A Reunion Wedding at Whitworth Hall, Manchester
Austin served the groom's family on his Partington round in 1986. Decades later, he surprised them at the wedding.
Our Story · Since 1986
About Austins Ices: Our Family Roots & Passion
Austin learned the trade alongside his dad in the 1970s and started Austins Ices in 1986. Forty years on, we're still a small, family-run business, and the family still turns up to your event.
- Since 1986 family-run
- 5-star food hygiene
- £10M public liability
Trusted by teams at
See the events we've catered →
Forty years in the making
A van, a family and a promise to turn up
Austins Ices was founded by Austin, who has been part of the ice cream trade since he started working alongside his own dad in the mid-1970s. That hands-on apprenticeship gave him a genuine love for the job, and in 1986 he set out on his own and started Austins Ices. This year, 2026, marks our 40th year in business, and we're still a small, family-run operation today.
Over four decades we've served families, schools and businesses across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, catering everything from intimate wedding receptions to school sports days and large corporate events. An ice cream van has always been more than just a vehicle to us: it's a moment of genuine joy at someone's event, and we take that responsibility seriously.
We pay attention to every stage of a booking, from the first enquiry, through planning the details, to arriving at your event and serving your guests. When you book an ice cream van, you want everything to run smoothly and professionally, and that's exactly what we aim to deliver, every time.
We have never missed an event booking. Our record since 1986
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1970s
Learning the trade
Austin starts working on the vans alongside his dad.
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1986
Austins Ices is born
Austin goes it alone. His first regular round is in Partington, Trafford.
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2015–18
The big stages
Warburtons' centenary, Airbus UK's 75th, ITV at MediaCityUK and the X Factor auditions. See the events
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Award
Medal-winning soft serve
Our recipe wins a medal at the Ice Cream Alliance's National Ice Cream Competition.
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2026
40 years, and going green
Our 40th year, and our first battery and solar powered van. Meet the electric van
- 40years family-run
- 5★food hygiene rating
- £10Mpublic liability cover
- 0missed bookings
The Austins Ices difference
Why local event planners choose Austins Ices
Medal-winning ice cream
Our soft serve won a medal at the National Ice Cream Competition, run by the Ice Cream Alliance.
40 years, same family
Austin founded the business in 1986. You deal with the family, not a call centre.
5-star food hygiene
Check our official rating on the Food Standards Agency website.
£10M public liability
Fully insured, so venues, schools and organisers can book with confidence.
No minimum spend
No minimum spend or group size. Intimate parties and 30,000-guest family days alike.
Easy for your guests
Cash, card and contactless accepted, or pre-paid so your guests pay nothing.
In our customers' words
What people say after the van leaves
Austin Ices saved the day at our event! They turned up at very short notice & were fantastic. We will definitely be using them again.
Fantastic service and great ice cream! He arrived on time, was very courteous and most importantly the ice cream was fantastic. I would certainly recommend Austin.
Big thanks for the great ice creams on Saturday, your van is the talk of the town.
Free, no-obligation quote
Let's make your event the next story
Tell us your date and we'll check the diary. Summer weekends are always the first to go.
- No obligation and no minimum spend
- We aim to reply the same day
- 5-star hygiene, £10M insured
Prefer to talk? 07761 616 700