ROMSEY'S vicar has got it licked.

Canon Tim Sledge even took to pedalling a refrigerated tricycle during special ice cream tours or Romsey Abbey.

And the ice cream was supplied by Romsey Market-based Sundae's Child.

The Revd Sledge weaved his way around Hampshire largest parish church on the tricycle giving people on the tour a chance to taste various ice cream and sorbet flavours loosely named after different parts of the Norman-built place of worship.

Mr Sledge said that there wasn't any "true" links between the historic church often dubbed the jewel in Romsey's crown, but he managed to find some although a bit tenuous.

Two conducted ice cream tours were held at the Abbey and both were fully booked - attraction 80 people and many didn't live in the parish.

Romsey Abbey spokesperson Liz Hallet said: "The Vicar gave a light-hearted but knowledgeable guided tour of the building, stopping at six places for everyone to sample an appropriate ice cream or sorbet."

Mrs Hallet said flavours included apple sorbet to remind everyone of an apple tree which grew on the Abbey roof for more than a century.

Tutti-frutti ice cream was served in the chapel of St Nicholas - the original Santa Claus and patron saint of children and red and white raspberry Eton Mess was dished up in St George’s Chapel.

"By the high altar, after hearing about the meaning of the Communion service, port sorbet was served with a wafer. A delicious Benedictine sorbet reminded us that this had been an abbey of Benedictine nuns for over 500 years, and the tour finished outside in the dusk with candlelight by the Saxon Rood in the South Garth, with vanilla ice cream with a chocolate cross on the top," said Mrs Hallett, adding that previous tours of the building had included beer and wine with a history lesson thrown in.

Mrs Hallet said that the team at Sundae’s Child did a "wonderful job and the refrigerated tricycle was a great success" and people had commented on how much they enjoyed the ice cream tours.