Five Places to eat ice cream in London

Marine Ices
8 Haverstock Hill, NW3 (020 7482 9003, marineices.co.uk)
A north London institution, where the Gaetano family have been dishing up gelati, magnificent sorbets and water ices since 1931. Try the "bombes" or the Cassata, which is particularly good.

Gelato Mio
138 Holland Park Avenue, W11 (020 7727 4117, gelatomio.co.uk)
During the World Cup this gelateria has assigned a flavour to each country. England are represented by a Pimm's ice cream, relatively tame compared with Australia's "Vegemite Ice Cream" or Uruguay's "Avocado Ice Cream".

The Parlour at Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly, W1 (020 7734 8040, fortnumandmason.com
This pleasantly plush place is home to an endangered species, the traditional ice cream sundae. The lure of quality ice cream packs in enthusiasts and tourists alike but if the grandstand sundaes such as the "Dusty Road" or the "Knickerbocker Glory" don't appeal, try a "flight"— three cones, three different flavours, £8.

Oddono's
14 Bute Street, SW7 (020 7052 0732, oddonos.com)
The unofficial motto of this Italian family business is "Life's too short to eat bad ice cream". Flavours constantly change — more than 130 different ice creams have been created. The old favourites are still the best — chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio.

Pandora
27 Newport Court, WC2
This tiny kiosk of a shop doesn't even have a phone but it does serve very intriguing Chinese ice creams. In much the same way that Chinese pâtisserie is ornate, neat and brightly coloured, Chinese style ices verge on garish. Much more fun than the wave of healthy low-fat frozen yoghurt that is currently in vogue.
Charles Campion