A HAMPSHIRE business is celebrating a centenary of keeping its cool.

Carlo’s Ice Cream Parlour and Tearooms has been making traditional ice cream for 100 years.

The popular parlour has gone from strength to strength, even surviving a war.

The core values of good home produced food is what the business says has been at the centre of its success as it prepares to celebrate the significant milestone with customers next weekend.

Owner Tony Donnarumma said: “The thing I have always worked by is not to be greedy.

“Give people good value and quality and they will come back.”

The popular family-run establishment started in 1913 in Canal Walk, off East Street in Southampton.

Tony’s grandparents Achilles and Trofimena Donnarumma, opened a greengrocers, which also sold traditional Italian ice cream, made on the premises.

The golden era for ice cream parlours in the 1920s and 30s saw the expansion of the popular parlour, then called the D’Orsay Refreshment Rooms, to include live music and entertainment.

The establishment was taken on by Achilles’ daughter Amalia following his death in 1939, however the premises was bombed out the following year after the outbreak of the Second World War.

After the war Amalia’s brother Carlo decided he wanted to start the business again, and he began using authentic ingredients from his family’s traditional recipes.

Carlo, his wife Thora, and the children relocated the business to West Wellow and the ice cream parlour and tea rooms has continued to trade on the same site ever since, as well as selling ice cream in Totton, Romsey and Calmore.

Carlo’s son Anthony and his wife Barbara eventually took on the business following Carlo’s death in 1990.

They now run the tea rooms and ice cream parlour, which is open seven days a week.