| After several weeks of chemicals and food additives paranoia caused by reading too many editions of the Guardian, my companion-in-tea and I found ourselves one afternoon reading the small print on all the biscuits in the supermarket packets. This almost led to weeping in the aisle as we discovered how much hydrogenated rubbish there is in an own-brand pack of jam rings. After further study we found one of the two ‘safe’ products available to us was ‘Duchy Originals Organic Lemon Biscuits’ (from the Duchy Originals Organic biscuit range), a product we’d always rejected previously because of its monarchical endorsement (the ‘Duchy’ is the Duchy of Cornwall – they’re Prince Charles’ very own biscuits) and the exorbitant price (£2.25 for a pack of 16)! But we will attempt to make a fair review…
If you believe each new packet of biscuits is something of an occasion then Duchy Originals Organic Lemon Biscuits (DOOLB) might excite you. After opening the perfectly-proportioned box you’ll find the biscuits luxuriously wrapped in little packets of four. Each biscuit is perfectly round, and with the insignia Duchy of Cornwall on each (high camp if nothing else).
On opening this little cellophane packet you will be hit by an excruciatingly divine citrus-packed aroma, reminiscent of the best, juiciest St Clements cake. On first taste there is a delightful, very subtle crunchy edge, which is a very long way from the grainy crunch of a cheap, over-sugared bikkie. Micro-seconds later there is that genuine melt-in-the-mouth sensation so often sought but rarely found. The DOOLBs are refreshing and zangy, and never too buttery.
And when dunked… perfect - there are no words to describe how utterly this was the biscuit that was made to dunk. It softens so submissively but holds it together. We have found the perfect dunking biscuit.
The quality (and the price) make even the chunky crumbs valuable – we were scooping them up from the table. DLOOBs are made by reputable Scots shortbread-maker Walkers.
This is a connoisseur’s biscuit. Price is a factor – if you’re going to indulge they’re not a box to get out when you have wasteful non-connoisseur friends or relatives about. The final question is – can we overcome republican principles to make them a regular purchase?
| 
