It's National Biscuit Month apparently, so here are our top ten biscuits, and when best to eat them.
A chocolate Hobnob with a strong cup of tea is my standard 10am fuel and a daily ritual which only changes when someone gets to the tin before I do and I’m left to make do with a crumbly digestive or a broken Rich Tea. Whereas I’ll usually pick one covered in chocolate, everyone has their own favourite and in an incredibly un-scientific poll I asked my friends and family to pick theirs. The answers were varied but the top choices were everyday biscuits such as digestives, Jammy Dodgers and custard creams.
The one running pattern which each answer had in common was the passion behind the choice. Whether it was a Custard Cream with coffee or a chocolate finger dipped in hot chocolate on a Sunday night, we’re defensive about our biscuits and the fact that September is National Biscuit Month is proof that as a nation we’re pretty proud of them. The list is endless so I’ve stuck to sweet biscuits, rather than savoury and here is my choice of our favourite biscuits, and when to enjoy them.
1. The digestive
When I think of the word biscuit, an image of a digestive comes to mind. It is the classic biscuit to be laid out at meetings or office coffee stations and it’s no surprise it is often voted as Britain’s favourite biscuit. It’s the Marks and Spencer of biscuits, always on hand to serve the purpose you want it to. Covered in chocolate and dipped in tea, with a large dollop of strong blue cheese or eaten plain and straight out of the packet, it’s acceptable to eat them at any time of the day or night.
2. Custard Creams
These no-nonsense sandwich-style biscuits have become an institution for us along with classic such as Marmalade and Branston pickle which people outside the British Isles don’t seem to understand. They’re a staple in most kitchens to be cracked out whenever tea is served, but plain enough to be eaten mid-morning as a stop gap between breakfast and lunch.
3. Coconut Macaroons
Not to be confused with the brightly-coloured French macarons sweeping through cake shops across the country, the traditional version is cloaked in desiccated coconut and associated with old fashioned bakeries in villages across Britain. Their similarities to the Italian Amaretti biscuit put them in a class above many of the British favourites. Instead of something to be unceremoniously dunked in tea, these delicate miniature biscuit-cake hybrids are best eaten at afternoon tea on floral china.
4. Chocolate Bourbon
The chocolate flavouring of these sweet crispy rectangles sandwiched together with a soft creamy fondant make them the perfect partner for a hot drink. For an indulgent chocolate treat they’re perfect dipped into a steaming, frothy cup of milky hot chocolate long enough for the biscuits to soften and almost merge into one another but not completely fall apart. If you’re reaching for one to have with your coffee it’s the perfect sugar boost to get over the 3pm afternoon slump. Make your own here.
5. Jammy Dodgers
Birthday parties as a child weren’t complete without plates piled high with colourful biscuits and standard in that pile were the Jammy Dodgers. The raspberry jam sealed inside sets it aside and gives it a little more intrigue than a regular shortbread biscuit. Proof of their popularity can be seen by the fact they’re nearly always the first gone in a selection pack. They’re more special than your standard biscuit so it’s best to eat them on special occasions when you start getting sick of the sight of digestives and want a change.
6. Shortbread
Shortbread will never go out of fashion, it’s light, crumbly and easy to make and traditionally eaten at Hogmanay and across the Christmas period. There are numerous ways to change the flavour if you want something a little more sophisticated. Lemon, heather or orange zest can subtly improve the taste and piped on melted chocolate or coloured icing will perk up their appearance. Shortbread goes best with a loose leaf tea, in the afternoon, but also a good addition to a sweet pudding such as a chocolate mousse, lemon posset or Gooseberry Fool.
7. Jaffa Cakes
The Jaffa Cake is a controversial choice as technically it doesn’t really count for a biscuit. However, after several cake versus biscuit debates I thought it was worthy of an entry. Although the combination of a soft cake sponge, zingy orange jelly and bitter dark chocolate shouldn’t work, it really does. However, they have a certain Marmite quality of ‘love it, hate it’ between people who could eat half a packet without blinking and those who can’t stand the thought of these stale biscuit impersonators. They’re substantial enough to be eaten on their own and ideal for staving off late-afternoon hunger pangs.
8. Chocolate Hobnobs
Whoever at McVities came up with the idea of blending a flapjack and a biscuit back in 1984 and coating the whole thing in chocolate deserves a medal in my book. The Hobnob is a king among biscuits and when dipped in tea melts slightly to create the same texture as freshly baked but still gooey flapjack. It’s pretty intense, and substantial, so one for a special treat whenever you need it.
9. Ginger Nuts
Not only a supposed cure for any kind of stomach upsets or sea sickness, the ginger nut is also a fine biscuit in itself. The crunchiness gives it a little more oomph and promotes it into the category of biscuits to be eaten on special occasions.The best brands use stem ginger so each mouthful is a little bit more exciting as you bite into a burst of strong ginger power. These sturdy biscuits are best after an evening meal with coffee or any time in the day when you’re in need of a more luxurious tea partner.
10. Viennese whirls
When digestives or custard creams just won’t do, Viennese Whirls cannot fail to impress even the fussiest biscuit eater. They’re beautiful to look at with a feather-light texture making them the perfect after-dinner nibble to eat with coffee. Stuffed with jam and whipped cream or delicately laced with dark chocolate, the buttery biscuits are an ideal way to finish off a special meal.
Poll: over to you...
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