Dunk, Dunk, Hooray for National Biscuit Day!
Brits are renowned for their love of tea and biscuits. According to McVitie’s our biscuit consumption is the highest in the world, higher than all major European countries and even 35% higher than the US.
Biscuits are bought by 27 million households and eaten on 6 billion occasions a year! They even have the Royal seal of approval; the Queen was apparently an avid Rich Tea fan and enjoyed a pot of freshly brewed Earl Grey alongside a few Rich Tea biscuits.
So, it’s no surprise that we have an annual day to celebrate tea (21 April) and an annual day to celebrate the humble biscuit (29 May).
As a nation, we also love a debate – milk first when making tea? Jam or cream first on a scone? How to pronounce scone for that matter?
So, what could possibly be the nation’s favourite biscuit? Ginger Nut? Digestive? Jaffa Cake? Can they even be classed as a biscuit? A 1991 court case ruled that the Jaffa Cake should be considered a cake for tax purposes, but that hasn’t stopped the debate raging on.
A recent study by Perspectus Global determined Britain’s top 20 best loved biscuits:
- Chocolate Digestive
- Shortbread
- Chocolate Finger
- Jaffa Cake
- Chocolate Hobnob
- Custard cream
- Jammie Dodger
- Maryland Cookie
- Bourbon
- Crunch Cream
- Plain digestive
- Viennese Whirl
- Rich Tea
- Ginger Nut
- Hob Nob
- Oreo
- Malted Milk
- Nice
- Fig Roll
- Garibaldi
Next is the heated discussion on which biscuit is the best for dunking in tea.
McVitie’s food scientist, Dr. Stuart Farrimond scientifically proved the best McVitie’s biscuits:
- Rich Tea: Fourteen dunks
- Chocolate Digestives: Eight dunks
- Original McVitie’s Digestives: Two dunks
- Hobnobs: Two dunks
- Ginger Nut: Two dunks
He recommends letting a cuppa cool for three minutes before even attempting a dunking. Otherwise you risk the dreaded collapse and the soggy biscuit bits at the bottom of your tea.
How about broadening your biscuit dunking experience? Are you bored of English Breakfast with a Digestive? Why not give the official National Tea Day’s pairing suggestions a go, and try a completely different dunk.
Let us know your favourite tea and biscuits and whether you have tried the pairings @theteahouseltd.