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Original poster

The milkman, ice cream man and Santa float

90 replies

Roundareway · 17/05/2023 22:17

Do these type of things still exist in the U.K.?
I was an 80’s child, 90’s teen.
I left the U.K. twenty years ago.
I have lovely memories of racing downstairs as a kid and flinging open the front porch door on a sunny morning, to be the first to get the cream at the top of the milk bottle left by the milkman (the birds had sometimes got to it first. Also, coming home early morning and waving to the milkman on his float.
Do they still have ice cream vans with the music on coming down the road? and the Father Christmas floats on your road on dark, winter evenings in the build up to Christmas. I've been by to the U.K. most years, but have never noticed or thought to ask about these things.
Would my Dd experience a similar childhood if we came back, or has that all gone?

OP posts:
Loopyloooooo · 17/05/2023 22:19

Around here ice cream man and Father Christmas still very much a thing. Milk man not sadly, I'd love a milk man.

Rockmehardplace · 17/05/2023 22:19

thats strange, i was just thinking today that i hadn’t seen an ice cream van for ages! still definately have santa floats, in central scotland at least.

Wicksytricksy · 17/05/2023 22:19

Yes all those things are still going where I live.

MaggyNoodles · 17/05/2023 22:19

Milkmen and ice cream vans are still here. Not sure about the Santa floats.

Footgoose · 17/05/2023 22:20

All those still exists . Milk won’t be pecked through by birds anymore mind you . Ours gets delivered in plastic bottles along with some groceries .

Pocketfullofdogtreats · 17/05/2023 22:21

Not milkman although I've heard that they are coming back. Ice cream van and Santa float still around (South West).

JewelTheft · 17/05/2023 22:23

I have all three... milk in glass bottles but protected from birds and sun in a polystyrene box. Kids never rush to get it in though, always me heading out in my PJs to bring it inside

Infusionist · 17/05/2023 22:23

Never heard of the Santa thing! But we deff have milk men and ice cream vans in London.

bluebellalley · 17/05/2023 22:24

We have all those where I live. We have milk delivered in glass bottles with foil tops. Had to buy a box to have the milk put in though as foxes were knocking the bottles over and stealing the milk before we could bring it in in the morning

PiggyPlumPie · 17/05/2023 22:24

Yes to all three in NE Scotland, milk in bottles as well.

UndercoverCop · 17/05/2023 22:25

Yes we have all three, I think the Santa float is run by the rotary club or similar. We have loads of ice cream vans (seaside town) and I would've been lost without our milkman during Covid

TheMindfulMum · 17/05/2023 22:28

On a related note, those who still know of a milk man, what time do they visit? We don't use the milkman but others on our street do and I hear them doing their round about 10.30pm at night!! Back in the 80s it was a 5am job!!

Boxbedbank · 17/05/2023 22:30

All 3 in small village in Yorkshire.

TeenLifeMum · 17/05/2023 22:32

We had a milkman two years ago but he was delivering twice a week (we get through a lot of milk) and waking me up at 4.30am both times. I couldn’t deal with it impacting on my sleep when I can go to the shop across the road in waking hours.

MaggyNoodles · 17/05/2023 22:36

TheMindfulMum · 17/05/2023 22:28

On a related note, those who still know of a milk man, what time do they visit? We don't use the milkman but others on our street do and I hear them doing their round about 10.30pm at night!! Back in the 80s it was a 5am job!!

Ours quite often comes before we've gone to bed.
They deliver lots of other items too. I could probably get all of my shopping from them, but don't want to risk it all being on the step all night because of the 🦊🦊

Original poster
Roundareway · 17/05/2023 22:36

So nice to hear they all still exist 💖
My mum doesn’t have or talk about any of those 🤔 We’re originally from Manchester/Greater Manchester but now she lives in Cornwall, is it not a Cornish thing?
Does the ice cream man still play the song and come to each street? Do they still do 99’ers? 😅

OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 17/05/2023 22:36

We have milk delivered twice a week.
There was an ice cream van outside school today.
Santa does indeed come around every year.

We have the triple.

Original poster
Roundareway · 17/05/2023 22:37

I miss all that!

Our milkman used to come as the sun was coming up, my first proper boyfriend used to get a lift home with him from my house when he used to fall asleep and have to be gone before my parents woke up

OP posts:
Rainbowshit · 17/05/2023 22:38

TheMindfulMum · 17/05/2023 22:28

On a related note, those who still know of a milk man, what time do they visit? We don't use the milkman but others on our street do and I hear them doing their round about 10.30pm at night!! Back in the 80s it was a 5am job!!

Our milk delivery is normally around midnight. Gave us a real fright when he walked past our living room window and we were still up.

RedToothBrush · 17/05/2023 22:38

Yep 99 flakes.

megletthesecond · 17/05/2023 22:38

I still have milk delivered in glass bottles. The milkman was a lifesaver in the early days of lockdown.
Ice cream man parks in the road in summer.
We don't get the father Xmas float in our estate as we're not posh enough but they do drive around town.

Original poster
Roundareway · 17/05/2023 22:39

Ours were glass bottles with silver tops, full fat milk…couldn’t eat that creamy bit now, but I adored it as a kid

OP posts:
UsingChangeofName · 17/05/2023 22:40

A milkfloat in every area is long gone, but there are still a (small) number of people that do use a milkman. More now that people are working from home, I think. They don't typically use milk floats though as they are traveling a lot further between drops. Ironic really that we used to have electric vehicles doing deliveries all those decades ago and they were phased out!

Ice-cream vans with music playing to let you know they are about are still a thing, yes.

Father Christmas traveling round the residential roads in the run up to Christmas is still a thing too. I was, indeed, helping the great man himself do this only 5 months ago. Smile

As to if your dcs' would have the same childhood as you, then, some elements could be, but - as with anywhere in the world - a lot will be different.

Improbablecat · 17/05/2023 22:40

We have them all. West coast of Scotland. Milk comes in glass bottles but you can get oat milk too! We get OJ and eggs delivered along with it.
The ice cream van now takes contactless payments. The future is truly here 😄

OldTinHat · 17/05/2023 22:42

No milkmen since covid but yes to santander float and ice cream vans.