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 |
Chris Rayment
Garibaldi Review |
Dear Nicey and co, I heartily agree with Henry Morgan – Garibaldis are the unsung heroes of the biscuit tin, always there when you need them, and surprisingly satisfying even without a cup of tea. In our house they are known as ‘Uncle Jack’s Biscuits’ in honour of my long departed great uncle Jack from Bristol who would consume nothing else (apart from Black Magic chocolates and whiskey. Three cheers for the Garibaldi!
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Henry Morgan
Garibaldi Review |
Having read your review on the famous, or to some, infamous, garibaldi. I must say that I agree with the fact that they are a sub section of their own in the biscuit world and as they come in the alleged `kit form`(i.e. you have to break them up), you really feel like a true veteran biscuit muncher, as it requires a little bit of effort to maximise the potential of said biscuit. One might suggest that you could eat all six (the normal amount in one line before broken apart) as a single string, to simply propose such an idea is animalistic and barbaric, would you tackle a leg of lamb before slicing it up into pieces? I think not.
However, I feel that I must point out from past experiences, that not all garibaldis, once in their singular form, have the abundance of currents that I like. Perhaps it`s just my luck, but I tend to find that one or two from the set are blessed with currents, so much so they could be compared to an eckle`s cake, where as others are hard done by and are always left until last by which time they have often become a little dry and hard, but one does the right thing and eats them, although a little grudgingly.
To conclude, the garibaldis deserve applause for their individuality and praise for their long held domination of the biscuit tin, but continuity in the input of currents in the biscuit is something that it lacks, some say `familiarity breeds contempt,` i might agree in certain circumstances, but here, it would be nice to have the abundance of currents in every single bit, that so many of us love.
Henry Morgan, an avid consumer of biscuits and tea.
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Nicey replies: Henry,
I've never found current distribution to be a problem. Either, I'm eating different Garibaldis to you or my expectations of dried fruits in biscuits are much more relaxed than yours. Surely there is the thrill of getting the odd really currenty one. If they were all like that it would take away some of the fun, not that I'd notice perhaps. |
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Harriet McEachran |
I've been out in France for the past few months carrying out some very thourough investigation into the all the allegations that the French can't bis-cuit, and thought it was about time I reported back.
The absolute winner in the French biscuit market are the 'breakfast' biscuits-making a meal out of having a nicecupofteaandasitdown! Good old Lu own the majority of the good 'uns, as a general rule a digestive-stylee base with some chocolate drops or fruit to brighten it up. They come wrapped in threes or fours, giving you a gentle hint 'when to stop'. However I can report that passing these guidelines in three out of four home tests resulted in no side effects.
They even come with some (admittedly dubious) reasons why eating these biscuits are good for you. For example eating if you eat an orange with them, and dip them in a glass of milk then you will get lots of calcium and vitamin C. I did warn you they were dubious. Although they do claim to release energy more steadily than other foodstuffs, and with a graph to back it up-you never know that bit may be true, and I can't think of a pleasanter way to increase productivity.
Anyhoo, happy munching,
Hxxx |
Nicey replies: Yes we have reported in the past on the odd way that the French enthuse about their processed food on it's boxes. Often to be seen is 'Rich in cereals', which seems part of the general fascination with grain in the French psyche. All very strange, like saying chips are a rich source of potatoes. |
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Phil Parker |
Nicey
I wonder if you or your readers can help. Once upon a time I used to be able to buy one of the most delicious delicacies - the Traffic Light Cake. This close cousin to the Empire Biscuit was formed of two shortcake biscuits with some creamy middle. The top biscuit had three holes in and in each hole was a dollop of jam (OK, jam stuff, not the real thing, this isn't health food) in red, amber and green.
I haven't seen one of these for many years in the midlands and only found the specimen in the photo in a small bakery in Street. Sorry about the smear of jam, that's what you get for bulk buying and stuffing them all in the same bag.
What happened ? Why did this valuable aid to learning the highway code vanish ? Is any politician willing to make it an election issue ?
Phil Parker
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Martin Gorst |
Hi Nice
At the risk of being shot down in flames of derision and contempt, I'm finally sticking my head above the parapet and expressing my astonishment at finding on your estimable site no mention of two extremely toothsome treats of my close acquaintance. Made by some esoteric outfit calling themselves The Biscuit Collection, and seemingly fairly widely available in supermarkets, (local branches of Sainsbury & Aldi to name but two widely diverse extremes of the retail spectrum) the treasures to which I refer are Apple Pie Cookies and their slightly less memorable stablemate Brownie Cookies.
Yes, I'm aware the unfortunate presence of the C word does them no favours with you and your many discerning contributors, but it's hard to avoid in a climate of US Cultural Imperialism and Carpet Marketing. However I truly believe these to be little gems and deserving of your attention. I'd defend their undoubted biscuity qualities before the highest court in the land.
I may of course have entirely missed an extended correspondence on the matter, and I can't help an uneasy qualm arising at Adam's oblique reference to 'those bloody awful Apple and Cinnamon jobbies from Asda', but I would welcome your expert assessment of these unsung delights at some juncture.
I can't imagine you'd have a problem tracking them down, but just in case the packet states that they're produced in the EC for JP Associates, St John's House, Exton, EX3 0PL. I very much look forward to the type of balanced and objective review on which your devoted readers can always rely.
Yours in hopeful anticipation
Martin Gorst |
Nicey replies: Hi Mart,
The things Adam was referring to were something else. A small batch of experimental biscuits which were so troubling that they even made it into our book, getting a mention in the section about keeping strongly flavoured and experimental biscuits away from innocent and law abiding biscuits. They were only around for about eight months.
As for the ones you mention, we have not had them yet so I'll keep a look out for them. |
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