Press Launch: 6.30pm, Thursday 17th September at Selfridges, Oxford Street.
A new conceptual ice cream installation at Selfridges offers visitors the coolest and creamiest fix.
• Date: Open till 1 November 2009
• Location: Selfridges’ Ultralounge (lower ground floor, Oxford Street)
• Master of Cool Innovation: Matt O’Connor, entrepreneur and provocateur
A subversive new ice cream brand, The Icecreamists, will launch at Selfridges’ flagship Oxford Street store this week with a subterranean “God Save The Cream” themed ice cream and entertainment installation in the store’s Ultralounge on the lower ground floor.
The Icecreamists is the ultimate ice cream boutique, offering an array of ‘vice creams’ and guilty pleasures including molecular cryogenic cocktails served at -196C, a Sex Pistol ice cream, artisan ice cream flavours from around the world, pure frozen yogurts and sorbettos; all freshly prepared every morning by a master mixologist.
The Icecreamists is a new concept in ice cream, offering visitors the coolest breakfast on earth, lunchtime licks, afternoon cream tease and an après shopping fix. The decadent installation will also feature live in-house band Jimi Love and The Icecreamists, DJs, dancers and catwalk shows.
The Icecreamists plan to liberate Londoners from what they describe as ‘ordinary ice cream’ – ice cream made with vegetable fat and fake chocolate. As part of the ‘Say No To Ordinary Ice Cream’ Campaign The Icecreamists will run an ice cream amnesty offering shoppers the opportunity to swap their shop bought ice creams for real, freshly made boutique ice cream made that morning in the Selfridges boutique.
Ice cream is the world’s greatest socialising agent. Here are just a few of the things the boutique will be offering:
• Cryogenic Cocktails made with liquid nitrogen and served at your table, including The Icecreamists signature ice cream cocktail, the ‘God Save the Cream’ – a ‘reverse flambé’ served at a blistering -196 degrees
• An exciting menu of sweet and savoury ice creams including The Gordon’s Glory – a 21st century reimagining of the knickerbockerglory and The Sex Pistol - a natural stimulant ice cream served in a glass accompanied by a shot of absinthe in a pink water pistol.
• The Sundae Lunch, fresh pea sorbet with a hint of mint, beef bouillon and horseradish sorbet with a Yorkshire Pudding crisp and an apple and blackberry crumble gelato.
• The Chocolate Volcano – their exclusive eye-wateringly calorific ‘Diet Destroyer’. This promiscuous little number has led to one-night-stands, life-long romances, affairs and even marriage proposals. So breathtakingly outrageous and immoral it could be banned under the Obscenity Laws. Submit to X-rated molten Belgian chocolate sauce poured onto a mountain of Ecuadorean Dark Chocolate Ice Cream and served with fresh seasonal fruit.
• Artisan ice creams exclusively designed by Italy’s acclaimed gelato master Roberto Lobrano using authentic ingredients from around the world. Gourmet flavours include Tahitian Vanilla, Venezuelan Chocolate, Argentinian Dulce De Leche and North African Spiced Cinnamon.
Matt O’Connor, founder of The Icecreamists, says, “If you thought you knew ice cream, think again. The Icecreamists will liberate the world from ordinary ice cream with our range of exclusive freshly made ice creams and cryogenic cocktails. Chocolate has grown up in recent years, but ice cream has suffered from a poverty of imagination. We hope to change this with the biggest revolution in ice cream since it was first invented.”
Boutique Ice Creams
* Argentinian Dulce De Leche (La Salamandra brand)
* Asian Spiced Ginger
* English Brown Bread
* Gianduia Torino with Chocolate & Hazelnuts
* Hazelnut from Piedmont
* Italian Espresso
* North African Spiced Cinnamon with Sweet Tea
* Pistacchio from Bronte
* Rosewater
* Seasonal Berry Sorbetto with Fortified Wine
* Sorrento Lemon Sorbetto
* Swiss White Chocolate
* Tahitian Vanilla
* Traditional Milk Chocolate
* Twisted Toffee Apple
* Venezuelan Chocolate
Roberto Lobrano
Roberto has been whipping up mouth-watering gelato since he was 11 years old and since then has risen through the ranks of gelati creators to become one of Italy’s top artisans. He has won many awards for his creations including the prestigious Golden Merlin for his Basil Gelato. When not creating ice creams fit for royalty, he spends his time lecturing at the Carpigiani Gelato University near Bologna.
Matt O’Connor
Matt O’Connor is a man who eats, sleeps and breathes ice cream. He has over 20 years experience working with some of ice cream’s biggest brands. Matt relishes a challenge and changing the way we think about frozen deserts is something which comes naturally to him!
About Selfridges
Selfridges is 100 years old in 2009. The actual birthday was on 15 March but the main centenary celebrations are taking place throughout the summer.
• The Ultralounge is in the lower ground floor of Selfridges’ Oxford Street store. It was launched as a dedicated events space in February 2006. Since then it has featured events celebrating Punk; a Brian Eno video arts installation entitled Luminous, a celebration of Surrealism in collaboration with the V&A. Since 2007, the Ultralounge has been showing more art exhibitions including Lattice, an installation by sculptor Conrad Shawcross commissioned by the store; a show called Exactitudes by Dutch artists Air Versus and Ellie Uyttenbroek; or Kay Saatchi’s Anticipation – an exhibition featuring an edit of the work from the most talented emerging artists living in Britain today. All these exhibitions generated a lot of critical and public interest.
• Selfridges: the business was founded by American entrepreneur Gordon Selfridge in 1909 and run by him until he retired in 1940 and took on the role of President. Gordon Selfridge died in 1947. Four years later the business was sold to Lewis’ of Liverpool for £3.4 million.
• In 1965 Charles Clore’s British Shoe Corporation won control of Selfridges in a take-over for £63 million. New developments included the opening of Miss Selfridge.
• In 1998 the company was de-merged from the Sears Group and floated on the London Stock Exchange.
• In 2003 Galen Weston purchased Selfridges. He and his wife Hilary are closely involved with the development and growth of the company and their daughter Alannah is Creative Director.
• In the year ending 31 January 2008, Selfridges’ sales rose by 10 per cent to £655 million and profit grew by 30 per cent to £84.1 million.
• Galen Weston is Chairman of Selfridges and, in January 2004, Allan Leighton was appointed Deputy Chairman.
• Paul Kelly became Chief Executive of Selfridges in February 2004. Before that, Paul was Managing Director of Brown Thomas in Dublin for ten years. He has worked with the Weston family for over 20 years.
• Galen Weston is Chairman of the premier luxury goods company which, as well as Selfridges, includes Holt Renfrew in Canada and Brown Thomas in Ireland.
Check www.selfridges.com for more information.
For further information and images, please contact: Taylor Herring PR – 0208 206 5151