London:
The claim by the Bishop of London today that Margaret Thatcher was one of the inventors of Mr Whippy ice cream went viral on micro-blogging site Twitter, with Britons debating whether the former premier was really a brain behind the soft-serve frozen-dessert.
"The truth behind the 'frozen-dessert origin myth' that Margaret Thatcher helped invent Mr Whippy," @KiraCochrane tweeted.
"My Important Investigation for today: did #Thatcher invent Mr Whippy ice cream?" said @Claire_Phipps.
"Seems the Bishop was wrong! Thatcher did many amazing things, but creating Mr Whippy ice cream was not one of them!", said @CllrRobertRams.
"Thatcher probably didn't invent Mr Whippy. Can only speculate what effect she had on 'quality of cake...', said @trendallicious.
Bishop of London Richard Chartres in his funeral address said, "Beginning in the upper floors of her father's grocer's shop in Grantham, through Oxford as a scientist and, later, as part of the team that invented Mr Whippy ice cream, she embarked upon a political career."
Legend also has it that Mrs Thatcher was part of a team in the late 1940s which discovered ways to increase the air in ice cream to cut costs.
"One important development in the 20th century was the introduction of soft ice cream (like Mr Whippy uses!). A chemical research team in Britain (of which a young Margaret Thatcher was a member) discovered a method of doubling the amount of air in ice cream, which allowed manufacturers to use less of the actual ingredients, thereby reducing costs," according to the website of British ice cream truck franchise Mr Whippy.
Mrs Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister, was today laid to rest with full honours.
Mrs Thatcher, referred to as the Iron Lady, died on April 8 of a stroke at the age of 87.
"The truth behind the 'frozen-dessert origin myth' that Margaret Thatcher helped invent Mr Whippy," @KiraCochrane tweeted.
"My Important Investigation for today: did #Thatcher invent Mr Whippy ice cream?" said @Claire_Phipps.
"Seems the Bishop was wrong! Thatcher did many amazing things, but creating Mr Whippy ice cream was not one of them!", said @CllrRobertRams.
"Thatcher probably didn't invent Mr Whippy. Can only speculate what effect she had on 'quality of cake...', said @trendallicious.
Bishop of London Richard Chartres in his funeral address said, "Beginning in the upper floors of her father's grocer's shop in Grantham, through Oxford as a scientist and, later, as part of the team that invented Mr Whippy ice cream, she embarked upon a political career."
Legend also has it that Mrs Thatcher was part of a team in the late 1940s which discovered ways to increase the air in ice cream to cut costs.
"One important development in the 20th century was the introduction of soft ice cream (like Mr Whippy uses!). A chemical research team in Britain (of which a young Margaret Thatcher was a member) discovered a method of doubling the amount of air in ice cream, which allowed manufacturers to use less of the actual ingredients, thereby reducing costs," according to the website of British ice cream truck franchise Mr Whippy.
Mrs Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister, was today laid to rest with full honours.
Mrs Thatcher, referred to as the Iron Lady, died on April 8 of a stroke at the age of 87.
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