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Keith Shepperson
Marie Review |
While on holiday last year in in lanzerote,having forgotten to take my usual supply, in the hotel shop I came upon a packet of McVities bourbons in a red packet?
As far as I am aware McVities don't sell bourbons in individual packets in this country. Am I wrong in this, do they sell McVities bourbons over here or is there a whole world of forgain export biscuits that are shipped out of the country with out our knowledge. whats going on?
ps marie biscuits ( a posh persons rich tea) do they still make them any
more. |
Nicey replies: Its all very complicated really. Basically you have the giant that is United Biscuits, whose main brands in the UK are are McVities, Crawfords and the recently acquired Jacobs. Bourbons and Custard creams here are always Crawfords (as are Marie which you can still get (Sainsburys) green pack ). UB has acquired lots of Spanish biscuit firms since the 1990s and are bringing UK brands over to Spain, many of which are being baked in Spain. They use the McVities brand abroad because it is more recognisable to ex pats. They have tried the reverse bringing Spanish brands over here under the Crawfords name as it happens but it didn't really catch on.
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/previous.php3?item=57 |
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Tim |
hi, just finished reading your excellent book and indulging in some biscuit based nostalgia.. however i can't find any mention of the staple issue of the british army (or was at least) the infamous biscuit brown and biscuit fruit. The biscuit fruit was a pretty utilitarian garibaldi and the biscuit brown vaguely like a hard digestive, both packed in drab green foil. I remember a newspaper clipping on a noticeboard that claimed one of the ingredients of biscuit brown was 'seagull extract'.. They also issued the oat biscuit mentioned by others on your website, which can across as a inferior hob nob.
Keep up the good work!
Tim |
Nicey replies: Tim,
Yes I kept the book to biscuits I have direct dealings with. Biscuits Brown and Fruit and Oat blocks are not something I've had the pleasure of. I've had the occasional offer of some, but they have never actually made it to me. Mind you I did have a chat to General Sir Peter de la Billiere back in November about oat blocks which he was quite fond of. |
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Angela Stark |
Does anyone remember gypsy creams, who made them and will they ever return
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Nicey replies: Of course, they now have a similar sort of existence to the Sasquatch or Yeti being almost mythical, but some people swear blind the've seen them although good hard photographic evidence is never produced to back up these claims. |
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Bill Stone
Rich Tea Review |
Dear Nicey,
It is getting difficult to find rich tea finger biscuits, in that oval, Wembley stadium shape. The round ones are far to thick and don't taste all that good. Are you aware of a plan to phase the oval ones out??
Ta,
Bill Stone. |
Nicey replies: Yes I had heard that too. Also Morning Coffee's seem to be in decline, perhaps there is a crisis afoot in the world of plain dunkers. |
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Paul Daly
Malted Milk Review |
Dear Nicey
I am horrified to read only good things about these nasty, nasty things.As a child my parents claimed poverty and would only buy the cheapest biscuits and in bulk to boot ( I now suspect they may have had a heroin problem and therefore needed to save money ). My childhood was misery as we were only allowed to ever have two biscuits that had to be eaten over the sink , and these were generally malted evil milk or very nasty morning coffee biscuits....but mostly malted sickly sick sick.....oh the cows...the cows. I am now overweight from biscuit mania and have some severe psychological problems. Let this be a warning to all on child rearing and the little understood field of biscuit related neglect.......the cows....
Paul |
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