Snail ice cream gimmick mistaken for April Fool

The 'escargot' ice cream was part of a promotional event to mark Easyjet's new base at London Southend Airport

An airline's publicity stunt involving snail ice cream has been mistaken for an April Fool's Day joke.

EasyJet handed out "escargot" flavoured "jet-lato" to passengers and those attending the launch of its new base at London Southend Airport on Monday.

It was among five flavours representing different destinations the airline is now flying to from the Essex terminal.

However, several national newspapers assumed the snail ice cream was a prank and included it in their April Fool's Day roundups.

EasyJet's CEO, local MPs and senior figures from the airport all attended a press conference on Monday to mark the return of the airline's base, five years after it pulled out during the Covid pandemic.

Other promotional ice cream flavours handed out at the event included spicy tagine, sangria, pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart) and cacio e pepe (an Italian dish made with lemon zest, parmesan and black pepper).

The "escargot" ice cream was described as "snail-infused garlic ice cream with crunchy pieces to give a 'snail shell' effect inspiring people to take off to Paris".

Easyjet announced it was once again going to have a base at London Southend Airport

EasyJet said it was a fitting way to celebrate its return to London Southend Airport as "Southend residents... are no strangers to tasty ice creams".

The city has been home to well-known local firm Rossi ice creams since 1932.