Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Andrew Maddison |
Dear Nicey,
As an experimental sort of person, I have recently been trying to bake my own chocolate chip cookies, which despite lacking the substance and rigour of many good British biscuits, can be very comforting when still warm a gooey, especially when served up with either a hot cup of tea or an ice cold glass of milk.
I thought the best way to bake American cookies would be to use their own native recipes, and therein lies the problem. I have managed to convert the volumes used in American recipes (usually cups of flour etc) to weights without too much difficulty, but no matter how hard I search I cannot discover the weight of a 'stick' of butter.
I have one friend who remembered that in America a pack of butter is divided into four sticks, and that a pack is roughly the same size as in Britain. This might make a stick weigh in at 4 ounces, but I would dearly love confirmation before I rink life and arteries to a mis-proportioned recipe.
If either you or any of your readers could help I would be much obliged,
All the best,
Andrew.
|
Nicey replies: Your guess is as good as mine. How a nation as technologically advanced as the Americans still insist on using such arcane units of measurement is beyond me. All this feet and inches stuff is based on the distance from the end of Henry V nose to his thumb, yet they program it into their space craft. This then ploughed into Mars as some of the more sensible people at NASA had used meters but forgotten to tell the blokes still using feet and inchs. At least Beagle 2 knew roughly where it was when it smashed itself into tiny pieces.
Plus they have a different inch which they use for surveying, its only two millionths of an inch different to a proper international inch, (which incidentally is now defined in terms of the meter). But why bother? Mind you the Canadians have their own inch aswell.
And all this cups business is fine if you posses the American standard cup, and know how tightly to stuff things into it.
Butter used to be sold by the half pound, as opposed to 250g. That makes a stick 2oz based on what your saying. |
| |
Nicky Bramley |
Hi Nicey,
Have to disagree with Mrs Dixon, cereal bars are mostly rubbish – too sweet and sickly, terrible crumbly texture and mostly unsatisfying – unlike biscuits. The only exception I’ve found is chocolate and raisin Geobars. I eat about 5 a week … they are FairTrade, so I don’t feel too guilty.
Nicky |
| |
Mrs Dixon |
Here at Warwick towers we like biscuits, but also CEREAL BARS.
Some of these have a consistency which goes well with a cup of tea and a sit down, especially at 11am when you've not had any brekky.
We were wondering if you have done any NCOTAASD research into cereal bars?
Our super-favourites at the moment are the rather expensive EAT NATUARAL bars, some of which even have belgium chocolate on 'em.
But we could get a whole packet of custard creams for the price of ONE Eat natural bar and we don't like the pretendo-breakfast cereal cereal bars like rice crispies or weetos.Ohhhhhhh no.
What do other people think?
Mrs Dixon of Warwick Towers |
Nicey replies: I occasionally mess around with cereal bars when skiing, they can be a useful source of oats at altitude. I like the ones with Apricots in them. I don't need to tell you that its very naughty to miss breakfast, its the most important meal of the day apparently. |
| |
James M |
Hello,
When out in Camden Town, I picked up a packet of Savoiardi 'Ladyfingers' - an Italian spongefinger style biscuit, which are very moreish. I have however been roundly condemned in the office for purchasing these. I will forward on a photograph of the ladyfinger, if you desire. I could also write a 200 word review.
Best regards
James M |
Nicey replies: Well I'm sure the people in your office who have been giving you a hard time for buying Italian 'lady fingers' probably have a good point. After you have seen them off you best reclaim your dignity by getting some proper biscuits. You could try and state your case in a review if you think it will help. |
| |
Jillian Boyd
ToffyPops Review |
After years of craving Toffypops imagine my joy that not only are the the biscuit of the moment but that in Glasgow there is a shop which has a regular shipment of Toffypop biscuits. The shop in question is McGees on Sauchiehall St, up in the pub area next to the pub Firewater. I hope other Glaswegian biscuit eaters will be excited by this news and I shall see you there. |
| |
|
|
|