Bognor Regis ice cream queen's delight at being in running for award

Katy, who runs Pinks Parlour in Waterloo Square with daughter Georgia and a dedicated team of staff, narrowly missed out in the annual parlour of the year competition run by the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the trade body for the UK’s £1.4billion a year industry.

But far from being disappointed at just missing out, Katy – known locally as the town’s Mrs Whippy – says she is thrilled that the standards are so high within the industry. Otter Valley Ice Cream and Field kitchen in Devon won the Ice Cream Alliance accolade.

And Katy, a past president of the ICA and currently on the board, says her business is now focused on "selling happiness" throughout the busy summer months.

She added: "It isn't just ice cream, it's so much more, it's the whole experience. These days, as customers, as consumers, our expectations are high and that is really good and it means that we have all got to be at the top of our game and that is exactly what the finalists and runners up did.

"Yes, we have to offer an amazing product; yes, it has to be something really special but it's the whole package. Some of our guests drive for an hour to get here and that is an incredible endorsement of what we do here. You get to be part of people's lives. I started off with the ice cream van and I wanted to turn that experience to a parlour. We have to offer something so much more. It's a privilege working in this industry because what we are selling is happiness.”

Joseph McNeil, national president of the Ice Cream Alliance, said the dedication shown by entrants in the awards -- sponsored by RSS Hereford, ice cream production equipment specialists -- was admirable. He added: “The parlour of the year competition was introduced by the Ice Cream Alliance to showcase the professionalism and quality of our parlour sector. In only its second year it is great to see the competition thriving with record entries.”