Ice Cream My Story

This story belongs to Cadia

and her Great-Uncle Nino.

It's a tiny tale about Uncle Nino's life

and the things he used to do when he was young

and what life was like growing up in the family ice cream business.

Now it's time for Uncle Nino to share his memories

and take Cadia on a journey of discovery.

Cadia and her Uncle Nino live by the sea in Northern Ireland.

Cadia loves to play shops.

Uncle Nino, do you want to play shops with me?

Yes, I'll play shops with you.

-Am I buying or selling?

-Buying. I'm the shopkeeper.

-What are you selling?

-Lots of different stuff.

You're not selling ice cream like the rest of our family?

For over 100 years, Uncle Nino's family have been making ice cream.

That's a long time!

I'll show you something. You see this dish? Your great-grandfather

used to use this when he had his ice cream shop.

It's very pretty.

And that special family dish

has been used to eat all different sorts of flavours.

Yummy!

And they talk some more about long ago.

Let's find out more.

Uncle Nino's family came from Italy,

but moved to Northern Ireland where he was born.

My mother and father were born in Italy.

He married my mother and they both came over

and settled in Portstewart.

They bought this cafe from a great uncle called the Cafe Lido.

We had a hundred years of making ice cream.

Their ice cream is so tasty that it's won lots of special awards.

When Uncle Nino was a boy,

he went with his little brother Corado to Italy

to live with their grandmother

so they could learn to speak Italian.

Then they came home to work in the family's ice cream shop.

And here's Uncle Nino when he opened his very own ice cream shop.

Doesn't he look happy?

Cadia has lots to learn from her Uncle Nino

about making the family ice cream.

Uncle Nino's going to make some homemade ice cream.

-Would you like to help me?

-Yes, please.

-The first ingredient we're putting in here is milk. OK?

-Uh-huh.

-Keep going.

-Cadia is learning how to make the family ice cream recipe.

Good.

There are lots of different ingredients in their recipe,

including eggs, milk and sugar.

It's going to take about six hours to cool down.

We've time to go and play golf. Would you like to do that?

Yes, please.

Ice cream takes a long time to get really cold,

so Uncle Nino and Cadia have plenty of time to play golf.

Cadia is getting top tips from her Uncle Nino.

You've played a very good shot!

Good effort, Cadia. But watch this.

Now it's Uncle Nino's turn.

OK. That's a bit wide.

Hang on a minute!

Unbelievable! Uncle Nino gets a hole-in-one!

Now, back to their homemade ice cream.

Uncle Nino is using a special machine to help mix it.

It looks lovely. It's ready.

-It does.

-Are you looking forward to it?

Yes.

It's a bit soft but it'll be still nice anyway.

-Are you ready to taste this?

-Yes, please.

-All right, there you are.

-Thank you.

Tell me what you think?

It's good!

-You like it?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Cadia's not the only one who loves ice cream.

Ice cream has been a tasty treat for a very long time.

And not just on holiday.

Any time of year is good for ice cream.

We can't get enough of it.

Uncle Nino is taking Cadia to visit the family's ice cream factory.

Here they make lots of ice cream to sell in their shops.

And Uncle Nino has a special family test in store for Cadia.

When my parents used to make ice cream many years ago,

they only made one flavour and that was vanilla.

We have the same recipe after all these years,

but we have 40 other flavours.

There are so many to choose from. Just look at those!

And don't forget the chocolate sauce!

And, of course, good old vanilla.

I have three mystery flavours...

and I want you to tell me what they are.

-This is the first one.

-DRUM ROLL

You can do it, Cadia.

-Strawberry?

-Very good!

Good answer, Cadia!

-Now, Cadia, taste the second one.

-DRUM ROLL

-Banana?

-That's very good.

-Wahey!

-My favourite.

This is a very strange one here.

-Smell that one.

-DRUM ROLL

-Bubblegum?

-Bubblegum! That's excellent!

-Three out of three!

-Thank you.

Tell me now, what's your favourite flavour?

-Chocolate!

-Of course.

Top marks for Cadia!

Now she's ready to make some family ice cream.

But what flavour will she choose?

Lots of people in Cadia's family make ice cream,

including her Uncle Naldo.

They use the same family recipe from years gone by,

but big machines do all the work now like stirring, heating and cooling.

And then the ice cream comes flowing out of the pipe

into the containers ready to be eaten.

Doesn't that look good?

This is the machine where we freeze the finished ice cream.

And today, Cadia, we are going to make your own special flavour.

-What's your favourite?

-Chocolate!

-Hey!

First, Cadia carries out a taste test.

Will it be chocolate curls?

-What do you think of that?

-Good.

Or chocolate beans?

Will we add those into your ice cream?

-Yes, please.

-Of course, she wants both.

And in goes the ice cream mixture.

Now it's time for the machine to do its work.

And some chocolate curls.

And there's only one thing left to do, Cadia.

Press go.

MACHINERY CHURNS

Here it is, Cadia's very own chocolate ice cream.

That looks delicious!

-Would you like to try the ice cream?

-Yes, please.

And what do you think?

Really good.

So Cadia has now designed her own ice cream,

but what should she do with it?

Here's an idea.

Cadia, how would you like to design your own ice cream sundae

so that we can sell it in the shop?

-What do you think, Uncle Nino?

-Yes, please.

What about using the flavour

that you made in the factory this morning?

And we'll put it in my dad's old silver dish.

That's a great idea!

This is the very special silver ice cream dish

that's been used by Cadia's family for years and years!

I'm going to put this piece of chocolate in.

Good. Good girl. What else do you want to put in it?

I'm going to put more chocolate beans in.

Cadia can't get enough of them!

-That's lovely.

-Thank you.

And tell me, what else would you like to put in it?

-Can I have some chocolate sauce, please?

-Of course you can. Lovely!

Ah! Yum, yummy!

I'm going to put this decoration in.

Good.

That'll be the finishing touch.

And now I'm going to put a spoon in to eat it.

-And you're going to taste it?

-I'm going to taste it.

I'll do the same.

Oh!

Yummy, yum!

What an amazing ice cream sundae.

And now, Uncle Nino is going to let Cadia help him in the ice cream shop.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Could I have one scoop, please?

-Yes.

-Of...Cadia's Surprise.

Of course.

Cadia is scooping the ice cream she made at the factory.

And scooping can be a tricky business.

-There you go.

-Thank you. How much is that, please?

-80p, please.

-There you are. Thank you very much. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

-Well done. Now you can run a business.

-Yay!

Great job selling your own ice cream, Cadia.

And Uncle Nino is very impressed too.

Thank you, Uncle Nino, for letting me work in a real ice cream shop.

-Oh, I enjoyed it. Did you?

-Yes.

Cadia found out so much from her Uncle Nino.

She not only made ice cream at home, she designed her own flavour.

It's good!

She got to see how ice cream is made in a big factory,

designed her own ice cream sundae

and even got to sell it in a real cafe.

Thank you for designing a new flavour and making a sundae.

Maybe later on when you grow up,

you'll come and work in one of our family shops.

-I would love that.

-So would I.

What a fabulous heap of fun!

That was Cadia and her Uncle Nino's

tiny tale about the things Uncle Nino used to do when he was young

and why he has an old silver ice cream dish.

Now that Uncle Nino has shared his story with Cadia,

it's time for Cadia to start her own story.

Do you know someone who has a story to share?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.