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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask who actually gets the toppings?

109 replies

Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 14:47

Light hearted of course but this happens so frequently I am genuinely perplexed!

I love ice cream, as do my kids (one is ND so sticks to the same flavour 😂) but me and my daughter like to try the new and unusual ones. As such, we go to the places where you’re paying far more than you ought to now and again because they tend to have the more ‘seasonal’ or unusual flavours and have a new one each month - hopefully you know what type of place I mean.

My question is, who gets the stuff that’s on the top? You know the bits that make it look attractive and lure you in? Because I eat FAR too much ice cream and I have never, ever been given one of the biscuits, big chucks of chocolate, liquorice allsorts or jammy dodgers that are adorning the ice cream!

I’m more than happy with the ice cream I’ve had, this is not a complaint at all but what are they doing with the toppings? Perhaps you work somewhere like this, do they just remove them? Am I just unlucky that I’ve never had just the right portion at the right time? Seems unlikely considering how often I eat it 🙈

I feel like I need to know - help!

OP posts:
Original poster
Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 17:45

MincePudding · 16/11/2025 17:43

Best guess is that it's the same etiquette as gribbles - you just ask for them?

What are gribbles? Scraps at the chippy I’m guessing? x

OP posts:
MincePudding · 16/11/2025 17:43

Best guess is that it's the same etiquette as gribbles - you just ask for them?

Vitriolinsanity · 16/11/2025 17:42

PerfunctoryFunk · 16/11/2025 15:24

I feel similarly cheated if I don't get the decorative bits of a Colin Caterpillar.

I like his ass as my slice 🐛

Original poster
Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 17:42

Sanddancing · 16/11/2025 16:03

I just asked DD who works in a seaside gelateria, she says they go on the customers scoop, or sometimes the bin.

Thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 17:41

Velvian · 16/11/2025 16:36

Have you ever had the soft serve Kelly's cornish ice cream? That is really good. 😍

No! Where can you get this? x

OP posts:
Original poster
Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 17:39

doublec · 16/11/2025 17:20

Post-cancer, I positively radiate happiness and am super super nice to everyone, especially servers in my local (and very fancy) ice cream place. They always give me the 'toppings' - in my case, it's the huge chunks of cookie dough or a half/whole oreo.

Tbh, I think it's just a question of being happy, enthusiastic and to always greet the staff, ask them how they are. Oh, and tell them how much you love what you're buying. Just last week, I went to three different Gail's and wasn't charged for a pain au chocolat in any of them.

I’m polite but I’m no Mary Poppins I’m afraid, I would rather do without the toppings 😂 I hope your cancer is gone for good x

OP posts:
Royaly82 · 16/11/2025 17:38

I cant eat ice cream without some sort of topping

BillieWiper · 16/11/2025 17:37

I think the toppings on the display things of ice-cream are literally just to demonstrate what's inside or the flavour. I don't think they serve them. They want you to pay for extra ones. I think it makes it look like there's going to be loads of bits inside but it's just smooth or only tiny crumbs.

Imissgoldengrahams · 16/11/2025 17:30

Oh OP this is a bug bear of mine 😂 especially the likes of Ben & Jerry's
They just have a wee bit on the top and nothing through the rest of the tub!
My local parlour has white kinder beuno and that's usually sprinkled through the whole ice cream 😋

lazyarse123 · 16/11/2025 17:29

Are you near Morrisons? They do their own cones in a lemon sorbet flavour. Delicious and cheap. In ours they're £1.50 for 4.

SixtySomething · 16/11/2025 17:25

I expect it's the staff who work there or they give it to their friends.
Alternatively, maybe they keep moving them onto the next tub of ice cream when one batch finishes.
You could surely ask for a bit of what's on top?

doublec · 16/11/2025 17:20

Post-cancer, I positively radiate happiness and am super super nice to everyone, especially servers in my local (and very fancy) ice cream place. They always give me the 'toppings' - in my case, it's the huge chunks of cookie dough or a half/whole oreo.

Tbh, I think it's just a question of being happy, enthusiastic and to always greet the staff, ask them how they are. Oh, and tell them how much you love what you're buying. Just last week, I went to three different Gail's and wasn't charged for a pain au chocolat in any of them.

Floatlikeafeather2 · 16/11/2025 17:19

Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 15:15

I love sorbet as well, have you had a lemon top? You can’t get them in many places but I love them!

Show quote history

Paccito's?
As for the toppings, haven't you had a bit of banter with the people serving? "I've always wondered who gets the stuff on the top" sort of thing. It's the sure fire way to find out and possibly get a dollop.

Original poster
Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 17:14

CranfordScones · 16/11/2025 16:15

I've never thought about this, but now I'm obsessing on it!

Here's my solution. Save up for a splurge. Order enough portions of one flavour so they have to disturb the toppings in order to dispense the required number of portions. Take pictures and post them here...

Perfect!

OP posts:
Original poster
Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 17:07

breezyyy · 16/11/2025 16:53

Start again and make them cuter next time!

I’m desperate for a tub of ice cream now with every topping possible.

Show quote history

😂😂

OP posts:
breezyyy · 16/11/2025 16:53

Notsurewhatisnormalanymore · 16/11/2025 15:15

Oh really? I usually have two kids with me and we’re all really polite, maybe they’re not cute enough 😂😂

I’m genuinely not grumbling just hoping someone actually knows ha.

Show quote history

Start again and make them cuter next time!

I’m desperate for a tub of ice cream now with every topping possible.

Strawberrydelight78 · 16/11/2025 16:46

Oh I get what your on about now. I was underwhelmed the first time I got an ice-cream from our local hungry horse. It loooked devine in what I thought was the chiller. Then they pulled a tub out of a drawer internal and took some out of a mass produced tub. The ice-cream that draws you in is fake. 😂😂😂DS and DD are ND darling son gets excited whenever he sees it. But if he gets one he's just like is that it,😂😂

Hammy19 · 16/11/2025 16:42

If someone's offering to put a flake in my ice cream, I'm not saying no

Velvian · 16/11/2025 16:36

Have you ever had the soft serve Kelly's cornish ice cream? That is really good. 😍

Strawberrydelight78 · 16/11/2025 16:34

If it's fancy ice-cream we get a flake nothing else. On a Mr softy we get strawberry sauce and a flake totally boring. 😂😂😂 I put more toppings on a hot chocolate.

fatphalange · 16/11/2025 16:29

I’ve always thought they are to demonstrate what is inside the ice cream: mushed up or crumbled chunks of whatever is resting on top of it. Seems logical, anyway.

PigletJohn · 16/11/2025 16:28

I immediately thought of the skin on a rice pudding.

To which the answer is "me."

menopausalfart · 16/11/2025 16:24

The only bits I like in ice cream are raisins. Any chunks put me off.

mondaytosunday · 16/11/2025 16:18

Surely it’s just luck? If these bits are on top you only get them if they are breaking into a new container? I’ve actually not seen the bits on top in any ice cream place I’ve been too.

CranfordScones · 16/11/2025 16:15

I've never thought about this, but now I'm obsessing on it!

Here's my solution. Save up for a splurge. Order enough portions of one flavour so they have to disturb the toppings in order to dispense the required number of portions. Take pictures and post them here...

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