Chapters and Cravings

Every now and then, the supermarket throws something at you that makes you do a double-take and question if you’ve accidentally wandered into a parallel universe. That’s exactly how I felt when I spotted what looked for all the world like a piece of fried chicken tucked away in one of Iceland’s freezers. Only, plot twist: it wasn’t chicken at all. It was ice cream.

Life Raft Treats’ Not Fried Chicken Ice Cream has finally made the leap from South Carolina to the UK, and after seeing it pop up on my feed more times than I can count, there was no way I was leaving the shop without one tucked safely in my trolley.

I’ll admit, the price gave me a bit of a wobble. £4 for a single 71g ice cream isn’t exactly your everyday freezer find. Was I about to discover something genuinely delicious, or was I just falling for the fun of eating ice cream that looks like fried chicken? Only one way to know for sure.

There’s nothing shy about the packaging here. It’s the kind that practically waves at you from across the freezer aisle, as if to say, go on, take a closer look.

It’s all sunshine yellow and bold letters, with a cartoon chicken perched right on the front, bucket and all. The kind of design that lets you know straight away: this is not your average scoop.

But the real fun starts when you peel back the wrapper.

This isn’t just a half-hearted attempt at a drumstick shape, either. The cornflake coating is gloriously chunky and a little bit wild, just like real fried chicken skin, and there’s even a chocolate-covered pretzel poking out at the end that looks uncannily like a bone.

If someone handed me one of these without any warning, I think I’d have to pause and check twice just to be sure I hadn’t wandered into a picnic by mistake.

And yes, I absolutely laughed when I first unwrapped it. It was so much more convincing than I’d imagined, I almost felt like I should be reaching for a napkin instead of a spoon.

I have to give Life Raft Treats a little round of applause just for the design.

There’s something about the lopsided drumstick shape, the chunky golden shell, and that cheeky little pretend bone that just works. Even the edges have that not-quite-perfect look, the kind that makes real fried chicken feel extra crispy and a little bit special.

It’s the sort of thing you can’t help but show off, just to see the look on someone’s face.

“Wait…that’s actually ice cream?”

Exactly.

I’ll admit, it was the sheer novelty that tempted me at first. But even the quirkiest treat has to earn its place by actually tasting good, right?

Happily, this one absolutely delivered.

That very first bite? All crunch, in the best possible way.

The outside is a happy jumble of chunky cornflakes and caramelised white chocolate, all wrapped around a soft vanilla centre. The cornflakes bring that lovely, rough-around-the-edges texture, and the chocolate adds just enough toasted sweetness to make you pause and appreciate it.

It’s sweet, but not in that overwhelming way that makes you regret your choices. And the coating isn’t just there for show; it actually makes every bite feel like a little treat.

It may look like fried chicken…

…but thankfully tastes absolutely nothing like it.

Tucked inside, there’s a scoop of vanilla ice cream that’s all soft and creamy, just waiting to meet that crunchy, golden shell.

The flavour is simple, and honestly, I think that’s exactly what it needs. There’s already so much going on with that crispy coating, anything more dramatic in the middle would just tip it over into ‘too much’ territory.

Instead, the gentle vanilla just sort of settles in, letting the cornflakes and caramelised white chocolate do their thing without trying to steal the spotlight.

Is it simple?

Absolutely.

But boring?

Not even close.

Oh, absolutely.

Every single time I glanced at it, my brain was convinced I was about to tuck into a piece of fried chicken.

But then, with every bite…

Surprise! It was ice cream all along.

It’s the kind of delightful confusion that makes you grin, and honestly, that little visual trick is half the fun.

But here’s the best bit: it doesn’t just lean on the gimmick. Even after the novelty wears off, you’re left with ice cream that’s actually delicious.

That’s where so many of those viral treats tend to let us down, isn’t it?

But this one? It gets it just right.

A little heads up from someone who learned the hard way: when the packet says to eat quickly, it really means it.

Mine started melting at record speed while I was faffing about with my camera. In my defence, the UK was in full-on Heatwave 2.0 mode, so it was hardly prime ice cream photography weather.

If you’re hoping to snap a few photos before diving in, trust me, it pays to have everything set up in advance.

• Pick out your background (bonus points if it’s something cute or a little bit chaotic).
• Get your camera or phone ready to go.
• Snap a quick photo of the packet before you even think about unwrapping.
• Then, as soon as you reveal the ice cream, capture its untouched glory before it starts to melt away.
• And then, honestly, just stop faffing and enjoy it while it’s still in one piece.

Otherwise, you’ll be left with a puddle of melting ice cream, rogue cornflakes, and fingers that are just a little too sticky for comfort.

Not that a single bite went to waste, of course.

I have to confess, I did pause for a moment at the price tag. £4 for a single ice cream feels a bit bold, especially when you’re used to grabbing a whole box for less. It’s just one little 71g treat, after all.

But then again, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill multipack ice cream. It’s been lovingly made all the way over in Charleston, South Carolina, and somehow found its way to a freezer here in the UK, looking far fancier than anything I’d usually pick up. And honestly, it doesn’t just look the part—it actually tastes good. Not just ‘good for a novelty’, but properly, happily good. Suddenly, the price starts to make a bit more sense.

If it had turned out to be all style and no substance, I’d have quietly put it back in the freezer and moved on. Instead, it completely charmed me.

Would I treat myself to one every week? Probably not. But would I pick one up again for a film night, a themed dinner, or just to surprise someone who’s never seen one before? Absolutely, and with a little grin too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5

Every now and then, something comes along that actually lives up to all the chatter, and Life Raft Treats have pulled off that rare magic trick with their viral ice cream.

It looks so much like a real drumstick that I had to do a double-take, and the cornflake coating has that perfect, golden crunch that makes you think of fried chicken. Inside, there’s creamy vanilla ice cream, a swirl of caramelised white chocolate, and a salty, chocolate-covered pretzel for the ‘bone’—and honestly, it’s all just ridiculously good.

Is £4 a lot for one ice cream? Absolutely. But when you think about the care that goes into making each one, the long trip it’s made all the way from South Carolina, and the fact that nothing else in the supermarket freezer even comes close, it starts to feel like a little splurge that’s worth it every now and then.

I’ve tried plenty of novelty treats that are fun to look at but end up being a bit of a letdown once you actually take a bite.

This time, though, it was all smiles from the first bite.

Honestly, I’d pick one up again in a heartbeat.