After he started breaking Flakes in half and naming them for his address, the idea was - apparently - taken back to the Cadbury factory. The chocolate flake may have reminded the ice cream sellers of the long dark feather cocked at an angle in the conscripts' Alpini Regiment hats. It is the first time I heard of a shortage like this,” Paddy O’Donnell, owner of Clarmac Merchandising Services said.

Since we aren't using them, this seems an ideal time to remind you about the squalid horror show that was Kraft's takeover of this once great British firm, and also to mention in passing my long-held conviction that Cadbury's cooking chocolate tastes of ashtray and cat poo. Variations include a 99 with two flakes – often referred to as a "double 99" or "bunny's ears" – and a 99 with strawberry or raspberry syrup on top, sometimes known as "monkey's blood". I find the cone a papery and insipid thing, prone to sogginess: the 99 cone has nothing on a Cornetto. The term can also refer to the half-sized Cadbury-produced Flake bar, itself specially made for such ice cream cones, and to a wrapped product marketed by Cadbury “for ice cream and culinary use”.

It is thought that the soldiers' uniform hats with long feathers faintly resembled the chocolate flakes. And Cadbury - who make thousands of the flakes that top off a 99 - reckons the treat could have been invented in County Durham. Created at the Cadbury's factory in Birmingham, England, the flake was originally designed to be a cuboid and to fit into a wafer. Cadbury's press bumph repeats the fallacious but appealing story that a former king of Italy had a private army of 99 elite soldiers, and that the Italian immigrants who pioneered the 20th century British ice-cream trade used "99" as a corresponding symbol for quality and prestige. The name was in honour of the final wave of Italian First World War conscripts, born in 1899 and referred to as "i Ragazzi del 99" ("the Boys of '99").

In the interwar period of the 20th Century, Italian immigrants in Britain opened ice cream parlours across the country, including the North East. In 1930, Cadbury started producing a smaller version of the standard Flake bar especially for use with ice cream cones. A 99 Flake, 99 or ninety-nine [1] is an ice cream cone with a Cadbury Flake inserted in the ice cream. The Flake emerged around 1920 when a clever worker at Cadbury's Bournville factory noticed that chocolate overflowing its moulds fell and set in appealing ripples.While Cadbury admits the invention of the 99 ice cream "has been lost in the mists of time", it does have evidence that County Durham-based Italians could be the creators of the 99. It may not be reproduced in any way whatsoever without Wm Morrisons Supermarkets Limited prior consent, nor without due acknowledgement. TV ads for the chocolate have been pulled at least twice, most recently in March this year, while specimens like this from the 1960s are almost NSFW even today. They were helped, of course, by the strangulated wail of Ronnie Bond's winningly overwrought jingle, once voted the third most memorable in advertising history.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you always read the actual product label carefully before using or consuming any product.There are plenty of lovely things to eat to cool down but few beat whipped ice cream in a cone served with a chocolate flake. It has been a family legend for as long as I can remember that my grandad invented the 99," Stefano's granddaughter, Tanya Arcari, told the BBC. We recommend that you always check the packaging for allergen advice and talk to your doctor if you need any further food allergy advice. When, a couple of years ago, one company developed a savoury version using mashed potato and sausage, it relied on British consumers understanding the homage and appreciating its irony. Examples include Notarianni, which opened in Sunderland in the 1930s and Mincellas, which started as a pitch in Boldon Colliery and is still a thriving business today in Ocean Road, South Shields.

The ice creams topped with flakes were named 99s in honour of Italy, as in the days of the Italian monarchy the king had a specially chosen guard of 99 men. Milk, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Palm Oil, Emulsifiers (E442, E476), Flavourings), Milk Chocolate Curls (1.

One theory is that the name was coined by Italian immigrant ice cream sellers who wanted to honour their WW1 troops known as 'i Ragazzi del 99'. As lockdown restrictions ease and the weather warms, the UK is facing a new challenge: a shortage of Cadbury 99 Flakes. The gentle jingle of Greensleeves from a garishly converted van, a beefy-armed vendor, crisply anaemic cone, turdy curly ice-cream and chocolate spike: it's all a happy reminder of sandy summers and shrieky, milk-smeared faces.