Your Views

Keep 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!

Type some key words here to search the feedback section

Your e-Mails

Joe Custard Cream Review	Dear Nicey I live in France. On the whole it's a good place but when it comes to tea and biscuits the country has really let itself down and has much to learn about both. This means that I have to go to the British section of the local supermarket to stock up which gets me funny looks by other people in the shop. The other day however, I was chuffed to bits when I saw a shipment of Custard Creams had come in and that I could buy a double pack for one Euro which I thought was a bargain. I bought 2 packs and headed home to the kettle immediately. Initially I ate only about 3 but this soon became 6 in only a few minutes causing Mrs Wife to impose sanctions and hide them (oddly in jar marked "Chocolat" so I found them immediately). But then a funny thing happened. About twenty minutes later while working at my computer, I suddenly came over all drowsy and then nodded off completely. I don't do the most interesting job in the world but I can usually stay awake. I didn't think too much about it until I was watching a Bond film on Sunday afternoon with a big cup of lovely proper English Tea and 4 custard creams. I never saw the end of the film because I fell asleep again. Today, I had more custard creams in the afternoon (Mrs Wife couldn't see how many I had but I did the biscuit eating world proud) and about 45 minutes later I fell asleep again - for an hour! This was very unusual for me and has led me to believe that I have unearthed a useful sedative property of the mainstay that is the Custard Cream. I was so pleased with my discovery that I grabbed the pack for more information and found that I had eaten Parkside Custard Creams. Some interweb research informs me that this means that they've come from Lidl. So, now I'm wondering if any of your readers have experienced the same thing with Lidl biscuits? Having read stories on your site of people having sleepless nights over tea and biscuit related issues, this could be the answer they've been waiting for. Those genius biscuit makers. Whatever will they think of next? All the best Joe
	Nicey replies: Joe, First well done on living in France. I always think that most of things we British do in France, including living in it, come as a bit of a surprise to it. They perform a useful service, helping to keep the whole place on its toes rather than sinking into a Gallic drowse. Drinking tea absolutely anywhere other than in a Salon de The seems to do the trick. Certainly striding around with a big enamel mug of the stuff a couple of fig rolls always gets me noticed. Having just got back from a few days over there, I have to say making French things into curries also gives me an overwhelming sense of 'France wasn't expecting that'. So on those Custard Creams. Indeed they emanate from Lidls and therefore were probably made by United Biscuits, (McVities/Crawfords/Jacobs). As such Lidls wouldn't have much to do with their specification apart from a price-point. I suspect that you may be experiencing some effect caused by eating them in France. Perhaps your British metabolism is going into some sort of hibernation state. This could be due to the stress of having to eat all that semi-raw meat, heavy sauces and sharp jabby pointy crusty bread. Having at last had some proper tea and biscuits perhaps you body is trying to conserve these precious resources by entering a torpid resting phase. Happily the advice would seem to be to eat ore of them till you get used to them again. Nicey
Nick Thomas	Palets Breton were on sale at Aldi earlier this year masquerading under an Aldi own-brand name, but still jolly tasty I'll have you know.
	Nicey replies: Thanks Nick, There is much to said for trying to track down Continental food in Continental supermarkets.
Sue Northcott	I have occasionally found Breton palettes and galettes in posh tins in the food section of TKMaxx. I suppose they must be available elsewhere in shops in the UK, but maybe only at places the go bankrupt and pass on their stock to clearance outlets. Also keep a look out for the 'French Markets" that travel the country. You can sometimes find them being sold loose there. I have a similar problem the lovely lavender and olive oil soap you get from Marseilles. Personally I find that the need for bickies and smellies is a great excuse for a trip to raid a Breton street market and stock up!
	Nicey replies: Sue, This TKMaxx information is new to me. I will challenge Nanny Nicey as to why this has evaded us till now as she can often be found rummaging in there.
Freddy Breton Biscuit Super Review Review	Hello, a friend of mine went to france and brought some biscuits, and they were lovely, is there any chance you happen to know where to find them, its in french so not sure whats it called "palets de fouesnant palets bretons pur beurre TANGUY", please help cheers p.s lovely with tea
	Nicey replies: Yes its that time of year when people drag packets of biscuits back from their holidays to pass round at work. Mostly it turns out that they are foul and just underline our position at the top of the league table proper biscuit producing nations. However, occasionally you get a half way decent one. You seem have Palets Breton, which are a style of biscuit so you can broaden your quest out from just the Tanguy ones. You'll need to go to France to get anymore as we've not seen them anywhere in the UK. WIfey who has just got back from her end of summer girls trip away to Italy, dragged back a box of 'Suncrocks'. She bought them for sustenance whilst she climbed Mount Vesuvius. As she was concentrating on collecting geological samples for the younger members of staff it entirely escaped her attention that these Italian Suncrocks were made in London by McVities and were simply rebadged rebranded Hobnobs. Which poses the question why couldn't they call them that in Italy? Is it unpronounceable, or obscene, or perhaps they already have something called hobnobs?
Sue Northcott	Hi Nicey, Our cake trolley at EDS Swansea raised £212.28. The company was kind enough donate some cash to ensure that all staff got a free Welsh cake to celebrate St David's Day. Meant I was huddling over the bakestone for a good few hours, but it was worthwhile. My fellow bakers helped me out and we had a great showing with bara brith, lemon drizzle cake, loads of nice things like caramel slices and rocky road, fairy and butterfly cakes, and the best jam and cream scones I've ever tasted. I had intended to take a photo for you, but the gannets descended as soon as the cakes appeared. We all had a good time, but by the end of the day some of us were feeling poorer and ever so slightly queasy. I went along to the Saint David's Day parade in Cardiff on the Saturday and I though it was really good. Not up to St. Patrick's Day in Dublin yet, but certainly enough to make your heart swell with pride.
	Nicey replies: Sue, Glad to hear you made lots of tea and cake propelled dosh for your Charity. Well done to all your baking colleagues too. Team NCOTAASD are just back from a week in the Alps, where the YMOS did very good impressions of small helmet wearing projectiles re-entering the earth's atmosphere. Wifey can officially now no longer keep up with them and is adapting her skiing style accordingly to a more sitting down with a hot chocolate whilst I go off and find ever steeper things for the YMOS to tackle. On the way back yesterday morning we found ourselves on Paris's Gare du Nord at 6:00 am where I was forced to drink Liptons Yellow label tea in a paper cup of hot water and milk, for 2.40 Euros. Wifey has always wanted a romantic weekend in Paris, and arriving at 5:30 am after a night spent trying to sleep and a vinyl covered shelf surrounded by ski socks didn't seem to count. Not even one little tiny bit, although we did spot the odd glimpse of the Eiffel Tower on the way out. So I better go and get that Guinness and see if we can celebrate St Patrick's Day in some style
	More >>