Five best gelatos

They may look exactly the same, but ask any Italian and they’ll tell you – gelato is not ice-cream. The former has less fat and additives, is served at a slightly warmer temperature and is denser and creamier due to ultra-slow mixing which keeps out the air. With summer on its way, get a taste of authentic Italia with the five best gelaterias in town.

Gelupo, Piccadilly Circus

When the sun comes out, Gelupo near Piccadilly Circus is the revered saviour of tourists and commuters alike. With a choice of roughly 16 flavours (eight sorbets and eight gelatos) you’d be hard-pressed not to find one that you’re scintillated by. Gelupo is the offspring of Italian restaurant, Bocca di Lupo, and in its signature style only chooses the finest ingredients to create a beautifully-tasting dessert that only an artisan can. Whilst some flavours change weekly, others never do; bitter chocolate, pistachio, and fresh mint are always on the menu priced between £3-5 depending on the size of the pot.

7 Archer Street, W1D 7AU (gelupo.com)

Oddono’s, South Kensington

“Life's too short to eat bad ice cream,” says Oddono’s, and indeed it is. Using his grandmother’s homemade recipe, Christian Oddono opened his first eponymous parlour in the heart of upmarket Kensington in 2004. The cosmopolitan business uses vanilla pods from Madagascar, valhrona chocolate from France and pistachios from Sicily; the end result being a premium gelato that consistently has punters coming back for more. Its best-sellers include bacio gelato (milk chocolate and hazelnut) and mango sorbet. The gelateria has three other stores in the city: Selfridge’s Food Hall; Whiteley’s Shopping Centre and Battersea’s Northcote Road.

14 Bute Street, South Kensington, SW7 3EX (oddonos.com)

Zazà, Canary Wharf

Get a taste of Naples in East London. A favourite amongst the Canary Wharf shopping district is Zazà, a family-owned business which alongside gelato, sells other Italian sweet delicacies and espressos. Treat yourself with up to three different flavours in either a cone or cup, add whipped cream and hey presto – a tiny bit of heaven in the palm of your hand. Try a semifreddo cake (which uses gelato as a base), a yoghurt smoothie or one of the low-fat sorbets. Zazà’s flavour of the month for May is Royal Cream, an icy blend of custard creams with chocolate chips, topped with crushed hazelnuts. Zazà’s other stores are in Jubilee Place, Westfield Shepherd’s Bush and its soon-to-be spot on Portobello Road.

Canada Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AH (zazagelato.eu)

Gelato Mio, Muswell Hill

Gelato Mio’s uncomplicated recipes have ensured that in the four years since the gelateria started churning in Holland Park, an incredible seven more shops have spawned. There are no less than 13 gelato and eight sorbet flavours permanently on offer, including classics such as mint choc chip (menta), cookies and cream (biscotto) and dark chocolate (cioccolato) – amongst other more creative and temporary combinations. If you’re watching the waistline, try the blueberry and raspberry sorbets or the frozen yoghurt, if not, try an indulgent ‘goblet’ – a bowl-shaped wafer filled with diet-pulverising ingredients like peanut butter, milk chocolate, Nestlé Smarties, Cadbury Flake and chocolate sauce.

1 Muswell Hill Broadway, N10 3HA (gelatomio.co.uk)

Scoop, Covent Garden

Perfect for a post-theatre gorge or a first-date distraction, Scoop is an esteemed gelato-maker found in the beautiful and lively setting of Covent Garden. This parlour closes at 11.30pm Thursday-Sunday and an hour before on all other days, making it the closest to a midnight feast that you’ll get. Its in-house laboratory produces fresh creams in flavours such as amaretto (made with Amaretti biscuits), canella (cinnamon) or caramello (you guessed it). If the mouth-watering gelato doesn’t fill a hole, tuck into one of the other products on offer such as a Belgian waffle or a Nutella-smothered crêpe. Scoop’s other locations are in South Kensington and Soho’s Brewer Street.

40 Short's Gardens, v, WC2H 9AB (scoopgelato.com)