If you’re an avid reader of Spoon, then you probably know what Halo Top is — even if you live in the UK*! I have read countless articles about this healthy ice cream, from flavour rankings to what it’s like to eat pure Halo Top for five days straight. If you search “Halo Top” on the Spoon site, there are pages and pages of results. So why is it that the UK doesn’t seem to have the same phenomenon?
The fact is, that it does. And it comes in the beautiful form of Oppo Ice Cream.
*Edit: after publishing this article, Halo Top UK somehow saw it and messaged me to let me know that actually Halo Top is now available in the UK as of 2018!
What is Oppo?
I first came across Oppo a few years ago, when I was still seriously ill with an eating disorder. Ice cream and film-watching are two huge components in my family life, so my reluctance to eat ice cream sucked. But Oppo was something different: marketed as a gourmet ice cream low in both calories and sugars, it sounded too good to be true.
Tell me more
Oppo was founded by two brothers after realising that fruit was actually a winner when it came to taste (as well as nutrition, of course). The name itself stems from the idea that indulgent and healthy foods are often considered “opposites”, which is something the brothers strive hard to undo! The ice cream is marketed on the idea that it is significantly lower in both sugars and calories than your average ice cream — and it’s made with only natural ingredients.
#SpoonFact: Oppo is actually the only dairy ice cream in the UK that can legally be called “healthy” — this is due to the sheer difference in sugars and fats to your average off-the-shelf tub.
But does it actually taste nice?
Would I be writing an article about it if it didn’t? Oppo currently comes in four flavours: Salted Caramel, Mint Choc Swirl, Madagascan Vanilla and Chocolate and Hazelnut. Have a spoonful and it’ll taste like your standard indulgent ice cream — just better. After finding Oppo, I actually struggle to go back to old flavours — companies like Haagen Dazs which are similarly priced to Oppo just don’t do it for me anymore.
#SpoonFact: you can often find pictures of Oppo on prominent food figures’ social media feeds, such as Clean Eating Alice — if you don’t trust my taste buds, you should at least trust hers!
What about these so-called “health benefits”?
Not only is an entire pint tub only around 400 calories (in contrast, the same amount of Ben&Jerry’s has over 1000 calories), but each flavour has a “superfood”. Salted Caramel, for example, is flavoured with a Brazilian fruit called lucuma, which is full of antioxidants, iron, zinc, calcium, vitiman B, protein, minerals and fibre, as well as having a low Glycemic index. The Mint Choc is coloured with spirulina and features a cacao swirl; the Madagascan vanilla bounces off baobab to get its rich, creamy taste; the Chocolate and Hazelnut is flavoured with Columbian Cacao Fino de Aroma.
I don’t really believe you
Nor did I at first — and then I tried it. Believe it or not, it’s not too good to be true (trust me — I’m pretty sure I eat Oppo by the tubful on the regular!). You can find your nearest store here, and don’t forget to get your £1 off voucher on their website!