The greatest discovery of this term at Durham is without a doubt Split & Glory Ice Cream Parlour, situated above Chapter’s Tea Rooms on Elvet Bridge. Yes, okay, I lied. This post isn’t just about milkshake.
As soon as I stepped into the cute little room and heard a vintage jukebox playing Grease my heart was filled with love and joy. And before I even had the opportunity to take a slurp of milkshake or spoonful of sundae my soul was sold to the sugar devil – that was the moment my eyes caught sight of the giant menu of epicness looming above me.
It’s not a confession because I feel no shame in my gluttonous actions, only happiness: I returned to Split & Glory in less than a week.
The first time I went with the girls we all had milkshakes, the second time we stepped it up a gear with sundaes (although the most expensive milkshake costs around £5, whilst the most expensive sundae is priced under £4). I was expecting the parlour to be really busy but it wasn’t which was nice. My first visit was kept light with an ice cream float (around £2) – a true visionary of my own accord, I paired mango ice-cream with lemon and lime soda (though watch out, because Marieke revisited and was refused this request for some unfortunate reason). Meanwhile, Harry and Lucy tried an extravagant concoction of chocolate ice-cream and oreo milkshake, decked out with whipped cream, smarties and a flake.
You can see why my modest choice tempted an eager return.
The sundaes were a great shout because they allowed us to mix things up a bit – for example, Lydia chose a sundae option (with brownie topping which apparently was wonderfully gooey) where she asked for the vanilla ice-cream to be replaced with cookie dough. Becca had the peanut brittle sundae whilst I opted for ‘The American Dream’ (replacing all the ice-cream choices with my own suggestions, of course). The combination of peanut, cinder toffee and cookie dough ice-cream topped with marshmallow fluff, whipped cream and oreo was to die for. Literally to die for. It made me want to consume all the sundaes in the world which ultimately would clog up my arteries. However, at least I would die knowing what true happiness is.
The ice-cream flavours are impressive – bubblegum, banana, popcorn, peanut and pistachio are not options you see everywhere. They’re also looking for jobs now which is all too tempting. Maybe when you go (because I order you to go) you might see me there – remember to bring cash if you do, because we don’t take cards.
Adventures in Food 