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 |
Claire Beecroft
 Bourbon Review |
Hello,
I was reading David Blaxill's comments on 'flask tea' and it bought back memories of the boot of my Grandparent's Morris Minor in the 70s/80s. It was used to house tea-making equipment which was carried at all times. They had a camping gaz 'bluet' stove, kettle, 'unbreakable' cups (how we laughed on the numerous occasions when my dad managed to break one) teabags, sugar and 'Five Pints' powdered milk. Also biscuits, which usually included gingernuts, gypsy creams and bourbons (these last were exclusively for consumption by the dog).
The whole caboodle was referred to as 'The Makings' and no day out was complete without a stop in a layby where my Nan would brew up, seemingly unaware of the thunder of lorries whizzing past, while me and my sister sought shelter in the back of the car and keenly anticipated licking the filling out of the gypsy creams. Happy days....
Claire (who has just finished a Soreen 'Go' Bar, and wonders where it would sit on the Venn diagram of biscuits. |
Nicey replies: How I love an excuse to get out the flask icon. My Dad used to make tea at work (the Royal Mint at Llantristant) using Five Pints dried milk. I remember it came in a plastic bottle that looked like a proper glass milk bottle.
Actually Wifey and I were out for a nice healthy bike ride earlier and not only did we see a couple of Red phone boxes but I also spied two genuine bottles of milk at the end of somebody's drive and had to pull over to admire them.
As for Soreen Go bars I've not had one but hope they are related to Soreen Malt loaf in some way. Hoorah for malt loaf especially with butter on it.
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Dorian Lid
 Thin Arrowroot Review |
Dear ncotaasd staff and fellow readers,
I have two things I would like to share with you and visitors to your important and critically acclaimed web site and biscuit information forum.
Firstly I write in support of the oft maligned Arrowroot, unfairly, I feel, dismissed in your review as a "dry tasteless dull excuse for a biscuit". I would suggest that to the contrary the Arrowroot represents an important lifelong companion and comfort food. Introduction to the Arrowroot should be at an early age as they make an excellent teething soother and general comforter for babies - in part because of the structural qualities recognized in your report but also for its unique warming vanilla variant taste. Later in life that taste quickly brings back feelings of security, warmth, homeliness and the protective cocoon that was early childhood. What better way to get over another brutal day in the work world than to come home to a ncotaasd with an Arrowroot on the side. And, if that is not enough, later in life we can look forward to the Arrowroot as a valuable easily digested, nourishing diet for convalescence. The active ingredients are reportedly especially useful in bowel complaints, as they have demulcent properties.
For a special treat I slather the top of an Arrowroot with butter - the real stuff - and a large spoonful of jam. This provides a good segue to my second topic, Jam. While on an all too short visit to Turkey this year I acquired a pot of Penguen brand Gul Receli (the u with an umlaut and the c with a cedilla). This, as many of your fine visitors may know, is rose petal jam. Quite how crafty penguins became a corporate logo for a product made in a country with Mediterranean and desert like climates is a mystery ... but I digress. The delicate and exquisite flavour of this Jam is just like good red Turkish delight. Apart from a few teaspoonfuls gobbed onto Arrowroots we used most of it for jam tarts and this, I believe, is the Jam's forte. The tarts made a good conversation piece, at least until tasted after which household members just focused on grabbing the biggest share and greedily scoffing. A final word of warning, the jam does contains small pieces of rose petal which can stubbornly adhere to teeth, but despite this I heartily recommend rose petal jam as a must try for all. Why not try it first on an Arrowroot !
Regards to all.
Dorian Lid. |
Nicey replies: Well I think Turkey should have that high on their lists of reasons for getting into the EU, "Have Turkish delight flavoured jam, made by Penguins". Good plan with the Jam tarts. Well done for sticking up for the Arrowroot it needs friends because out of nearly 2000 votes in our biscuit poll it's still showing a zero as anybody's favourite, and 00.3% people have them regularly. |
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Marge |
Hiya Nicey
I read your reply to feedback from Melanie about Saltines and your subsequent suggestion to try matzah (pl. matzot or matzos), and the fact they taste ‘grim’. Jewish people traditionally eat matzah at Passover – it is known as ‘the bread of affliction’!
You make matzah less afflicting by spreading soften butter and homemade jam on it! Beware though, this will surely bung on the calories no end!
Incidentally I would like to recommend the Rakusen kosher Digestive biccie (available plain and in choccy variants), it tastes great, dunks well, and even goes well with a little cream cheese on top!
Regards,
Marge |
Nicey replies: Indeed, a liberal coating of butter and jam is going to perk most things up, including a cardboard box. I thought that her diet may we'll preclude spreading butter and jam all over anything a bit unappetising she may be required to eat.
Mind you maybe there is indeed a new wonder diet lurking in there. The 'Butter and Jam' diet where you can eat only unpleasant and nasty stuff but you are allowed to smoother it in butter and jam. |
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Stewart Davies
 Tunnocks Wafer Review |
Re Tunnocks products. two friends from work and myself visited the factory three years ago,we were made very welcome,and left with a very generous bag of samples.We then visited the Tunnocks tearoom around the corner and had Tunnocks own mutton pie with beans and chips,triffle, scone with butter and jam,and a mug of tea,absolutely delicious.We have made visits to the tearoom every 8 weeks since that first visit and are now on first name terms with the staff.the staff at both the factory and the tearoom are a credit to Tunnocks,it looks like a happy place to work,they are all so very pleasant.
Stewart |
Nicey replies: Yes, lookout Disneyland Paris, Tunnocks World is here. I wonder if they do weekend breaks?
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Lin Gilbert |
Hello, Nicey.
I'm delighted to see from Glyn's email that I'm not alone in my dunking habit. Putting butter in tea is part of Tibet's cultural legacy to the world and should be embraced by us Westerners.
In fact I'm happy to dunk anything that I could eat with a cup of tea. Victoria sponge cake is a particular favourite, but needs a bit of hand-eye coordination and a fast mug-to-mouth return.
Yours with soggy crumbs all over the table, Lin. |
Nicey replies: Yak's milk butter at that. Some friends of ours about ten years ago walked to the base camp at K2. They camped each night in their state of the art tent and sleeping bags, after a nutritionally balanced re-hydrated meal. Meanwhile their Nepalese guides fashioned a shelter from a few rocks a sheet and stick and brewed up tea with lumps of melted yak butter in it. |
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