Britain's first vegan ice cream van is destroyed by fire

Britain’s first vegan ice cream van has been destroyed by fire, leaving the man behind the idea ‘devastated’.

The fire broke out overnight on Wednesday into Thursday morning at a garage where the Happy Cow ice cream van was in for some vehicle repair, and owner Chris Reed said the van has been lost.

He said the news was ‘very stressful and emotional’, after the news that the van had been destroyed began to sink in.

Read next: Bristol's first vegan ice cream van to set up permanent harbourside shop

Read more: Bristol's best ice cream parlours to try out this summer

The ice cream van sold Mr Whippy-style vegan ice cream made with plant-based milk and coconut oil, with a range of sauces and toppings. It was believed to be the first completely vegan ice cream van in the UK, and became a fixture at events around Bristol, as well as at its regular pitch on Narrow Quay, opposite the Watershed on Bristol’s Floating Harbour.

Bristol Live reported on the launch of the ice cream van in its permanent spot back in the summer of 2021, revealing that although Chris wasn’t a vegan himself, he wanted to fill a gap in the market for vegans and for people who can’t have regular milk ice creams for dietary or medical reasons.

But after three years of gaining a big reputation for its vegan ice creams, Chris now appears to be back at square one.

In a post to Happy Cow’s followers on social media, he said: “Today has been a very stressful and emotional day as we got a phone call this morning from the garage where we were having some work done on our beloved van to hear the news that it had caught fire.

“We are absolutely devastated to lose such a treasured part of our family and community,” he explained. “Not only is it the most unique ice cream van in the country, we have pleased hundreds of you guys who have intolerance to dairy and other allergens,” he added.

The future is now uncertain, as Chris explained. “We are having to resign from our pitch and events over this weekend while we digest the situation. Thanks everyone who has supported us up to now and hopefully we bounce back with some new ideas and a mark two version,” he added.