...yeah... sorry... again!

Hello folks!


As you may have noticed, devoted biscuit fans, it has been quite some time since I posted on this blog. BUT FEAR NOT! I have not forgotten about it :) my plan is to do a proper biscuit review either on wednesday or next weekend. I've been such a busy bee that my life has not yet allowed me to be a biscuit blogger for quite some time!! I know its been a little over a month... but let me assure you, once the next two weeks are over I will be posting much more regularly :) This degree sure is beansy!!

R
xx

Featured Biscuit: The Jacob's Jam and Cream

Well hello there, biscuit fans! It seems that I am getting shoddy at posting regularly, so hows this for a new rule- I will post fairly regularly, but without a specific time frame between posts. There will always be biscuity fun on this blog, biscuit fans!!

Anyway, on with the blog. This week, as you can see from today's post title, I am reviewing the Jacob's Jam and Cream. A timeless classic. But, as you may note unusual, containing more than one filling between two shortcake biscuits. I shall talk more on this later, but for now, here's some pictures!!

This is what they look like before you dig in to the tastiness. Which for me, obviously, was not very long.


Size:

A nicely sized biscuit, methinks! And, unlike the fox's crunch cream, not too tall. a great size! However, a small biscuit:packet ratio does hinder it in its awesomeness. I feel a plastic wrapped stack of biscuits would suit this particular variety rather than Jacob's chosen biscuits in a tray wrapped in plastic method. But, these biscuits are, I feel exceptional. 

Dunkability:

you may find it odd to read, but I feel that this biscuit is particularly suited to dunking. Hear me out biscuit fans, before I hear you cry in dismay "the poor girl's gone mad!" I feel that the particular style of biscuit, in this case, shortcake, combined with a different kind of cream filling, that I feel is far superior to that of any other cream filled biscuit I have reviewed previously, both absorb beverage at a similar rate, thus the biscuit in its entire submerged zone is changed at an equal rate, rather than biscuit going too soggy before the cream has had any time to absorb some yummy hot drink. The sugar on top of the jam does dissolve strait into the drink, but I don't find this to be an issue, being partial to a sweeter beverage anyway. The jam itself changes very little in consistency after a dunk, but remains satisfyingly chewy.  

Crumbliness: 

as you can see, biscuit fans, this biscuit isn't really suitable for breaking in half unless you were going to use a knife/guillotine/laser/welding torch of some kind. The jam simply dosn't like to be broken apart, reminding me somewhat of the whole soul of Harry Potter, compared to the broken soul of Lord Voldemort (who in biscuit form could be compared to the GHASTLY pink wafer. That's right, I just called Voldemort a pink wafer). This biscuit does crumble, though not so much as to make a mess. The crumbs are big enough to pick up without needing tweezers and a magnifying glass, and can still be enjoyed as a little after-snack. 

Tastiness: 

(firstly, apologies for neglecting this section in my last biscuit review. It completely slipped my mind and I have literally only just noticed that I'd not done it. On with the review!) 

 This biscuit, is tasty. I'm just putting it out there. I am impressed. I expected something bog-standard, not particularly anything special, but a little beyond what-I-call biscuit tin 'essentials' (which in my biscuit tin are gingernuts and dark chocolate digestives) the jam, without looking at the packaging, is, I think, raspberry flavour. Although it is possible it could be strawberry. I will just check. It was raspberry! I was right! anyway, normally I would prefer raspberry jam to contain seeds, but as the purpose of this jam was not to spread it on a nice hot piece of toast, and the consistency more firm, I felt it was absolutely fine. 

Overall Awesomeness: 

This biscuit is tres awesome. The cream inside, instead of a boring sort-of circular shape, is in a flower. Thats awesome points. The jam is raspberry rather than strawberry; a bias of mine, but still more awesome points. The biscuit is not showy off, being in rather modest, perhaps a little grandmothery packaging, and thus, awesome. the pattern on the top is extremely satisfying. A 4 star biscuit.

Well done, Jacob's! Though you are more famed for your cream crackers, I will be keeping an eye out for more of your sweet, biscuity delights!!

