Summer is approaching and that can mean only one thing or in this case, five – ice lollies, writes Catherine Maguire…

5. Loop-the-loop
THERE IS SOMETHING about this triple coloured ice lolly that takes me back in time to when I was a toddler. The fact that it never melted all over the place proves that this ice lolly kicks serious ass and is hugely practical for parents. A roaring success of an ice pop and favoured by all, it has been one of the best selling lollies over at HB.

4. Cornetto
A much-loved cone ice-cream (even when it melts all over our hands), the Cornetto has stretched out for years now, expanding into some really dodgy areas where flavour is concerned. Topped with hard chocolate and nuts, which are a prelude to the delicious solid chocolate at the bottom, this makes the brain freeze all the more worthwhile.

3. Mr Freeze
There’s nothing like a plastic tube of flavoured ice, packed full of E numbers (even the unregulated ones) that makes this dearly loved ice pop a staple of the early Nineties. We all remember coming home with shopping bags full of them! Seven pence a pop? Now that’s recession bustin’ prices… too bad it’s not around anymore.

2. Magnum
Ah the Magnum, considered by many to be the most sexy ice-cream around. These were a huge treat, mainly because they were so friggin’ expensive. Still are. But that’s beside the point. The Magnum, like its cone counterpart, incorporated as many different flavours imaginable – even some really iffy ones. The result? It reigns supreme and is essential to any lazy, hot, summer day.

1. Mars Ice-Cream
The transition from chocolate bar to ice-cream is like moving from singing to acting. It could turn out to be a runaway success or a complete and utter catastrophe. The former is a suitable description of the popularity of this ice-cream. The only one out of this list not manufactured by HB, it has given them stiff competition over the years. Gooey caramel, chocolate ice-cream encased in a hard chocolate shell… I want one now.