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 |
Tristan Stephens
 Cornish Fairings Review |
Hi Nicey, thanks for your Fairings review, and on the subject of them disappearing, I too had to hunt high and low for them whilst on holiday. In addition, I was dismayed to find out the cylindrical tin is no longer available. On a brighter note I found this news.
hooray!
Regards
Tristan Stephens |
Nicey replies: Rescued by the Proper Cornish Food Company. I like the name. |
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Jack Briggs |
Hi Nicey and Wifey,
I bought the book from Ottokars and keep randomly dipping into it for my amusement. I did not see the name of Gray Dunn with caramel wafers but my reading method might have skipped over it. I think they did a popular advertising campaign on TV at least ten years ago. Not that I like them any more than cardboard/Rivita. I endorse the assessment of the fig biscuits, they are some kind of perfection but they can go rock hard if not kept properly in a sealed biscuit tin. They don't normally last long enough to find that out.
It would be interesting to know what your readers use for biscuit tins. I have an old round one with a flower pattern on the lid but I also keep them in a modern sealable plastic container. I hear you screaming the word 'sacrilege'. I also have an old chromed biscuit barrel that I think goes back to my parents' wedding day in 1947. It has an inner container, like a little bucket, but does not hold a sufficient quantity of biscuits and it does not feel right to separate them into two places.
I hope that you don't mind but I have attached a photo of our workplace brewing area, exactly as it is every day, with its industrial teapot and messy fridge below. Mine is the KitKat mug. Note the rusty spoon and build-up of tannin in the teapot. The cleaning lady is under very strict instructions NEVER to clean the insides of the teapot. We always think it keeps the tea away from the metal and, anyway, it is probably bad luck if someone cleans it out. Out of the picture, there is a box of 100 Tetley teabags from the 'pound shop'.
The custard picture from your website is now my computer background picture. Yum!
Keep up the good work. I am enjoying the book.
J Briggs
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Nicey replies: Hello Jack,
That's a wonderful photo of tea making equipment, just the sort of thing I was after when I took the photos for the book. I like the brown tray underneath it all too and the reflections in the kettle. The teapot is glorious, I'm particularly impressed with the black wire handle over the spout to aid pouring. I'm also enjoying the old 10Base2 networking points behind the fridge.
Sadly we were informed a while back that Grey Dunn ceased trading in 2001 so I suppose I should really put an entry up or them in the missing in action section. |
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Dean Anderson |
Hi Nicey,
An American colleague has suggested something called a cookie swap for the last week at work and I thought you might like to know about it (although you probably do already). Apart from the name, which should obviously be ‘biscuit day’ it sounds quite exciting. Apparently, it is a tradition in the US, whereby everyone brings in a tin of biscuits, which are put on plates on a big table. You then take your now empty tin and fill it up with a variety of biscuits that were brought in by other people.
Usually, the ‘cookies’ should be home baked, but it’s been agreed that we can just bring a packet in if we’re too busy. The only downsidesI can see, is that I might have to stand up to eat, which won’t do and I will also probably just bring in the pack that I want to eat, which might make participation a chore. |
Nicey replies: That does sound like a nice idea. We actually made some Brandysnaps last weekend which came out very well, and I brought some with me down to London in the week when doing a spot of radio chatting about the book. Only problem was wrapping them in greaseproof paper and bubble wrap so the could survive the journey in the travel biscuit tin in my rucksack. Actually there are still a few left in the main holding tin... |
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Greg Shailes
 Cadbury's Fingers Review |
Now I'm not a violent person, I'm only joining this topic in the hope of generating a 'biscuits as weapons' icon...
At our office we used to get a weekly 'Broken Biscuit Assortment' from our friendly milkperson. For a period of a few weeks, this weekly box of treats was turned hideously wrong as it contained broken 'Barbie biscuits'. These little abominations were akin to custard creams, however the biscuit had a distincly cardboard consistency and the cream within was a vile pink colour and very very strongly flavoured of that awful saccharine-sweet "strawberry" chemical taste. In fact they were so strongly flavoured that the presence of just a single Barbie biscuit polluted the entire box, making all the other biscuits within taste like those awful scented erasers all the girls had at school in the 80s.
What's my point? Well, provided one had suitable breathing apparatus, the Barbie biscuit would work extremely well as a Weapon Of Mass Disgustion. In the hypothetical Die Hard 4 biscuit battle scene, I'm sure a few well planted Barbie biscuits would soon have Mr Willis rendered unconcious allowing one to deliver the killer blow with a well aimed Ginger Nut or maybe a sharpened Cadbury's Finger would do the trick.
Greg. |
Nicey replies: Greg,
You're probably right as I'm having to scratch around for icons on this one. |
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Ben Harding
 Ginger Nut Review |
Hi
Reading about the "break a gingernut into 3 and get a wish" story, I thought it would be worth setting up a trial. Having bought a double pack on Monday, I was confident of sufficient supplies to make a statistically valid sample. I have just made some tea and gone to open the biscuit tin. Empty!
So, the answer is, I have made a wish, and the wish is: "I wish I had some gingernuts", even pre broken.
Yours sadly
Ben Harding, Dover |
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