A POPULAR Shoebury ice cream parlour has scooped national honours for the quality of its products.

Gelato Italia narrowly missed out on the top spot, but was runner-up in the prestigious 2015 Mobiler of the Year Awards.

Organised by the Ice Cream Alliance, the award recognised the quality of Gelato Italia’s product and its excellent customer service.

The family business is based in West Road, and has been running for 35 years. Its blue and white vans are a familiar site in Southend and across Essex.

Gelato Italia director Stephen Siciliani, whose father founded the business in 1980, said: “We were up against the best ice cream sellers in the country and, while it would have been wonderful to have won outright, runner-up is still quite an achievement.

“I love this business. We get terrific feedback from our customers and the whole experience is a real joy.”