Pierre Marcolini

Renowned Belgian chocolatier, Pierre Marcolini, has turned his eyes to ice cream this summer, with a new collection called “My Journey Through Japan” inspired by his travels there. The flavours are a celebration of some of the most treasured Japanese ingredients, including:

• Matcha
• Black sesame
• Hazelnut and white miso
• Mango and yuzu sorbet

Everything is churned to order, so the turbines only stop when you place yours, giving it a lighter, fresher texture than ice cream that’s been sitting in a tub. Alongside the Japan range, Marcolini’s classics are still on the menu: his São Tomé and Príncipe chocolate, Madagascan vanilla, pistachio, a Congo chocolate sorbet, and raspberry sorbet. Every flavour is finished with his signature chocolate disc, which cracks under a spoon and folds through the scoop, adding texture and a good hit of cacao. You’ll find it all at his Notting Hill and Marylebone boutiques, in a small cup (£5.50), large cup (£7.00), or chocolate cone (£7.00).

Badiani

Two Tuscan families just did the food collab equivalent of finishing each other’s sentences. This May, Badiani Gelato – the Florentine institution that’s been perfecting gelato since 1932 – has teamed up with Antonio Mattei, the Prato bakery that’s been baking cantucci to the same five-ingredient recipe since 1858, to turn the leftover Christmas biscuits into something worth queuing in the scorching heat for. Three new flavours land across Badiani’s stores, each one folding chunks of the actual Mattei biscuit through Badiani’s gelato base:

• Cantucci Almond Gelato
• Cantucci Pistachio Gelato
• Cantucci Chocolate Chip Gelato

You get the nutty, toasted warmth of almond, the deeper, more grown-up hit of pistachio, and chocolate-studded crunch running through all three.

The backstory makes it better, not just sweeter. Mattei’s cantucci have been baked daily in the same Prato premises since the Pandolfini family took over in the early 1900s, and they proved so popular over Christmas that Badiani didn’t want them to disappear -so they reworked the surplus biscuits into gelato instead of letting them go to waste. All Badiani locations are now serving the new flavours, which range from £5 for a Piccolo with one flavour up to £6.60 for a Grande with all three.

Gelupo

Gelupo, the Soho gelateria founded in 2010, is adding Cremolato to its menu for the first time from 25th June. And to mark the special launch, the first 50 customers on Thursday 25th from midday get one free.

Sitting somewhere between a granita and a sorbet, Cremolato is a southern Italian specialty associated with Rome, Puglia and parts of Sicily. It’s made with a high proportion of real fruit pulp alongside nut pastes and chocolate, and entirely dairy-free, which gives it an intensity of flavour without the heaviness of gelato. Launch flavours are sour cherry, strawberry and almond, with more added through summer as different fruits come into season. In keeping with Italian tradition, it’s served with a generous amount of freshly whipped cream on top. Why be a plain Jane when you can delight yourself with a full-blown Roman ice cream creation?

Ice Cream Union

Ice Cream Union has been outclassing the competition for twenty years, ever since Alex Fubini and his brother Franco decided they could do better than what was already out there. These days their client list reads like a wishlist for any ambitious restaurant – Andrew Wong, Sally Clarke, Lina Stores, La Fromagerie -all buying ice cream from a brand that makes its own purées, juices, ferments and nut pastes from scratch at its Bermondsey kitchen.

Summer brings three new additions:

• Lavender and Apricot Ripple
• Cheesecake and Strawberry Ripple
• Yogurt and Summer Berries

You can visit Ice Cream Union in both Bermondsey and Chelsea, so both West and Eastenders are covered.

AndChill

Tucked into Netil Market in Hackney, &chill has built a loyal following for gelato that doesn’t follow the usual rulebook. Founder Larissa Stange started out with pop-ups at Peckham Arches before settling into a permanent spot, and her menu has always pushed past the standard flavour list. The latest additions continue that:

• Umami Stout Caramel combines Guinness and Marmite with ribbons of stout caramel
• Picante Sorbet is a vegan, chilli-lime sorbet inspired by the classic cocktail, with a clean heat that lingers after each spoonful
• Salted Brown Butter & Choc Crisp folds broken dark chocolate waffle cone through a salted brown butter gelato
• Cendol Jenner & Ube brings together pandan and coconut sugar gelato with a vivid purple Ube, drawing on Southeast Asian dessert traditions

You can pick these up in person at &chill’s shop in Netil Market, Hackney, Thursday to Sunday. They’re also available as tubs for delivery across London zones 1 and 2 (minimum order £24) or for pickup from their SE15 kitchen, ordered directly through &chill’s website.

Neuhaus

Neuhaus is the chocolatier that invented the praline back in 1857, and that kind of pedigree means everything they do gets approached with the same precision -including, as of this summer, mousse served like ice cream. New at their Covent Garden, Bath and Harrogate boutiques, the chocolate mousse comes in milk or dark – a refined, considerably more luscious version of the usual ice cream scoop.

Toppings are up to everyone’s creativity: caramel d’Isigny pieces, raspberry flakes, or caramelised almonds if you want crunch alongside the cocoa. Each cup arrives with an edible biscuit spoon, and the mousse costs £4.50 for one scoop with a topping up to £7 for two. The mousse is a permanent fixture at the Bath boutique, while Covent Garden and Harrogate are serving it through the end of August – so if you’re in London, this is one to catch before your next holiday.

Anya Cafe

Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project is back for a fifth year at The Village, and the joke is the same one that’s worked for five summers running: turn the contents of a British kitchen cupboard into ice cream and see who’s brave enough to order it.

This year’s flavours are just as bizarre as the previous years, including sesame and soy sauce, butter, CapriSun orange, and sweetcorn. There’s also Mini Cheddars through a cheese ice cream, golden syrup with chunks of Yorkshire pudding, and coffee made with Devonshire cream. Anything your heart wants and desires.

You can also try the Blind Tasting Tea at Anya Cafe, which serves all fifteen flavours with a scorecard, so you can guess your way through the lineup. The Ice Cream Project runs until 16th August at The Village, 11 Pont Street, Belgravia – scoops to eat in, tubs to take away.

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