Global Timeline
![]()
The Original. The Creators. The Inventors. The Best.
(even though we say it ourselves)
Click here to view "ShakeAway the Movie!!"
Conceived in
1993... Born in 1999...
MilkShakes. Re-Invented.
27th July 1993
Rob & Peter (who? Click here for more info) create and open Legend Café Bar (all on that one day).
Amongst other things, they make an astonishing seven MilkShake
flavours.
18th
August
1993
Peter brings to the café a packet of Rolos, and suggests trying to make a MilkShake with them. "Don't be so stupid", says Rob, "that's a silly idea", thinking it was a total brainwave and wishing he'd thought of it first. Rob makes voodoo doll of Peter to deal with envy.
19th
August
1993
Rob & Peter in hospital from trying too many MilkShake flavours too quickly.
20th
August
1993
Rob & Peter continue to run Legend Café and dream of blending everything that doesn't move, or which can be killed first.
4th
May
1996
Begin planning the first MilkShake TakeAway. Decide to combine the words "MilkShake" and "TakeAway" for the new name, and "MilkTake" is born. Name later amended.
4th
September
1998
Rob & Peter go away for a month to meditate. Wake up in Californian bar, the voices having told them to sell Legend Café Bar and dedicate their lives to keeping cows in employment.
9th
October
1998
Premises found in Post Office Road, Bournemouth. Lick of paint required.
11th
March
1999
ShakeAway the First opens! First-ever Customer wears white blouse and buys packet of Polos. Looks pleased with purchase. Joyous plans to celebrate with Champagne that
evening but Peter falls down stairs, cuts ear in two and spends night in Bournemouth Hospital having it glued back together.
12th
March
1999
ShakeAway serves One Millionth MilkShake. Cows complain they are getting sore.
30th
April
1999
Prune MilkShake removed from the list of flavours. It's Customers just weren't regular enough.
2nd
June
1999
Stopped selling Sushi. Sales slowed down and the smell of rotting fish was starting to become offensive.
27th
September
1999
Scandal caused at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth as the range of ShakeAway Labour MilkShakes are released, including the "Tony Jammie Dodger Blair", the "Robin Ginger Nuts Cook" and the "Frank Banana Viagra Dobson". National Radio & Newspapers clamour to ShakeAway.
6th
October
1999
Bournemouth University Freshers arrive in town. ShakeAway's there to inform them that by Christmas they'll be much fatter but their calcium levels will be soaring.
Peter wore smart shirt borrowed from a friend.
18th
November
1999
Tragedy strikes and Rob & Peter go into mourning. Eccles Cake MilkShake is one of our all-time favourites, but you don't want it. That's very clear. Fed up with chucking them out, we eat 207 between us and take the flavour off the board. You silly, silly people. Now you will never know it's beauty and you'll NEVER be complete.
30th
November
1999
Fitness First at Bournemouth's Queen's Park Gym ask ShakeAway to do the blendy stuff for their first-ever "Gym Entertainment Night". Lots of sweaty, panting people enjoy the rewards of their efforts in the shape of ShakeAway.
1st December 1999
ShakeAway's First Christmas and Mince Pie, Christmas Pudding, Chocolate
Log, Rum Truffles & more become MilkShakes for the first time in history
(since ShakeAway Bethlehem closed down in AD18).
1st
January
2000
The new MOOllennium begins. Decide we really hate obvious cow puns.
21st
February
2000
Teresa Inglis wins the FM107.6 the NRG competition. She suggests Butterscotch, Banana and Crumbled Flake as a MilkShake idea, and tasting is done live on the radio. "Teresa" becomes our first "Named Flavour" on the ShakeAway Menu and the tastiest Teresa ever.
11th
March
2000
ShakeAway's first birthday! Thank you to EVERYONE who has been a part of the first year...especially the
COWS who are now red raw.
13th
May
2000
First meeting to negotiate and plan for the second ShakeAway shop begin. You'll just have to join the free ShakeAway Fan Club to be the first to hear what, where and when things may be happening in a town near you...
15th
August
2000
The second ShakeAway opens! A whole new look and image. The first MilkShake sold (Jelly Tots, actually, for you trivia fans) brings a smile to the lips of Southampton. ShakeAway has arrived. Let us embrace you. Group hug, everyone, group hug.
16th
March
2001
"Pants To Poverty" Comic Relief this year includes Fastest MilkShake Drinker Competition in Southampton. Thousands raised in BarGate Centre and many people leave with tummy aches and MilkShake-stained anoraks.

5th
May
2001
Eccles Cake MilkShake returns to the flavours board because Rob & Peter like it so much and they are in charge. More flavours continue to be added after long stomach-churning tasting session which included a
very messy experiment with Marmite.
7th
July
2001
The first-ever public appearance of ShakeAway's very own super-hero...CupMan! Bournemouth jaws drop as our MilkShake hunk strutted through the Square. Women agree that compared to CupMan, Brad Pitt looks plain.
3rd
July
2002
ShakeAway III opened in Brighton! Great welcome in this fab city and within 8
seconds of opening the first ShakeAway Cup is carried down the road. We are proud and have a big lump in our throats (hmm, must blend those MilkShakes a bit more...)
25th
December
2002
ShakeAway's Matriarch Old Cow, Madam Iris, broadcasts her first-ever Christmas Speech at 3pm via e-mail.
11th
January
2003
The First ShakeAway Fashion Show and Cup Supermodels reveal the Designer Cups for this Spring's Collection (check them out here).
24th
April
2003
Bath time for ShakeAway as ShakeAway the Fourth opens! The people of Bath are welcomed into the loving arms of the ShakeAway Shakettes.
