Real ingredients: what goes into a House of Pops popsicle

Every recipe we make at House of Pops starts from the same rule: if it isn't real fruit or milk, it needs a very good reason to be there. Ten years in, most things still don't make the cut.

1. Fruit

Fruit is the whole point. We buy fresh, local and seasonal wherever we can, and we let the menu follow the calendar. That's why Alphonso Mango is a summer thing, Sitaphal shows up after the monsoon and Jackfruit comes and goes.

Fruit gives each pop its flavour, its colour and most of its body. When fruit is at its best, it needs very little help.

2. Milk

Our creamy pops and specials are made with milk. Milk softens the texture, rounds off tart fruits and carries flavours like vanilla and coffee. It's also what separates a creamy pop from a sorbet.

We don't use vegetable fat as a cheaper stand-in. If you've ever wondered why some frozen treats say "frozen dessert" instead of "ice cream", this is the reason.

3. Balance

Every fruit is different, so every recipe is balanced by hand. Sweet fruits like Alphonso and sitaphal need very little help. Tart ones like Lemon Mint are balanced so the zing still comes through. The goal is always the same: the pop should taste like the fruit on its best day.

Fruit for flavour, milk for creaminess, balance by hand. Everything artificial stays out.

What we leave out

• Artificial colours. The colour of every pop comes from its fruit.
• Artificial flavours. No "nature identical" mango essence standing in for mango.
• Added preservatives. Our pops are made fresh and kept frozen. The freezer preserves them.
• Vegetable fat. Creamy pops use milk, full stop.

And the specials?

Our specials add one honest extra: real vanilla in Vanilla Bean, filter coffee in Araku Filter Coffee, Oreo cookies in Oreo and Strawberry + Oreo. The name tells you what's inside.

Fruity pops are naturally vegan

Take the milk out and you have a sorbet: real fruit, frozen. That makes our fruity range naturally vegan and dairy-free. More on that in our guide to vegan popsicles.

Why so few ingredients?

Because it tastes better. A pop made from ripe real fruit and milk doesn't need anything to fake its flavour. It also means you always know what you're eating, and what you're giving your kids. That's worth a slightly shorter shelf life.