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Louise Morgan
Romany Creams Review |
Kia ora Nicey and Wifey,
Had heard about your web site quite some time ago when the hubby and i were still living in the UK.
Glad to see you are still going strong.
We live happilly in New Zealand and my favourite biscuit out here so far has to be the 'Kingston' by Arnotts - it sort of reminds me of a Gypsy Creams from years ago in Scotland, where i was born.
However, it is about half the size of a Gypsy Cream and the biscuit halves are more golden coloured but the Kingston tastes very nice especially dunked and is kind of more-ish as one is never quite enough and i usually end up eating about two or three quite greedilly and quickly the minute the tea is poured!! Oops - i have to limit them and look at them longingly in the packet or i could end up turning into a biscuit! Hahah!
Thank you for a really good fun web site.
Louise and Lez
Auckland City
New Zealand |
Nicey replies: Yes those Kingstons are fairly much the same idea as the Gypsy Cream, which made a brief come back here a year or two ago. They are made under licence by Arnotts from Bakers of South Africa, and we reviewed them a good while ago now.
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Lou Phemister
Digestive Review |
Hi Nicey,
I'm wondering if anyone can help me with information regarding the birth of the digestive biscuit. Growing up on the southside of Edinburgh I was always told that Robert Middlemass invented it in his quaint biscuit factory on Causewayside (now long gone along with the lovely aroma). All the written history i have seen suggests its creator was Alexander Grant of McVitie & Price down in Rose St., which may be true, but as history is always writen by the victors i am naturally a little suspicious.
Lou Phemister |
Nicey replies: It seems that you have more local information on this than us, who as you have keenly observed are reading from the history books so to speak. I'm perfectly prepared to keep an open mind on such matters. |
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Terry
Iced Gems Review |
You may or not be aware, that because of the associations with Huntley & Palmer Reading football club were known as the "Biscuitmen" for many years. Until that is a smart alec ad man rebranded the club's nickname to the "Royals" in order to trade on a more sophisticated? and appropriate nickname. Some of us, including the club's unofficial fanzine website "Hob Nob Anyone" remain loyal to the "Biscuits or Biscuitmen" Your site gives us lots of pleasure, as there are many parallels between football and biscuits, foreign players worldwide biscuit brands and so forth. A link would be good, please keep up the good work.
Cheers
Terry |
Nicey replies: Yes I see that you have a HobNob your URL icon on the site. Of course if I were to don my biscuit anorak I would say that the HobNob has only been linked to Reading for the last 3 years since United Biscuits (McVities) acquired Jacob's UK based business and so inherited the Huntley and Palmers brands that had previously passed to them, there by traces back to Reading. I don't suppose you fancy informally being called the Iced Gems, which would be more accurately portray the clubs local heritage?
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Andy Jenkinson |
I read, with interest, your opinions on fig rolls - and the bake-then-cut / cut-then-bake debate. I am currently favouring Sainsbury's-own (bake then cut) complete with ridges. This delightful temptress or a biscuit has a fine dunking consistancy and is ideal as the base for my own 'chocolate coated fig rolls'. [If there was every a biscuit waiting to be made, this is it.]
Along with the chocolate garibaldi this is my only attempt at 'home cooking'. (Although I am not exactly sure if melting-chocolate-and-coating-stuff-with-it can count as cooking). The ridges on the figrolls act as a splendid trough for the chocolate, biasing the coating to the top, and allowing for a relatively thin coating all over, yet both the fig roll and the chocolate get a look in when vying for your tastebud's attentions. [Compare the chocolate covered garibaldis - when coating only one side is all that is possible before the chocolate taste dominates].
Perhaps one day my chocolate fig rolls [fig-o-lates?] will be commercially avaialble, and cast before your expert eye/mouth. Do you know any 'Dragon's Den' style venture capitalists looking to break the biscuit market?
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Nicey replies: Aren't fig rolls terrific! Given my current diet status all fig rolls sound brilliant whatever is going on with them, so I'm in. I don't know what Theo, Duncan, Deborah, Peter and the new chap think. Duncan Bannatyne could flog them in his health clubs to people as they leave the gym. |
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Keith O'Kane |
Dear Nicey and the Wife,
Once again we are well into lent and the annual argument over what is a cake and what is a biscuit is dividing the office.
Vicki has given up cake this year but not biscuits and was seen tucking into a packet of Fig Rolls over lunch.
Some of us in the office think that the moisture content of a Fig Roll places it firmly in the cake camp, while others (particularly Vicki) are adamant that it is a biscuit and can therefore stay on the menu.
Can we please have an official ruling on the subject. |
Nicey replies: Good to hear from you, but I'm genuinely surprised on your stand point on the Fig Roll. Put it this way when I want to debunk the moisture content argument as the 'is it a cake biscuit?' yardstick, I trot out the Fig Roll as an example of a classic biscuit with a high moisture content.
So I guess Vicki can continue with her guilty pleasures. Mind you maybe she could justify a giant 'pimped' fig roll on these grounds! Although it might have dire consequences for her social life and render her housebound for a few days. |
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