At Little Bramingham Farm, the award-winning Luton-based residential care home run by charity, Friends of the Elderly, the residents have been ‘peeling the joy’ celebrating this year’s Banana Split Day.
“The residents always thoroughly enjoy taking part in all our cookery and baking activities with our Chef, Jim Wright and, knowing how much they adore ice cream and bananas, we thought that we should do something a bit different and fun, to celebrate this year’s Banana Split Day,” said Emma Lawrance, the Registered Manager at Little Bramingham Farm.
“Emma and I chatted to Jim who was more than happy to make delicious Banana Splits for the residents, and he even agreed to dress as Little Bramingham Farm’s very own Banana Man,” added Karen Charity, the Activities Coordinator at the care home.
Getting the day off to a giggle-filled start
“To get the day off to a fun start, I arranged a great interactive activity – Pin the Banana on the Tree – where the residents had to shut their eyes and stick a banana on to a Banana Tree,”. The game was hilarious, as the bananas ended up all over the place, which had the residents in fits of giggles. You could say they ‘went bananas’.”
“To make the activities extra ‘a-peel-ing’, we put together a list of Banana-orientated questions to ask the residents, which got everyone chatting, talking about the perfect way to enjoy a Banana Split and reminiscing about how they had enjoyed the fruity treat with their families; so, it was a wonderful reminiscing topic as well,” continued Emma.
Everyone’s perfect Banana Split
The residents all had their favourite ways of creating a Banana Split. “I like bananas as a snack and enjoy my Banana Splits with three scoops of ice cream – strawberry, vanilla and chocolate, topped with chocolate sauce,” said Celia Field, who made Little Bramingham Farm her home in March 2020. “I don’t add fresh of whipped cream – or even a cherry on top – I love them just like that.”
Rosemary McLeod, who moved to Little Bramingham Farm in November 2025 added: “I adore bananas and absolutely adore Banana Splits, especially the way Chef Jim makes them. When I made them for my children, I went all out. Three scoops of ice cream – strawberry, vanilla and raspberry ripple, topped with fresh cream, strawberry sauce and the classic cherry adorning the scrumptious creations.
I vividly remember tasting my first banana ice cream ensemble when I was six or seven and I immediate fell in love with the delicious dessert.
“I vividly remember tasting my first banana ice cream ensemble when I was six or seven and I immediate fell in love with the delicious dessert. They soon became a Sunday after dinner treat. As a child they made me so happy, and they still do.”
One thing the residents did agree on was that Banana Splits are far more tasty and better to eat that the traditional ice cream Knickerbocker Glories. “With Banana Splits you have the fruity element, plus all the other toppings make them a unique flavour sensation, which is far more interesting to savour than a pile of ice cream – which undoubtedly melts before you get to the end of the tall, conical glass they are served in,” added Celia.
Chef Jim becomes Banana Man
Chef Jim didn’t disappoint. He served up gorgeous Banana Splits topped with ice cream, fresh strawberries and raspberries, sprinkles, a chocolate flake and wafers, all whilst dressed as a bright yellow banana – and also handed out Banana Hats for the residents to wear. “When the residents saw Jim, they couldn’t stop laughing,” said Karen.
The conversations soon moved on to other banana themes. “I remember watching the old TV series ‘The Banana Splits’ with my children,” continued Rosemary. “It was a whacky show which ran from 1968 to 1970 about a fictional rock band and its four members – three who sang, Fleegle, a beagle who also played the guitar, Bingo, an orangutan, or gorilla who played the drums and Drooper, a lion who played bass guitar, plus the loveable Snorky who was a sweet elephant who played the keyboards and made hilarious electronic sound effects. We all had our favourite characters, but mine was Fleegle, he was just too cute for words.”
Banana trivia that amazed the group
“The residents had a great time celebrating Banana Split Day, enjoying the delightful sweet and fruity treats and reminiscing about all things ‘Banana’, but as ever, they never cease to amaze me with their extensive trivia knowledge,” added Karen. “Rosemary told us all that, by all accounts, Banana Splits were invented back in 1904 by a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist called David Strickler who lived in Pennsylvania in America and that they are now the official dessert of the state.
“Another resident told the group that if you tape a banana peel over a splinter, the enzymes help the splinter work its way out of your skin and also heal the wound and that rubbing a banana peel on your forehead can help cure a headache. I’ve not tried either of those, but I certainly will the next time I’m unlucky enough to get a splinter or a headache.”
“Everyone agreed that Banana Split Day was so much fun that it must be a regular celebratory day on our activities calendar each year. The residents are such a great ‘bunch’, I promised to add it immediately,” concluded Emma.