Until next time, biscuit fans

R

xxx

Featured Biscuit: The Fox's Nice Cream

Well a hearty hello to you there my lovely biscuit blog readers! Before I get started, here is something you simply HAVE to see:

Thats right. A drinks coaster. Featuring biscuits. My friends know me well, for this was another christmas gift, that I have been meaning to blog about for a while!!

anyway, on with the biscuit review, chums!

Here they are! Fox's Nice Creams. I'd never even heard of the Nice CREAM before a large tin of biscuits graced my christmas tree, awaiting a joyus unwrapping. However, i have heard of the Nice Biscuit, which is apparently not originating from Nice in France. I'm not sure why they're called Nice other than because they taste nice, with their distinctive, not like any other biscuit taste. However, I found out recently (from the packaging of today's featured biscuit) that they are secretly containg a secret ingredient! .....AND THAT INGREDIENT IS DESSICATED COCONUT! weird eh?? I never knew! Nice biscuits, as far as I am aware are not affiliated with any particular biscuit manufacturer, like some of my favourites, McVitie's and Fox's, however the Nice Cream is branded with the colourful Fox's mark.

Size: 

As with my previous reviews of Fox's Cream sandwich style biscuits, I have noted that there is significant height to this biscuit, suggesting a wealth of creamy filling. And indeed it was true! Whilst this is perhaps not quite as large as your average branded, or supermarket own Nice biscuit, it makes up for it with its cream centre. And perhaps if it was the same size of an ordinary Nice biscuit, it may be considered overkill for a biscuit, much like the giant bourbon creams and custard creams that are frequenting coffee outlets across the land.

Dunkability:

my dear biscuit buddies- though you may think me biased, not naturally being of the dunking persuasion, you may think it a little bit of an exaggeration to say that this biscuit is utterly unsuitable for dunking of any kind, be your beverage hot or cold. I was saddened to find that my Nice Cream absorbed far too much moisture, perhaps due to the shortness of crumb (which I will go into further detail in, in the following section). I feel that because the cream of the biscuit is significantly less absorbant than the biscuit itself, it is best that this beveragephobic biscuit be enjoyed alongside a beverage rather than dipped in one. My biscuit turned into a soggy mess in my cup of coffee, and I wouldn't wish this tragedy upon any of my readers. So please, biscuit fans, don't dunk.

Crumbliness: 

I found it very difficult to snap this biscuit in two without creating a horrible mess all over the place. it is virtually impossible, so I would suggest not even attempting it. However, I think this may be (as previously mentioned) due to the shortness of crumb, something I have not mentioned in previous reviews. the crumb of a Nice biscuit is particularly small, leading it to be somewhat prone to crumbling. Some may find this irritating or a problem, however I think it to be rather pleasant as it gives it more of a melt in the mouth experience. I am not sure how, but i am CERTAIN that the coconut contributes to this. 

Overall Awesomeness:

I really did like this biscuit, even though it may appear that I have given it a bad review. I feel that rather than snapping it needs to be bitten, and it should steer clear of any bevarage you may be tempted to dunk it in. Do not dunk it in ANYTHING, for you will be doubtless left with a teaspoon rescue type mission to find semi-dissolved biscuity debris at the bottom of your cup, that not only is impossible to reach with a spoon, but spoils your beverage entirely. I would give this biscuit a 2.5 star rating, which I admit is probably a little harsh, but I feel that Fox's as a seasoned biscuit creater should've thought a little more before attempting to develop the Nice biscuit further.  it seems to me that the Nice biscuit has already reached its personal peak and is in no need of jazzing up any further, thank you very much. Personally, I would've thought the most obvious thing to do with a Nice biscuit would be to give it a light coating of chocolate, but each to their own. And Fox's, if I see the chocolate covered Nice biscuit in shops soon, I shall expect a cut of the profits! Or under any other biscuit manufacture's name! 

Until next time, biscuit lovers

R

x

p.s. I'm sorry its taken me so long to do this. I sat down this morning to do my review and after having taken all my pictures, I found I had left my camera cable at home after the christmas holidays!! What a plonker I have been! Anyway, I shall be delving further into the depths of Vinnie's Bursting Barrel of Biscuits in my next blog post, but I will have to wait until my cable arrives in the post. I was lucky enough to have a housemate who has an SD card reader and was able to transfer the pictures for me. Thanks Nej! 

xx

p.p.s the blog is nearing 1000 views now! Thanks for your loyal readership, whether I bully/annoy you into reading it or not! xxx

sorry sorry sorry!!