5th
October
2003
Eccles Cake MilkShake removed again from The ShakeAway Menu. Honestly, you silly people, don't you know what's good for you? Peter and Rob in rehab.
22nd
December
2003
Launch of ShakeAway's first Computer Game. Aim is to collect ShakeAway Cups on a Space Hopper. Anyone who is old enough to remember Space Hoppers from the first time around will probably not be quick enough to complete the game.
5th
July
2004
Following the "B" tradition (B-Bournemouth, B-BarGate, B-Brighton, B-Bath), ShakeAway Number Five opens in
B-Berkshire. Union Street, Reading greets ShakeAway the 5th has its first day in Reading with much frenzy and excitement! Exhausted, Shakettes go to pub to celebrate. Mobile rings - Solicitor is discussing the next shop. Owners Rob and Peter faint.
13th
August
2004
Moving up the alphabet from "B" to a "C"... announced that ShakeAway The Sixth will open in Croydon in September! Interviews for Cows begin (no, we don't mean the staff).
The Athens Olympics start today and the Olympic Committee adopt the ShakeAway Cup as their official symbol (example photo on the Fashion Page)
31st
August
2004
Organic Soya MilkShakes introduced. Found a special herd of Soya Cows practicing yoga in a remote field near the M3. They agree to donate their Soya "Milk" and refer us to a breed of Eskimo Cows who provide Soya Ice "Cream". So Dairy-Free MilkShakes become available (until you choose to blend a Mars Bar into it, but then that would sort of defeat the object).
19th
September
2004
"Now We Are Six". "The Sixth Sense". "Let's Talk About Six". ShakeAway Six opens in Croydon! First floor of the WhitGift Centre creaks as crowds with London accents lose their ShakeAway Virginity.
24th
October
2004
With the paint still drying in Croydon, ShakeAway 7th is announced to the Exclusive ShakeAway Fan Club. Kingston-Upon-Thames will open in November. Town chosen after much research and demographic studies but mainly because it sounds posh.
27th
November
2004
Kingston (-Upon-Thames, not Jamaica) opens with a Big Bang. Town chosen after much research and demographic studies but mainly because it sounds posh. ShakeAway the
Lucky 7th. Click for pics. 2004 was certainly a busy year with Reading, Croydon and Kingston opening over five months, so we could do with a bit of a lie
down (note: this is nothing compared with 2008.... evil laugh....)
24th July
2005
Excitement as UK Big Brother housemates Kemal, Saskia and Vanessa discuss ShakeAway live on Channel Four ("please do not swear"), deciding Oreo is best. Then they get evicted.




![]()
© Endemol / Channel Four
10th
January
2006
ShakeAway Reading and the Reading Fez Nightclub start a limited run of "ShakeAway Bar" Tuesday Nights. After several pints, a Mint Humbug and Vodka MilkShake at 1am is just what the doctor ordered. Just hope it wasn't YOUR doctor.
1st
July
2006
World Press release that ShakeAway opened in Bristol. Some people scream with delight. Some people cry because it's not in their town. Housing market boosted as people move to
Brizzzle. Changing name of 8th shop to Sh8Away considered silly. But clever.
30th August 2006 - The University of MilkShakes opens in Oxford. Ancient stables with beams and wooden columns converted to ShakeAway Nine. Despite three hundred years passing, smell of wet straw and damp horses lingers. Good squirt of Oust solves problem.
21st
January
2007
The saddest of all days. Ben, you will be missed and loved forever. You were more popular and wonderful than you knew. Dime Bar MilkShakes will always be yours. We Love you. x x
28th
April
2007
ShakeAway Southampton broke a World Record.
They made over 1,000 MilkShakes in one day, with the 1,000th going to Tony. Not sure if the queue was 1000 people long or if Tony arrived later in the day.
7th
October
2007
ShakeAway Number Ten: The first ever Franchised Shop opens in Winchester with record-breaking crowds. Franchisee Laura panics and momentarily wishes she had taken a carpet-cleaning franchise instead.
Click here for Franchise Info if you're clever and have got some dosh.
18th October 2007
World Premiere of ShakeAway The Movie (Part One) generates red carpet treatment for Film Maker and Friend of ShakeAway.... Allan (woo hoo!). Click to view!
22nd May 2008
ShakeAway opens Down Under! The first international expansion of
ShakeAway happens in Melbourne
with Franchisee Rob.
Elastic bands wrapped around ShakeAway Cups in case being
upside down makes the lids drop off.
27th May 2008
No time to even rinse through knickers as Bosses rush back
from Melbourne to Lakeside in Essex to
open UK's 11th Shop. The 12th WorldWide. And they said it
wouldn't last.
15th June 2008
Another new shop! ShakeAway Boss
Rob nagged about opening in his birth-town of Plymouth
for such a long time, Franchisee Carl said "Oh, go on then" and opened
to a Janner Frenzy.....
3rd July 2008
With Shakettes working faster than Santa's Elves in
November, yet another shop opens in Basingstoke
- Franchisee Laura's second. She is getting quite greedy.
![]()
5th
July 2008
Two days later and the other side of the world, New
Zealand's first ShakeAway opens in Manukau
(Man or Cow?) City, South Auckland. Kiwi MilkShake tried and
would be successful if only the beak wasn't so long.
26th
July 2008
Watford (or, to be polite, "Pardonford")
opens and gives Watford What For. ShakeAway WorldWide = 16
Shops and never been kissed.
4th August 2008
Days later, another shop in Poole.
Army called in to assist inflating balloons.
![]()
Today
You look at this page... you're part of the ShakeAway history, and we LOVE YOU!
x x
![]()