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Your e-Mails

Martin	A friend of mine called Andrew Cunningham has the inside scoop: "My grandad worked for McVities here in Edinburgh, and was involved on the team that invented jaffa cakes. He was credited with coming up with the ingredient that makes the orangey bit solid and yet still squishy, or something. I dunno. But anyway, the head of the team threatened to quit because they refused to call them Jaffa Bakes, which was his original idea. So the whole cake thing is a heresy!" Jaffa Bakes eh? Imagine that.
	Nicey replies: Woo, juicy inside information! I think we all know why they wanted to go for the cakes name, as it would increase their profit margin with the no VAT on cakes ruling. The again that maybe didn't apply at the time.
Richard Smith	Can you settle an ongoing debate within our department, jaffa cakes - is the orangey filling jelly or jam? We contacted McVities who confessed it was an industrial type jam. However, we are not convinced what is an industrial jam, we maintain it's more jelly than jam. Great web site but strangely a lack of tea related stuff, perhaps you could redeem yourselves by joining us in campaigning for the reinstatement of the PGTips monkeys! More Tea! PG Tips Pyramids of course!
	Nicey replies: Richard, I've always thought of it as Jelly but if McVities say its jam then jam it is. I suppose it comes down to what sort of complex macro-molecules give it its jelly like texture. For Jam its pectin a polysaccharide component of plant cell walls, and for jelly its gelatin a protein found in skin, bone and cartilage. I just checked on a packet of Tesco's Jaffa cakes and the gelling agent is Pectin. So Jam it is. Still industrial jam sounds pretty cool, a step up from recreational jam. I suppose military or weapons grade jam is the next level up. As for tea the wife and I regularly enjoy PG. The chimps lost their way since about 1976, but as yet the motives of the plasticene birds are unclear. I think tea is a very personal thing so I don't tend to get drawn into debates on its components or construction.
Huw Davies	Hello again   After having a nice, but rather rushed sit down, cup of Assam tea and a whole pack of Jaffa Cake Mini Rolls, I can categorically state they they are, indeed, without a shadow of a doubt, cakes. But, why the original Jaffa Cake wasn't just rolled up into a 'roll' to make a completley new and exiting cake is beyond me.   I think there is something very sinister about Mcvities turning everything we once held dear to our hearts, the very basis of our societies, our nice sit downs and cups of tea.. into Mini Rolls. I think this matter should be turned over to trading standards immediatley. The Mini Roll is slowly taking over. I bet within six months to a year, Jaffa Cakes will be phased out, to be replaced by evil, inferior, Jaffa flavoured Mini Rolls. I for one mourn the fat cattedness of McVities. May their 'lets turn every bloody thing into a mini roll' philosophy burn in the fiery gingernut pits of Hades.
	Nicey replies: Don't worry Huw the Mini Roll is a spent force, peaking over twenty five years ago in mid 70's when it enjoyed a high status along with many other now dated products such as Angel Delight and Surprise freeze dried peas. Many still dabble in the format, but the nation has moved on. What worries me more is the tinkering that McVities are under taking with their product range as a whole. Last week I was forced to buy HobNobs in some kind of elaborate Pringles alike resealable cannister, at a price which was surely inflated due to the pointless cannister. I have no desire to add to the rubbish to be bulldozed in a land fill with a stupid little cannister thing. That's what a biscuit tin is for! To make matters worse a friend bought me a packet of Mini Hobnobs so I could assess the biscuits as sweets thing. The little packet contained 8 mini Hobnobs each with a diameter of approx 34mm as opposed to 67 for the full size. After a some quick calculations it transpires that these wretched little biscuit-ettes were over twice as expensive as even their canister brethren. So what's happening here? we are all being taken for a ride as United Biscuits try and wring out more cash from us using their well loved brands that were established via the honest and noble medium of a the packet of biscuits. This is short term gain but long term folly, as I fear the brands themselves will loose their sense of connection to people, which begins at a young age. The younger members of the NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown staff won't be raised on Mini-Hobnobs or those from a stupid cannister that's for sure. So what value is that brand going to be to them in 15 years time? Not much.
Lucy Farr	In response to Toby, I'd just like to agree that Jaffa Cakes are cakes. The test is that if you leave biscuits uneaten they go soft and if you leave cakes uneaten they go hard. Jaffas go hard. Incidentally, on more of a sweets issue, did everyone know you can now get Jaffa sweets? They're like smarties but the shape of M&Ms and have orange chocolate in the middle. Yum.
	Nicey replies: Lucy, Yes the moisture content and what happens to it is a good indicator of cakeness vs biscuitness, and has been used in a court of law as an argument against the government no less.
Toby Robertson	at last, a biscuit site with a degree of proffesionalism, sincerity, and a ruthless commitment to the biscuit enthusiasts we all consider ourselves to be, it has long been a dream of mine to find a biscuit forum with balls, not afraid to out the biscuit fraudsters no matter who they work for, just one question, what is your stand on the whole jaffa cake debate, and should it get a mention on this site? I myself consider the jaffa cake to be just that- A CAKE, and although they are very tasty, with great texture, they DO NOT belong in the biscuit catergory...any other readers out there want to enter the debate?? any chaps keep up the good work, and having just discovered the site, i feel like i've just been reunited with a long lost oven baked brother Cheers Toby
	Nicey replies: Toby, Simple they are cakes, small ones but cakes none the less. Check out the links along the top of the page 'Cake' and 'Biscuits', for my opinion and that of the Irish Inland revenue.
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