Biscuit lovers are only just realising the surprising reason behind Hobnobs' unusual name

Daily Mail​

25-05-2025

It's one of the UK's most well-loved biscuits, but only a handful of Britons probably know how Hobnobs got their rather unusual name.
A cross between a flapjack and a biscuit, the popular McVities treat has remained one of Britain's favourite snacks since hitting supermarket shelves in 1985.
Now, one of its inventors has revealed the story of why the iconic biscuit was named a Hobnob in a new interview.
Appearing on Channel 4 's The Secret World of Biscuits, Pam Langworthy, who helped develop and market Hobnobs, recalled the trial group's first reaction to sampling the treat.
Unlike it's crunchy predecessors, such as Rich Tea and Digestive biscuits, product testers were immediately struck by its unique 'knobbly' consistency.
She said: '[The focus groups] said [the biscuit] was knobbly, because, you know, it wasn't a very smooth finish in the way, for instance, Digestive or Rich Tea are. And they said it looked as if somebody had made it at home, maybe made it on a hob.'
Inspired by samplers's reviews, Pam decided to blend their descriptors and create and entirely new word.
'I wanted a name that was very easy to say and just rolled off the tongue. And so, "Hobnob",' she said.
Moreover, the moniker also derives from the British verb 'to hobnob', meaning to spend time being friendly with someone important or a celebrity.
But the name didn't initially resonate with everyone on the marketing team, the documentary revealed.
Fellow biscuit creator, Andrew Easdale, wasn't convinced at first, and told superiors that he thought the name should be more 'homely'.
Explaining in the show, he said: 'There was a sort of I wouldn't say a stunned silence, but there was a, um, hmmm, followed by, 'couldn't you call it something a bit more descriptive, like 'oaty crunchies? I said, 'No, it's gonna be Hobnobs. We need a brand.'
The conflict didn't last long though, with co-creators eventually finalising on the decision to award the treat it's 'knobby' name.
Hobnobs were first rolled out in supermarkets across the UK in 1985 and quickly became a bestseller.
With demand soaring, the brand decided to create a chocolate-covered variety, which hit shelves in 1987.
Since then, Hobnobs have earned cult status and were ranked as Britain's fifth-most popular biscuit in 2020.
Earlier in 2014, a UK survey declared the chocolate Hobnobs the nation's top favourite biscuit.
There are now countless varieties of Hobnobs available in supermarkets, with the most popular being the milk and dark chocolate varieties.
Some newer additions include Hobnobs chocolate creams, a coconut macaroon flavour, and an orange chocolate covered biscuit.
Hobnobs are primarily sold in the UK, the Isle of Man and Ireland but are also available in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and several European and Asian countries.
They were also released in Canada in 2012 in Walmart's British food section.
Invented in 1925, chocolate digestives have consistently topped surveys as the nation's most-eaten biscuit.
An estimated 8.7 million people in the UK consume McVities Chocolate Digestives every day, according to Statista, with an additional 6.5 million munching on plain McVities Digestives.
It comes after foodies were left reeling after finding out the real reason why beloved biscuit Wagon Wheels got its name.
Wagon Wheels, invented in the 1940s by William Peschardt (who then sold the patent to Gary Weston) are comprised of two biscuits with a jam and marshmallow filling, covered in milk chocolate.
They were originally marketed as 'Weston Wagon Wheels', referring to the biscuit's circular shape while nodding to patent owner Gary Weston.
The name was inspired by Wild West cowboy movies that were massively popular at the time, especially if they starred Hollywood legend John Wayne.
Gary, son of British MP Garfield Weston, debuted Wagon Wheels 77 years ago at the Olympia Food Fair, marketing them as the 'biggest chocolate biscuit bar' going.
At the time, western movies were all the rage, with Wayne's film Red River being one of the highest-grossing films of that year.
Weston decided to capitalise on the popularity by naming the new sweet treat Wagon Wheels with a western-style package design.
When they were first sold, Wagon Wheels only contained marshmallow, biscuit and chocolate. The famous jam layer was added much later.
They were initially made in a factory in Slough, but production moved to another facility in South Wales in the 1980s and it's remained there ever since.
Weston's no longer own Wagon Wheels and they are distributed under Burton's Foods in the UK, Arnott's Biscuits in Australia and Dare foods Limited in Canada.