How Margaret Thatcher Helped Invent Soft-Serve Ice Cream

Grub Street New York ^ | April 8, 2013

[Loyalist]

This morning, Margaret Thatcher died at age 87 owing to complications from a stroke. One of the lesser-known accomplishments of Britain's first female prime minister is her role in the creation of soft-serve.

Thatcher, an Oxford chemistry grad, supported herself financially in the fifties by working at food manufacturer J. Lyons and Co. There, she became part of a team of chemists that developed key emulsifiers for ice cream.

By increasing the amount of air and making it possible to churn soft-serve out of a machine, Thatcher paved the way for Britain's Mr. Whippy trucks. Her work also had financial benefits: Soft-serve allowed manufacturers to cut costs by using a smaller amount of ingredients.

Though Thatcher later faced scrutiny for eliminating free school milk, earning the nickname "Milk Snatcher," she did an invaluable service to dairy. Eat a smooth, creamy (yet still airy-light!) soft-serve cone today in remembrance of the Iron Lady.

[Conserev1]

Hey now don’t short change the Boy he enhanced the FREEBIE!
And Insured the Dead can Vote! Reinvented the Family income to 0. What would you expect from a 0!

[Twotone]

I posted your link at the site to someone else who dismissed the story. Lady Thatcher’s like will not be seen again, I’m afraid.

[muir_redwoods]

Well, the first DQ serving soft ice cream opened in Joliet IL in 1940 so something doesn’t add up.

[beaversmom]

Oh good. I was wondering if it was one of those things that gets made up and passed along, but maybe not. :)

[Gertie]

In the summer of “53” on a road in North Korea, along with “3” KATUSA'S, we served every person that came by, a ice cream come, I was a Staff Sergeant, my commander was a Colonel, I think Potts, 72nd Tank Battalion..

[Oztrich Boy]

Obama literally never had a productive job his entire life.

The soft serve ice cream industrury would fail without consumers

He contributes (in his fashion)

[the OlLine Rebel]

What? Never heard of Dairy Queen?

[the OlLine Rebel]

I have cursorily wondered about this story. Although it could be a highly refined innovation that totally changed things and made it boom.

[dalereed]

“What? Never heard of Dairy Queen?”

Nope

[the OlLine Rebel]

McDonald’s has had soft ice cream also for decades. Go in and get yourself a hot fudge sundae.

[dalereed]

I quit going into that rubbish purveyor 65 years ago!

[WileyC]

I think I’ll get one today in honor of the Iron Lady. Also, McDonald’s ice cream at a buck is quite the bargain. $1.20 if you get it dipped in chocolate. =)