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 |
A T Lewney |
Dear nicey,
i like to cook, and i like to bake, biscuits and cakes (tho really im crap at anything thats not sponge, but thats ok, cause i dont like fruity cake anyway much) but ive never come accross xanthan gum, can i ask you or her or whoever, what it is and can i get it in my local londis/spar/moronisons etc? and whats it used for other than the recipe provided, it all sounds very exotic
cheers
Al
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Nicey replies: Good question. Stuff beginning with X is rocket science by definition. I have never seen Xanthan gum for sale, but I have seen it in stuff, Sunny Delight for instance as you might expect contains it (I once read the ingredients of Sunny Delight to try and figure out if it was indeed as sinister as it appears to be). Whether or not they simply added it because it begins with X and they were working through the alphabet in some kind of sick ingredient stunt or maybe it is to do with 'mouth feel' which I think is the term for industrial chemists would use when building vats of Sunny Delight. Maybe it is part of the emulsification of the vegetable oil in the solution of sugar, and chemicals which is central to the production of Sunny Delight. Perhaps it is a by product of the production of Sunny Delight, which spontaneously gives rise to stuff that begins with X, and Sunny Delight itself is presumably a by product of detergent manufacturing.
You could try Holland and Barrett. |
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A T Lewney |
dear nicey
not sure if this has been debated before, or not, but do eccles cakes have ANY essential cake type components? surely like so many others (jaffa cakes et al) they fall in the misty region between cake and .... ummm well who knows, i disagree with the cake icon, perhaps a more fruity icon for those things with high fruit content (fig rolls, some flap jakes, but primarliy eccleses) could be brought about?
a matter for consideration
cheers
charlie
Al |
Nicey replies: The Eccles cake is essentially a small fruit pie, and as such is a member of the cake kingdom. The fruit icon can be used against such things that merit it. However, I might need reminding from time to time to use it. |
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Benjamin Smith |
Nicey,
Today I have eaten a Marks and Spencer Eccles cake. Let's just say that from now on other Eccles cakes aren't even in Eccles, they're out near Withenshaw or somewhere, or possibly outside of Lancashire altogether.
Impressed of Sheffield. |
Nicey replies: Hoorah!
I introduced the younger members of staff to Treacle Tarts over the weekend, through the medium of an Asda instore bakery twin pack. They displayed impressive signs of a sugar rush, and spontaneously invented several new words as they sat there gibbering a bit. |
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Barry Newman |
Contrary to most peoples beliefs, it is possible to find good eccles cakes in some parts of New Zealand. Cheers, Barry Newman.
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Nicey replies: Woo, three icons for one sentance. |
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