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 |
Kathryn Hall |
Dear Nicey,
It's been a while since we last corresponded, though I have of course been following the site diligently - my congratulations on the continued improvements and all the awards also.
I was intrigued by this week's poll regarding pies and tarts. I voted for the 'it depends what size they are' option, however, being more specific, I believe the depth of the article is really the distinguishing factor. My Mother makes a fantastic apple tart (made with Armagh Bramley's naturally) it is the size of a dinner plate, but only about a half-inch thick. In contrast, the related items purveyed by a certain Mr Kipling are most definitely apple pies being at least twice as deep (and also noticeably sweeter), albeit a lot smaller.
On different note, I am off home for a few days this weekend, so looking forward to stocking up on biscuits, decent chocolate and of course Tayto crisps !
My best compliments to The Wife, as ever.
Kathryn Hall, Indiana |
Nicey replies: Kathryn,
Good to hear from you again. The Wife's folks are here this week so we have our giant sack of Tayto cheese and onion crisps too. |
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AlexandLiane |
Hello Nicey
We are music video directors and have just completed a video featuring 2 nice cups of tea with short bread biscuits for dunking. Its all a bit tongue in cheek and a tad raunchy but we thought you might like to see .... the video is for a DJ called Armand Van Helden and can be found on the front page of www.southernfriedrecords.com
and we Love your site x
cheerio
AlexandLiane |
Nicey replies: Actually the bit with tea and shortbread finger dunking rocks, and the scones look very appealing, well done Hoorah etc, not sure if the Wife will approve of the rest though. |
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Shakey
Abernethy Review |
Dear Nicey
Since one of our staff found your site last month, things have not really been the same in our office.
You will be happy to hear that we have instituted a regular mid-afternoon nice cup oftea and sit down in line with the time honoured custom and can't begin to imagine what we did without it.
Anyway, this week during our weekly midweek 'biscuit head to head' Ihad a biscuit paradigm shift. Our clash of the Titans pitted the Abernethy with a Fox's Crunch Cream. Although not like against like, we felt these two formidable biscuits would pose a dilemma for even the most assured biscuit palate. I expected quite a close call.
The Abernethy wiped the floor with the crunch in a unanimous vote, with many respondents citing deeply held personaland historical reasons for chosing the 'Nethy'. Coming as we do from North East Scotland, perhaps there were sociological factors at play?
This led me to consider how we might hold our biscuit head to heads in a more empirical and ojective manner in the future, judging them on biscuit quality alone and eliminating the more subjective elements involved in the vote. Have you any wise words on this subject Nicey? Perhaps taking the more subjective elements away from our judgements reduces biscuits to a set of competencies? What to do?! |
Nicey replies: Well that's a very interesting. When it comes to biscuits of course all opinions are valid no matter what they are based upon, taste, texture, presentation, stature or personal reasons. Some biscuits are worthy of our respect even if we don't like them, whilst others deserve to be taken down a peg or two.
Of course the advantage to gained by setting your objectivity to one side is a willingness to try new and stimulating biscuits. I have had to learn to do this myself in order to review many of the exotic biscuits you'll find here. Occasionally it pays off and you find something that can enrich your tea and sit downs.
So I would say simply try and keep an open mind, and having thought about all the various aspects of the biscuit in depth, then simply switch off and munch down two or three with your cuppa and see if you like them. |
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Rosemary Gault |
I'm not sure that Gavin Mist would be able to get nice cup of tea in germany even if he took his own teabags. I've always found the problem to be that when you ask for a cup of tea, you get given a pot of lukewarm water, a jug of cream and a teabag. If you can persuade someone to pour the boiling water directly on the tea and to replace the cream with milk, the tea is actually quite nice. If you can't do this, just drink the green tea or the stuff they do called kaminfeuer which is quite nice without milk.
Incidentally its worth going to german tea shops to stock up as they sell a huge variety of really really nice loose leaf tea which is tastes fantastic as long as its made in the proper (ie british) fashion. |
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Robin G |
I do apologize for the shock Kate Allen has received, but have to say that I'm not really surprised.
My father, who I believe burned off his taste buds some time ago, will not only reheat his tea or coffee in the microwave several times, but has been known to come back to the same not yet finished cup the following day, scrape off whatever that is floating on top, and heat it again.
I prefer a fresh cuppa.
Robin G. |
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