I know I've not updated in forever, biscuit fans! But fear not!! I WILL update the blog within the next week, as I'm procrastinating like a pro.... or waiting for some guidance. Anyway, the next biscuit I'll be blogging on will be the Fox's Nice Cream. I received it in the wonderful gift of a giant box of biscuits from my dear friend Anna. I am curious, because I've not seen these particular biscuits for sale outside "Vinnie's bursting barrel of biscuits" ....so let me know if you see them!

See you soon biscuit fans

R
xx

Christmas biscuit bloggery

Hey there biscuit fans! And a very merry christmas/yule/hannukah/wintery celebration to you all! I hope you are all feeling festive just like me!! Anyway, so its christmas day and I opened a present from my good friend Anna to find this beaut:

With its Panda mascot, going by the name of Vinnie, these are sure to be a tasty treat! Expect reviews of these biscuits in the new year!!! Thanks so much, Anna!!


In other biscuity news, in my family we always buy a few boxes of these chocolatey delights every year and there is always a scramble to be the first to pick a biscuit to choose the one with the most chocolate on.

Here's what it looks like on the inside! : 

Don't they look tasty??? Bet you're all jealous! they are a tasty delight. Unfortunatley, I am too lazy to blog about every biscuit in the packet, and I'm not sure if I'd be able to try every single one! So, I am a biscuit martyr... ok, a little melodramatic. And probably not true either. If anyone's interested, I chose this biscuit: 

What a swirly, chocolatey delight! it was extremely tasty, and seemed to be as much chocolate as biscuit. What a treat!! One more thing, biscuit fans. These vastly chocolatey biscuits are often enjoyed post-meal in my house and without beverage for full enjoyment of the biscuit experience!!

Merry Christmas, Biscuit buddies.

Until next time!!

R

xx

Featured Biscuit: The Bahlsen Milk Choco Leibniz

Hey there Biscuit Fans!! This is what my biscuit tin looked like the day before I left university to go home:

So it was high time for me to go back home! Apologies for my lack of postings lately! I've been getting busy and festive, and coming home, so today this blog post comes from my family home in the North West of England rather than Wales :) Its been a very busy few weeks, hence my almost two week break in biscuit bloggery! In honour of the festive season, I have decided to blog about a biscuit that is technically avaliable the year round, but I don't really have them outside christmas time... so here we go!

Size:

This lovely tasty biscuit is a fantastic size! Unusually for me, a rectangular biscuit. good tesselation, providing maximum biscuits per pack ratio... however, they come in a tray arrangement, rather than a stack in a pack arrangement... meaning that there are 9 biscuits per pack. However, they are quite a treat of a biscuit, so I'm not too upset that they wern't that cheap. Not unaffordable, but still... Yeah, good size!! 

Dunkability:

So yeah. Having such thick chocolate on it, I had suspected this might be a disappointing dunk experience. Yet, I have never been more happy to be wrong. Perhaps it was the fact that it was a continental german butter biscuit, and that the chocolate was thicker at the edges than at the middle, the chocolate melted a little, but not too much! And the biscuit did not become overlogged with beverage. a very very good dunking experience. This biscuit is on to a winner. 

Crumbliness:

As seen in the photo, a suprisingly few crumbs for a biscuit such as this. One could reasonably compare this biscuit itself to a rectangular rich tea biscuit, but its slightly crunchier and more buttery. I am impressed by the satisfying crunch and the chocolate to biscuit ratio. Unlike a chocolate digestive, the chocolate does not crumble with the biscuit, but is thick enough to have a snap of its own. However it is not so thick that it makes it bad to dunk, but it was thicker at the edges, making it rather pleasant to nibble off! :)

Tastiness:

This may be suprising to some reading this, but the biscuit was very similar to that of a rich tea, but thinner, slightly crisper and with a distinctly buttery taste. The chocolate melts very nicely and can be nibbled at the edge! How satisfying! They are very moreish so its probably a good thing that there aren't many in a pack, but this is highly recommended! 

