A hand-dipped Magnum on Regent Street was one of the small pleasures of this summer day in London. There were crowds, fashion events and two tempting queues: one for ordinary wrapped ice creams, and another for a Magnum coated in chocolate while you watched.
I chose the dipping station. This archive film, first published on 25 August 2016, follows the whole process, from joining the queue to taking the first bite. The ice creams at this event were free, which made the decision even easier.
Joining the Magnum queue on Regent Street
It was a windy day, and the breeze competed with the camera microphone as I introduced the event. Both queues looked substantial. However, a freshly dipped ice cream was something I did not get to try every day, so that was the one worth waiting for.
The temporary counter turned a familiar treat into something to stop and watch. Staff worked in front of the crowd, coating each bar and adding its finishing touches before handing it over. Meanwhile, Regent Street carried on around us, with visitors moving between the summer activities.
In the end, my wait was about 15 minutes. The member of staff marshalling the queue told me that waits at some similar pop-up events could reach two hours. That was her comparison on the day, rather than a promise about how quickly any other queue would move.
Choosing the chocolate
There were several choices to make. You could start with chocolate or vanilla ice cream, then choose dark or white chocolate for the coating. A contrasting drizzle finished the surface.
I went for vanilla, dipped in dark chocolate, with white chocolate drizzled over the top. At the counter, the process was easy to follow: an ice cream went into the melted chocolate, came back out with its fresh coating and moved to the finishing area.
The film takes its time here. You can watch the staff prepare other orders as well as my own, with the chocolate containers, trays and waiting customers all close to the camera. It is a small piece of food theatre on a busy London street.
A freshly dipped Magnum, ready to try
Once the white-chocolate drizzle was in place, the finished bar looked particularly good against its dark shell. There was also a small white-chocolate Magnum disc on the front. Before eating it, though, I needed to give the coating a couple of minutes to set.
I stepped away from the counter and found somewhere to try it. I already liked Magnum ice creams, and the freshly dipped version felt like a treat. The combination I had chosen gave me vanilla ice cream beneath dark chocolate, with the sweeter white drizzle across it.
This was a quick stop during a day out, rather than a formal tasting. The pleasure was in watching it being made, choosing the chocolate and then enjoying it there on the street. A free ice cream was certainly a welcome addition to the afternoon.
A temporary summer pop-up
In the film I also mention a Magnum pop-up shop near Bond Street that summer, where people could buy a freshly dipped ice cream. Those references belong to 2016. The Regent Street giveaway and the shop were temporary experiences, so this is an archive of the visit rather than a guide to a current outlet.
That is part of the reason I like keeping these smaller London films. A temporary counter, its queue and the choices on offer can disappear after an event. Here, the footage preserves the details of one brief stop, alongside the larger buildings and familiar shops of Regent Street.
Back to the Regent Street event
After the ice cream, it was time to take another look around and find some of the fashion activity elsewhere on the street. This short edit comes from my wider Regent Street Summer Streets film and keeps the dipping station as its main subject.
For a different view of the same street, see Regent Street Christmas Lights 2019: The Switch-On Night.
Watch the original Magnum film
From the Roberts London film “Hand Dipped Ice Cream Magnum Dipping Bar London”, first published 25 August 2016.
