Why the Former British Prime Minister Was Mistaken for the Inventor of Ice Cream [Delicious Stories]

Worked as a Chemical Engineer at an Ice Cream Company
Rumors of Being the "Inventor of Soft Ice Cream"
A Myth Spread by Political Rivals in the Past
Established an Image as a Politician with an Engineer's Identity

Editor's NoteThe earliest confections are believed to have been discovered in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Sweets have accompanied humanity at every moment in history. From biscuits to chocolate to ice cream, we bring you delicious stories behind the treats we have loved.

Soft ice cream served atop a yellow corn cone. In Korea, it is called "soft ice cream," while in English-speaking countries, it is known as "soft serve." In the UK and the Commonwealth, there is a persistent misconception about this product: the belief that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invented the key ingredient in soft ice cream. Many people have believed this because Thatcher once worked as a chemical engineer at a company that developed ice cream machines.

The First Female British Prime Minister Who Worked as an Engineer, Not a Lawyer or Financier

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (left) and soft serve ice cream. White House Library, screenshot from Etsy homepage

The "Thatcher ice cream invention theory" spread in 1983 through the renowned American popular science magazine New Scientist. At the time, former Prime Minister Thatcher was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society, and the publication reported this news by introducing her as "having worked as an ice cream emulsifier developer at a company called J. Lyons from 1949 to 1951." When Thatcher passed away in 2013, The Washington Post also reported in her obituary that "she contributed to inventing the ice cream as we know it today."

In fact, Thatcher majored in chemistry at university and, after graduation, worked as an engineer at a food chemistry company. In the British political world, which is overwhelmingly dominated by professionals from fields such as law and banking, this was a unique background. The company she worked for, J. Lyons, created "Mister Whippy," a hit soft ice cream product in the Western world, and was later acquired in 1996 by the British global food processing company Unilever.

The first person known to sell soft ice cream was American businessman Tom Carvel. However, Carvel's ice cream was not made soft by adding emulsifiers, but rather it was closer to ice cream that had slightly melted due to improper storage. Carvel Ice Cream website

However, former Prime Minister Thatcher did not invent soft ice cream. In fact, it is not precisely known who invented soft ice cream. The product of serving ice cream in a cup was first sold in the United States in the 1930s. Tom Carvel, the founder of Carvel Ice Cream, was the first to try this, advertising it as soft ice cream when he served slightly melted ice cream in a cup.

However, the modern soft ice cream we know today is not simply slightly melted ice cream. It is a processed food that contains emulsifiers, which break down the rigid fat structure of ice cream to create a much softer texture.

The ice cream we have today gained a smoother texture thanks to the fat emulsifiers that were intensively developed in the 1940s and 1950s. Pixabay

This is where the misconception that Thatcher invented soft ice cream originated. Emulsifiers gained attention during World War II as additives to extend the shelf life of food, and after the war, private companies actively researched them to improve the texture of ice cream. As a result, from the late 1940s to the early 1950s, ice cream products containing emulsifiers flooded the market, and the creamy texture of ice cream as we know it began to appear in earnest during this period. In other words, rather than being the inventor of soft ice cream, Thatcher was one of many engineers who contributed to the development of soft ice cream.

The "Ice Cream Invention Theory" Spread by Political Opponents... But It Only Made Thatcher Shine

In fact, it was Thatcher's political opponents who actively promoted the theory that she invented soft ice cream. According to a report by the political magazine The Atlantic, in the early 1980s, the British left actively linked Thatcher to soft ice cream because, at the time, the public believed that soft ice cream was of lower quality than regular ice cream. Just as soft serve ice cream, with its broken-down fat structure, was lighter than regular ice cream, this political rhetoric implied that Thatcherism, the policy pushed by her cabinet, was undermining the capability of British public institutions.

However, contrary to their intentions, the theory that Thatcher invented soft ice cream only made her stand out more. Especially today, there is a growing number of politicians in European politics who, like Thatcher, emphasize their identity as engineers to differentiate themselves.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Keir Starmer, leader of the UK Conservative Party. AP Yonhap News, EPA Yonhap News

For example, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also a scientist who majored in chemistry, and throughout her tenure, she was unhesitant in highlighting this background. At the time, various Western media outlets compared Merkel and Thatcher, referring to them as "female scientists who became prime ministers" and "Iron Ladies."

The current leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, is another example. She studied computer science at the prestigious University of Sussex and worked at the IT company Logica. During the last Conservative leadership race, she famously stated, "My profession is not politician, but engineer," proudly highlighting her engineering background. In an op-ed last year, Badenoch emphasized, "As a Nigerian immigrant, I was inspired by Thatcher from a young age," and added, "I deeply resonate with her values of self-reliance, responsibility, and the free market."