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 |
Alun Miles
Weston's Wagon Wheels Review |
Nicey,
I've just read your write up of the 'Weston's Wagon Wheel', and have
just stirred up memories of my school days
I was educated at the school which is next door to the Burton's factory in Llantarnam, South Wales and every time my school chums and I had a chance we would scamper down to the factory's shop and buy bags of Wagon Wheels which were not of sufficient quality to be packed up and distributed in the normal way. There would be 20 plus wagon wheels to a bag of various sizes,
shapes and quantities of chocolate/jam. These were then consumed with great gusto during our lunch break.....but unfortunately for every good thing there's a bad one....
One day after indulging ourselves in our Wagon Wheel fest we suddenly remembered that we had double PE after lunch and on that particular day we had to give it our all in a practice game of rugger for a big match we had lined up. I was ok for the first few minutes or so until I was running down the wing at full pelt and was barged into touch by a big bruiser from the upper sixth form. When I got to my feet and drew in a deep breath through my nose (as we were taught by our sports master!!) I got a whiff of the baking odours from the biscuit factory. Well the accumulation of vigorous exercise, 20 or so Wagon Wheels and that sickly pong was too much for me and yes you've guessed it I was talking to God on the big white phone, which of course got everyone else, who scoffed Wagon Wheels that lunch time, boffing too.
As you can imagine the rugby pitch was not a pretty sight and the memory of this ordeal has stuck with me since, especially when I travel past the factory/school on my way to work just as another batch of biscuits are leaving the ovens giving off their sweet sickly odour.
Cheers Alun
PS. Shortly after this incident the factory shop was closed the official story was that some unscrupulous people were selling on the below par biscuits at car boot sales and thus giving Burton's a bad name.....but I think it was my sports master threatening to duff up anyone who sold us anymore Wagon Wheels.
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Sheridan Williams |
Dear Nicey,
I'm new to your page, but not to tea of course. I am 55 and was weaned on tea by my parents.
I am about to buy a new car and cannot find on your super website details of cupholders in cars.
As you can imagine, this is crucially important especially as my last car a Range Rover had a sloping dashboard and nowhere to rest your tea mug. My choice of car must have at least two cupholders in the front.
Can any of your readers help out with this.
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Geoff Cardigan |
Dear Nicey,
Doubtless you are on top of this piece of breaking news, but my panic is such that I cannot wait for a posting from your good self, and so am e-mailing you in a state of urgent breathlessness.
I, along with many other keen followers of the biscuit world, have noticed the change in packaging on boxes of Family Circle (surely the populists choice of selection box). However, has anyone noticed the subtle, indeed unreferred to, change in content? The Orange Cream biscuit has disappeared from the box altogether! Previously two of these citrus beauties could be found on each layer, bringing a total of 4 in each box (a handsome total, to be sure, but still not enough to satisfy all at the society. Along with their berry-based cousin and all-time classic, the Jammie Dodger, the Orange Cream was always first to disappear at the society's gatherings).
Is this a temporary change, or due to a rogue batch? That would be serious enough, but if you were to confirm the complete withdrawal of this satisfying and hugely underrated biscuit, my devastation would be such that I may be forced to consider my position.
This leads me to ask several questions: On what legal basis can a company simply delete a much-cherished biscuit from a selection pack? Surely some kind of tribute would have been appropriate? Most importantly of all however- why the Orange Cream? There is a coconut-based monstosity of a biscuit that has survived in the Family Circle for many years, much to my bewilderment (this is surely favoured by only the most avid dunker).
The attitude of Family Circle's manufacturers toward the heartless betrayal of this core member of it's selection pack is mystifying, and disappointing. I intend to table a motion to the society to withdraw our support for the Family Circle with immediate effect. Any light you could shed on this disturbing and perplexing issue would be most welcome.
I'm going for a lie down.
Yours sincerely,
Geoff Cardigan
Acting Host-in-Chief (while the wife is pregnant)
Bristol Guild of Biscuits Appreciation Society (North West and Westbury-on-Trym Division)
Founded 1996 (at Dave's house)
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Nicey replies: Geoff,
The orange cream is indeed a rare and much underrated biscuit. However I did encounter a triple pack of cream biscuits, in Iceland (not the country) about 2 years ago containing Orange Creams, unfortunately there was a pack of Coconut creams keeping them company. |
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Jim Lawrence |
Dear Nicey
Reading Ms. Stoddart's posting on the tea-drinking habits of Damon Albarn set me to thinking. In the light of the recent survey promulgating the disturbing fact that this nation of ours now harbours more coffee drinkers than tea drinkers (I forget the percentages involved but the former are now much in the ascendant), I have come up with this idea. How about soliciting interviews with celebrities and influential figures such as politicians, writers, etc. who are known for their love of tea. I believe that people such as the aforementioned Mr. Albarn are very popular amongst our younger citizenry, being seen as "hep" and "cool" and "gear". The persuasive powers of such individuals could turn the tide against this distressing trend which, in my considered opinion, constitutes nothing less than a threat to the very fabric of our society. If the body politic is to be saved from a rising tide of coffee swilling, inducing a confusion of social identity and postmodern value relativism, then all tea lovers must act soon! May I suggest beginning with an interview with Mr. Tony Benn, who famously takes a thermos full of piping hot cha with him wherever he goes? I feel sure that our older, more serious Britons would rediscover the joys of tea drinking once exposed to the views and tea experiences of such sober persons.
I am not anti-coffee, by the way. I occasionally indulge in a mugful when I need stimulation during the night and have even been known to patronise such establishments as Starbucks. But a Britain without tea is unthinkable!
On the vexed subject of milk in combination with tea, if you employ the convenience-method of teabag-in-mug, then you simply must introduce the tea before the milk and let it brew to taste, being careful to remove the bag before pouring the milk. If you use the traditional pot-method, either with bags or leaves, then it avoids the necessity of stirring the cupful of golden-brown ambrosia if you introduce the milk first. The experienced tea quaffer will pour the correct quantity by instinct, and the volume of tea, thanks to gravity and the teleological effects of fluid-mechanics, will automatically mix when it hits the small reservoir of milk.
Yours thirstily, Jim Lawrence, Southampton. |
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Laurie
Fazer Fasu Pala Review |
Dear Mr Nicey,
I visited a friend in Finland in January this year, and brought back a couple of packs of Fazer chocolate wafer biscuits - one pack was mint, the other was coffee truffle. Both were excellent. One could say that Fazer is the 'Cadbury of Finland' - although in my opinion Fazer chocolate tastes better than Cadbury's on the whole - and its chocolate bars are also very good to have together with tea. |
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