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 |
Catherine Stoddart |
Hello nicey,
I remember reading an interview with Damon Albarn about 7 years ago where he claimed to be addicted to tea, and said that it was important to make tea with water that was boiling, advice that I follow to this day. Because the water must be boiling, I always put the milk in last incase it cools the water and the tea is slightly less nice. Michael Barkers very good point about scalding the milk has delayed this evenings cuppa. I don't know who to believe. I'm considering making two mugs of tea when my other half gets home and conducting a blind taste test on him.
Actually, Damon Albarn also said that he always uses fresh water, never reboiling the water. I've always wondered what he does if he goes the toilet and the kettle boils? Does he throw the water away and start again? Or was he talking rubbish? Maybe we'll never know.
I'm off for a cuppa tea and some digestives. I think I'll make it my normal way, I don't think I can handle the excitement of a new brewing technique and The Weakest Link. |
Nicey replies: Yes well boiling water is very necessary for getting the best from the tea, George Orwell, is very insistent on this as well.
Interestingly when making tea up mountains as I'm prone to from time to time the water boils at a much lower temperature but the tea still seems to work. Maybe the boiling is necessary to help the volatile substances in the tea to be released, where as the temperature is not as crucial. Of course this is all negated if one is forced to use the local Lipton's Yellow Label tea which is fairly standard when abroad.
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Victoria Jones
Abbey Crunch Review |
Having just read your fantastic review of the great Abbey Crunch I felt I had to write as this is the official biscuit of my home town - Colchester in Essex.
The Abbey Crunch has enjoyed official biscuit status in Colchester for approximately 500 years. The monks of St John the Baptist Abbey were famous for their crunchy oat biscuits which were also baked and enjoyed by the townsfolk. All that's left of the Abbey today is its 15th century gatehouse and its biscuits.
The current biscuit is taken from a version baked by local firm Priory Biscuits until just after the second world war. The company was owned by a Frank Curtis who claimed to get the recipe from his mother. She in turn said that it had been handed down to her. McVities probably bought the
recipe after the company closed down, and a picture of the Abbey still appears on packets today.
I remember my father making these biscuits, and friends back in Colchester also remember grandparents, aunts and uncles baking them, making the Abbey Crunch a big part of Colchester's history.
Keep up the good work with the site, I look forward to reading more reviews.
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Sarah-Jane Winn |
Dear 'Nicey',
Great web site, do you, or will you. do any features of nut free biccies? My son has a nut allergy and its a real pain trying to find biccies for him, usually its the very nice but a tad boring full time, Rich Tea's.
Many thanks, keep up the good work, sent the site to my sis in laws in LA and NZ!!! |
Nicey replies: Things like the mighty Penguin tend to be OK as they have their own dedicated production line, due to the volumes involved, so you don't get that may contain nuts thing. United Biscuits have an up to date web page were they list their nut free products.
Hey the Abbey Crunch is listed as nut free, Yay. |
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Tony Raven
Lu Mikado Review |
The feedback you have on the Pocky/Mikado is slightly off. I have some packets of Pockys donated by Japanese friends when they visit. They are made by Ezaki Glico Co Ltd in Osaka, Japan and come in a wide variety of types. Current packs I have are Mousse Pocky in Strawberry or Green Tea flavours. You can find out about them at the Glico Website If stuck AltaVista will do a challenging translation for you.
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Phil Leicester
Tim Tam vs Penguin Review |
Where are they? I sent me mum down Tescos to get some and they didn't have any! (Not an easy feat as she's 5000m away from me) So where are they.
Desparate.
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Nicey replies: Their location amongst the biscuits can vary wildly. However we have been informed that the official Tesco policy is to put them next to the Cadburys fingers.
I'm a bit lost with the 5000m thing to your mother. Still never mind. |
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