Overall Awesomeness:

For a rectangular biscuit, it has far exceeded my expectations when analysed under the biscuity lense of my eye. Germany, I salute you and your biscuity ways! Making butter a key ingredient in the biscuit, definitely makes a difference on the taste, and it makes me wish that more biscuit manufacturers used butter rather than vegetable fats or palm oil. Although, perhaps they could add a little salt to bring out the flavour of it all nicely. I think I have fonud my first 5 STAR BISCUIT! 

Until next time, biscuit fans, have a merry christmas/yule/hannukah/anything you might feel like celebrating :) Enjoy the festive season!!

R

x

Featured biscuit(s): Fox's Golden and Ginger Crunch Creams

Hi there Biscuit Fans!

So I've got most of the day off, and we're halfway through our run of His Dark Materials - and its awesome. But I always have time to kick back and enjoy a biscuit inbetween rehearsals, sleep, and watching science programmes. Yup. Nerd here. I'm already feeling christmassy here in Aber, which is unusual- I'm not normally feeling christmassy until about the 17th (my mum's birthday!) and then the Yuletide feelings would kick in. Anyway -  Here are the biscuits of the day!

So the reason I'm doing both is because my friend Danny suggested that I do fox's crunch creams on the blog, but I bought the wrong kind. On my next trip to Morrisions, I phoned him whilst in the biscuit aisle and he told me which ones I should get. Ho ho ho. What a jape. 

For reference purposes, in the following photos, the golden crunch cream is on the left, whilst the ginger crunch cream is on the right.

Size:

....So these bicuits don't look particularly big... until you see THIS picture

these are THICK biscuits. They may not have the largest diameter, but wow. These triple decker biscuits are quite something. They even come in a reasonable sized packet! I'm not sure how many are in a packet because I only had a few... but better value than my last two featured biscuits!! Yes! 

Dunkability

Being a cream filled biscuit, I was dubious about the suitability for dunking. However, I found the dunking to be a most pleasant experience! The biscuit did not overlog with beverage and the cream did not soften too much. What a good dunker!! I'm so suprised!! No wonder they came with high recommendations from Danny. 

Crumbliness

This biscuit suprised me. It definitely lived up to its crunch name. It was very crunchy. But its small size made it difficult to break into small peices for this attractive photo. However, lets face it- you're not really going to be breaking this biscuit apart, you're going to be biting it. Its awesome. 

Tastiness

Ok- so.... the golden crunch cream describes itself as "crunchy golden biscuits filled with yummy vanilla cream" ....the bit that worried me most was the vanilla bit. Because vanilla is code for boring. However - these biscuits were very tasty! I was glad that it was vanilla cream rather than vanilla flavour cream, because that would've just been like....no. Just no. REAL FLAVOURS NOMNOMNOM.

The ginger crunch cream, I must admit was better than the golden crunch cream. Simply by having a more interesting flavour. A little bit spicy is better than a bit mellow when it comes to biscuits, in my opinion. Feel free to disagree, but if there is a non-nutty alternative to vanilla, I will always take it- because more often than not, its just better.

Overall Awesomeness

Having never reviewed a sandwich biscuit before (because of the inevitable problems of how to eat it - layer by layer, or chomp across??) I was worried about taking this big step on my biscuity journey. But I was glad to have you biscuity people following as I feel we have really become close on the biscuit front. So with encouragement, I stepped outside my biscuit comfort zone and embarked. These two biscuits, whilst very similar, boast distinct differences from each other making very different biscuit experiences. The golden crunch cream was the sort of biscuit you could give to a friend without bother. The ginger crunch cream however, was the sort of biscuit you'd be more careful about handing out- much like a story a friend told me where he was most upset that somebody had put his hobnobs (a particular favourite of his) into the public biscuit tin in his house where all were free to snaffle them.
All in all, I was pleasantly suprised by the quality these biscuits offered. I will be trying Fox's biscuits again, make no mistake! I have eaten Fox's biscuits before my biscuit bloggery days, and knew previously of their awesomeness, but this time I will record the awesome!

I give the golden crunch cream a respectable 3 stars. To the ginger crunch cream I award 3.5 stars.


A few of my friends have suggested that I begin a "classic biscuits" review month. I am considering doing this in the new year, but time will tell what happens! Stay tuned to biscuityblog!

Cheers, biscuity people.
See you next time

R
x