Your Views

Keep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions.

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Your e-Mails

Kevin Becken	Dear Nicey, At last, a site that really demonstrates what the web is for. Congratulations. I discovered it today, a good friend passed on the details. Anyway, I am after some advice, as I am at a loss as to what to do with my aberrant daughter who simply refuses to listen to sensible advice on the etiquette of bisuit eating. The problem manifests itself with complex biscuits, such as penguins and yes, even extends into jaffa cakes. She has also been known to do it with crunchie bars too. Despite my determined efforts to explain to her the chemical design of these biscuits, and that the designer intended the subtle mix of textures and flavours to complement and contrast, to work in harmony, to add up to more than the sum of the parts, she insists on eating the things sideways. For example, with a penguin, she will nibble and dissolve the chocolate first. Then carefully detach the biscuit layer from the filling using teeth, then eat the cream filling, and finally the second biscuit layer. Similarly, Cadburys mini rolls - chocolate, cake, filling, completely distorting the flavour and mouth feel at each stage. Whilst I fully appreciate the challenge and dexterity she masters, despite my admonishments, threats, attempts to educate her calmly, demonstrations of how it should be done - she merely thinks it funny. What can I do to improve this erratic behaviour? Thankyou
	Nicey replies: There is not a lot you can do, it's a stage she's going through, she'll grow out of it during her mid thirties, perhaps.
Nicky B	Dear Nicey, The lovely thing about Jaffa Cakes is that they are low in fat, so I can scoff them during my post-Christmas diet.  They should get a special award for that.  They even put them in convenient packs of 3.  Genius. Luvvies, Nicky B
	Nicey replies: That's right its the Jaffa Cake's secret weapon, and yet another reason why its a ornate sponge CAKE.
Chris Doyle	Dearest Mr. Nicey, I would like to add some gravity to your site's seeming frivolity in regard to the matter of basic biscuit / cake taxonomy. The matter of "is the Jaffa Cake a biscuit" has taxed the brains of the best lawyers the European Union can offer for many years (and I use the word "taxed" advisedly viz.). The issue has now reached a critical juncture. Due to the different tax legislation regarding the sale of biscuits and cakes it would appear that those people (including yourself), who idly refer to the Jaffa Cake biscuit as a "cake" simply because it has the word "cake" in it's title, could be the "footstep of doom" for many biscuit manufacturers across Europe. Should the designation of this sponge, orange jelly stuff and plain chocolate confection biscuit be changed from "biscuit" to "cake" then all manufacturers handlers and distributors of said confections will have to pay vast amounts of back tax (estimated at over 30Bn Euros). Such a burden would see the closure of many of Europe's finest biscuit manufacturers and emporia. We would then have the EU stepping in to centrally manufacture a standard Eurobisc which would be the only commercially available biscuit in Europe. This would inevitably lead to a black market in crunchy comestibles; just think, underground biscuit ovens everywhere. Don't let this nightmare happen, it's not just a biscuit, it's a way of life. Yours sincerely Chris Doyle Biscuit Law Partner Honbob, Borbun and Dunk Solicitors
	Nicey replies: Dear Mr Doyle, First I'd like to say how much we enjoyed watching that Spitfire you had earlier this year, the younger members of staff now rate Spitfires as highly as F16s which is praise indeed. Second as for the Jaffa cake, we certainly do that the matter seriously. Your argument seems a little adrift in places so here we go with the first Jaffa Cake mail of 2004. There are a number of reasons why the Jaffa Cake is a cake and as such the bakers of Europe may rest easy in their beds. 1) As you point out, and as we have popularised, it is called a CAKE. 2) Very very importantly it is made from cake, sponge cake to be precise. This obviously has huge bearing on its status as a cake. 3) Yes yes yes it goes hard when stale, just like a cake, (which it is) not like biscuits which go soft (unless its a Fig Roll or some other biscuit which goes hard etc). 4) It has been deemed to be cake by a law tribunal some years ago now. 5) It has a moisture content consistent with that of a cake, (because it is a cake) 6) Its a little itty-bitty cake Yes we are aware that it likes to be seen with biscuits, and yes they are about the same size and come in similar packets.
Karen	Nicey,   After hearing about nicecupofteaandasitdown a long time ago (through Good Food magazine no less!), I've finally got round to having a look. How clever you are to make a site for the most important tradition of them all. Nothing can beat a good cuppa and a proper biscuit or four (the more buttery the better, as far as I'm concerned).   But, I have a problem......   Being a twenty-something and keen to stay looking beautiful for many a year to come I am only too aware of the huge number of calories in a proper biscuit. What are your views on these 'low fat' biscuits, the 'Go Aheads' of this world?   I can't imagine for a minute that you like them, but what's a girl to do??   Roonie.(a Fox's fan)
	Nicey replies: Well low fat biscuits are a very tricky area, a bit like low alcohol drinks. Biscuits by their very nature have lots of carbohydrates and fat, mess with this basic equation and somethings not right. There are two main approaches, subterfuge and avoid total substitution. Foxs 'Officially Low Fat' cookies use clever recipes to avoid the fat content, small amounts of glycerol are used to keep the biscuit soft, a bit like its use in icing. Strong flavours such as almond and cherry try to steer our taste buds away from the lack of fat. The result through subterfuge is slightly odd but very very low fat cookie. The second approach seen in much of the McV GoAhead range is to bulk up the biscuit with something that is low fat like fruit. Now, I happen to like that, but you may not. Sometimes products are of course bulked up with low fat air, so watch out for those. Interestingly another reason why the Jaffa Cake is a cake and not a biscuit is that is sponge base is much lower fat in than its biscuit shelf mates, and combined with plain chocolate the fat content is impressively low.
Mark Bevan	Nicey, For years, inexplicably, this debate has raged on over the so called grey area of wrapped biscuits (e.g. those foil things in cadbury's biscuit selection tins) and individual cakes (Jaffacakes et al..), and I am glad to see your site attempt to address many of the issues. It is clear to me, however, when aged, biscuits go soft and cakes go hard. Many thousands could have been saved in legal fees in the McVities court case if this simple law had been applied. Hope this helps. P.S. If this rule (Bevan's Law) is extended, all foodstuffs can be categorized as either biscuits or cakes. Baked beans, for example, are a form of cake and most fruit is part of the biscuit family. Bacon (Cake). Crisps (Biscuit). Etc...
	Nicey replies: Actually this was one of the arguments used on behalf of McVities in the court hearing, that and the fact that it is in fact a small cake. To be honest the VAT man was more keen to get a ruling that was more along the lines of 'small things that are about the size and shape of biscuits and sold with biscuits should get VAT applied to them', as they knew that the Jaffa Cake was indeed a cake.
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