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 |
Sara Tumalty |
Hi Nicey
Thanks for clearing that little one up. I think that you should go on with your choice of bicky. I must say I have never been a big fan of the fig roll but I’ll be backing it all the way… Come on Australia!!
Thanks
Sara |
Nicey replies: Thank you Sara,
You are very gracious. I have to say I didn't realise that Jason was actually interviewing me this morning but then I was a bit out of it as the Wife left in the middle of the night (to go on a girls weekend to Poland (she has strict instructions to bring back exotic Polish Jaffa Cakes) ) and a car alarm woke me up twice after that. Then just before waking I was having a strange dream where the girl from Big Brother who was the actress who pretended to be Australian was pinching a variety of sandwich cream biscuits from a conference room which was sited in the middle of a very busy road here in Cambridge. I think one of the biscuits might have been a form of Canadian Maple syrup biscuit, judging by the colour of its cream. I however didn't mind as I was only on my second best bicycle.
Have a nice sensible Friday and a lovely weekend.
Nicey |
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David P
Weston's Wagon Wheels Review |
Dear Nicey,
As a long time Wagon Wheels fan, I’ve been delighted to read some of the enlightened commentary on these great biscuits on your website. I wonder if you can help me with a minor dispute relating to Wagon Wheels advertising of the late 80s/early 90s, specifically the existence of an ad featuring some sort of creature, hiccupping repeatedly and saying “Hic, the Wagon Wheels, Hic, the Wagon Wheels”. The ad may have only screened on Aussie telly, but independent confirmation of its existence would be of considerable satisfaction to me.
Hope you can help.
David P.
Adelaide, Australia. |
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Janice Scott |
Dear Nicey and Wifey,
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your wonderful book. As an ex-pat living in Australia for the past 20 years, we recently returned from a visit (with my husband and three children) to old 'Blighty' and on one of our many days out, my daughter pointed out your book in a very small National Trust Giftshop in Robin Hood's Bay on the North East Coast of England (my husband and I originate from Durham City).
My husband and I are avid tea drinkers, he - a perfect 'T'; myself - it depends, mostly 'T1'. My husband (a shift worker) can drink up to 16 cups a day, our kettle is never cold! Our three children, aged 9, 11 and 15 (all born in Australia) have inherited the English taste for tea and all drink it often much to the amusement of our 'Aussie' friends and neighbours.
The book made me smile and laugh and brought back many memories of afternoon teas with my mum and aunts, and of course the compulsory plate of assorted biscuits (my childhood favourite - the Lincoln). I now take part in many morning and afternoon teas with my 'Aussie' friends and take much pride in providing teacups and saucers and teapot on a tray, keeping alive the English tradition.
The book will now take pride of place on our bookshelf for 'special' books; kept safe to be passed on to my children and hopefully connoisseur tea drinkers of the future to hopefully enjoy as much as I have. I will of course take it down to peruse when I am having my 'nice cup of tea and a sit down' which is very, very often.
With many thanks and my very best regards.
Janice Scott |
Nicey replies: Janice,
Thanks for your mail. The National Trust do excellent work preserving the nations heritage as well as selling our book in their gift shops. Around us for some reason they also have a few water mills where they grind excellent wholemeal flour which makes glorious brown bread, and oatmeal which makes equally glorious raisin and oatmeal biscuits.
Quite frankly I don't know what we would do with out them.
Regards to all your tea drinking family
Nicey |
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Bob and Amanda |
Nicey, Wifely, et al,
Where can I get a good cuppa in London? Do British Rail cafeteria still exist?
Robert
Australia |
Nicey replies: Lots of places although it would seem you need to go anywhere that Tony Blair doesn't.
There are cafes in most London stations but they are tend to deal in charmless Danish pastries and paninnis. Your tea will be subject to whatever nameless catering teabag they shove in your paper cup and how hot their water is. Both of these important factors are usually beyond your knowledege or control.
I find the best places to simply be any every day back street cafe which London is full of. If they do bacon rolls or egg and chips then the tea should be up to scratch. The really good ones have giant teapots and use giant catering tea bags. I was very excited to be presented with one of these giant tea bags when I went to the Fields Cafe in Dalston.
Then of course you should check out definitive back street cafe site eggbaconbeansandchips and its sister site ateaandathink. |
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Andrea
Tunnocks Tea Cake Review |
Dear Nicey,
I was quite surprised to read that Mark and Mandy were struggling to identify biscuits with marshmallow as Australia has its own version - the might Arnott's Chocolate Royal. This is a circular plain sweet biscuit, topped by a thin layer of jam, followed by marshmallow and dipped in chocolate. The chocolate can be milk or dark and the marshmallow can be pink. They do tend to be brought out for special occasions only, which is maybe why the name is so fancy. The name is much more sensible than that of "teacake" as while it is a tad pretentious, the item is not creating confusion between biscuits and currant buns.
Having read much about the Tunnock's Teacake, I would like to see a comparative review of this favourite and the Chocolate Royal - a bit like the Tim Tam and Penguin review.
Regards
Andrea |
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