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 |
Eliot Galton |
Hello there,
Some news you might find interesting. As a boy many years ago I loved the wagon wheels from Burtons.
I now live in Mexico and blow me down if I did not discover a wagon wheel in disguise!
Here they call it the Mamut or (Mammoth in English) and it is produced by a company called Gamesa!
Eliot Galton |
Nicey replies: I wonder if they ever heard of the Bandit biscuit.
Whilst in France a few weeks ago we gazed upon figures of Mammoths carved into cave walls by Cro Magnon man about 13,000 years ago.
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Madeleine Beveridge |
Dearest and most esteemed Nicey,
Having recently returned from a year under the tyranny of the Lu controlled french biscuit market, i hastened to click upon your tricoleur icon and read all manner of french related biscuitaries. I would like to point out that, while we may pity our gallic cousins for their ignorance of the ginger nut and other such delights, they are positively a fully developed nation compared to the Italians. One fellow Erasmus student we met, from Rome - a cosmopolitan centre of cultural exchange you may think - didn't even know what a kettle was. And when we poured the steaming water from stylish yet practical mouth, he simply refused to believe that the water could have been boiled in such a short space of time. What kind of nation doesnt even know what kettles are? The french might heat their water in the microwave, before adding a teabag and a splodge of UHT milk in attempt to make us feel at home, but at least they'd recognize a kettle were it placed before their eyes. Needless to say, the italian later returned to Italy bearing gifts of kettles for all his relations, along with copious amounts of Tetley's breakfast tea. A poor introduction to english tea perhaps, but when it's either that or lipton yellow, the sacrifice must be made. Incidentally, he will shortly be coming over to visit us, and we are desperately keen to get him onto higher strength cuppas such as PG, and maybe even a Yorkshire 'hard water' brew. I'm already planning the accompanying biscuit menus in my head. He only has three days to sample to full wealth and diversity of the UK biscuit - any suggestions?
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Nicey replies: It's difficult to know where to begin but obviously you'll need to give him some Garibaldis. |
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Katherine Gillieson |
Dear Nicey,
I have been enjoying the biscuit reviews and letters on your site for a few months now and have noticed many references to Australia, New Zealand, and "America" (the United States, we call it) -- is there no interest in your site from Canada? I, like many other Canadians, love a good cup of tea (or coffee, I admit) and a biscuit. Thus I am pointing you to this untapped biscuit-exploring opportunity. Here are a couple of Canadian biccie facts, based on my experience, of course:
- even though we generally call them cookies, the word 'biscuit' is printed on every package anyway because that is the french word for cookie. Thus, we respond positively to both terms.
- for some reason you can buy Rich Tea biscuits in Canada but not in the States. Sadly, I have heard of Canadian expats stocking up on these (along with particular chocolate bars, etc. that you can't get south of the border) when home for the holidays. argh.
ok, that's all for now, I should get back to work anyway. One last thought: I do enjoy the french "Lu" biscuits -- have you thought of testing Jaffa and Lu's Pims (orange flavour of course) head to head? This would be quite a contest.
Yours,
Katherine G. |
Nicey replies: We are aware of Canada, it is a good source of wheat, a staple ingredient of biscuits.
We are mounting a fact finding mission to France at the end of this month when we hope to secure some of the Lu Jaffa Cake analogues of which you speak. |
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Andrew Clover |
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to thank you for highlighting the Abbey Crunch, a biscuit which surely deserves greater popularity. Since returning from Germany (a land poor in natural biscuit resources) I have been disappointed to find the breed absent from supermarket shelves. Hopefully your sterling work may save this unparalleled dunking-confection from extinction.
I look forward to reading your thoughts on the Fox's Crinkle Crunch. You would be advised to try the superb Butter flavour as all the rest are disappointing. Especially the rubbish cream-based varieties.
Yours sincerely,
Cpl. T. And Clover (retd.)
PS. Pink wafers are poor in flavour and texture. Am ambivalent on the Nice. Hope that helps. |
Nicey replies: I've mostly seen Abbey Crunch in triple packs with along with ginger nuts and fruit shortcake for 99p in Iceland. Good hunting. |
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Geoff |
I woke up this morning thinking, "Do Nice biscuits really come from Nice?" We live in Canada now, but my wife is originally from Nice so I asked her, and after we'd sorted out why the frig I was waking her up at half past six on a Sunday - she didn't actually say 'frig', her English is that good now, but I know there are sensitive ears out there amongst biscuiphiles - she thought about it for a minute and said, "What the frig is a Nice biscuit?" So, I set out to find out, and lo and behold I discovered your Internet site. Thank you, a gap well filled. Anyway, my point is this. We all know
how appalling the French can be when they try, but if we must have a go at them, let's leave it to their predilection to vote for lunatics. On the biscuit front I'd guess the "Nice" is an English creation made especially to undermine the image of France as a land of the sublime. If you really want to face the issue head on, try tackling the Lu Petit Ecolier, dark chocolate. A biscuit as remarkable as it is simple, and yet another reason to have France allowed to remain exactly as it is, unchanged from this point forth, given protected status and declared a world cultural theme park.
Geoff, Toronto |
Nicey replies: Glad we could help out with your biscuit query. The main thing to realise about Nice biscuits is they are vile, regardless of who is responsible for them. Your Wife is wise to distance herself from these biscuits by denying all knowledge of them, and all citizens of Nice would be do well to follow her example.
France is indeed a lovely place, I go there when ever possible to ski and drink tea at altitude. In the summer I like nothing better than to visit the Loire, Charante and Vesére valleys, where I have any amount of very enjoyable sit downs. French food and wine is fantastic, they've got some outstanding cakes. I work with a bunch of French folks and one French Canadian, all lovely people and many have developed a taste for digestives, Jammy Dodgers and other fine biscuits.
Regrettably, however French biscuits in general are crap. I've had those Petit Ecolier jobs, Milk Chocolate and Caramel Choc, and indeed refer to them in my Biscuit FAQ, they are an attempt to make Petit Beurre palatable by putting a big old lump of chocolate, on top. They nearly succeeded but the Petit Beurre underneath detracted from it. They also had to stack them in some sort of tray insert thing 4 compartments of 3 if I remember correctly. |
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