Bognor Regis ice cream parlour takes home top prize in 'the Oscars of the ice cream world'

Pinks Parlour, in Waterloo Square, Bognor Regis, took home three awards at this year's National Ice Cream Championships, which has been organised by the Ice Cream Alliance for the last 76 years.

Despite having never entered the competition before, the team at Pinks Parlour came away with the highest honour in the competition: the 'Champion of Champions' award, which recognises the best overall flavour in the UK, pitting flavours from every other category against one another to find the best ice cream in the country.

"We really can't believe it," Mrs Alston said. "We had a plan to enter the competition over three years, to get feedback each year, and make better and better gelato. But little did we know, we won it in the first year. We just really didn't expect it."

It was the ice cream parlour's customer-favourite pistachio flavour which came out on top. Winning the open flavour category, it went up against premium entries from all over the country to be crowned the best scoop in the UK.

"It's really hard to get good pistachio ice cream, because pistachios are expensive. So it's quite difficult to get the balance and we felt we had got it," Mrs Alston said. "We're really critical of our work. There are flavours we're constantly changing to make sure that they're the best they can be and, with our pistachio, we believe that's where we're at with that."

Alongside the open category and champion of champions award, the parlour also won the alternative flavour award category for its dairy free, vegan-friendly Pina Colada.

Ultimately, though, it's been an honour for Mrs Alston and the rest of the team at Pinks Parlour, a meaningful recognition of all their hard work over the last few years. "We're judged by people who are at the top of their game, people who really know their stuff. And some of the feedback has been amazing, they said it was the best pistachio they've ever tasted, that it has the best texture. And these are people whose whole lives are ice cream. We are so, incredibly proud."

To find out more about Pinks Parlour and its latest range of festive flavoured ice cream, which includes reindeer malteaser flavour, Baileys and mince pie flavour, click here.