Latest news with #ChocolateDigestive
New Statesman
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
This England: With a couple of kookies…
A portrait of David Bowie took the artist Ed Chapman 180 hours to make – out of biscuits. The mosaicist created images of the 'Heroes' singer for McVitie's, which is celebrating 100 years of the Chocolate Digestive. He used more than 1,000 of the treats to fashion the faces of icons including Trevor McDonald and Judi Dench out of whole biscuits, fragments and crumbs. His works go on show 2-5 May at McVitie's Chocolate Digestives Experience in Regent Street, London. Wales Online (Amanda Welles) Suite oblivion A sofa dumped in a Gloucestershire village has become an unexpected tourist attraction – with fans taking photos and giving Tripadvisor reviews. The two-seater was abandoned on waste ground in Lydbrook, but photographer Alex Elton-Wall saw potential in the forlorn furniture – and has since taken the portraits of more than 150 locals. 'It's taken on a life of its own,' Alex said, but he expects the fly-tipped seat will soon be disposed of properly. 'All good things come to an end,' he said. Metro (Daragh Brady) Forced to eat crow The owner of a cockerel that awoke neighbours early has been ordered to pay nearly £4,000. Harold Brown let the bird make 'unacceptable levels of noise' disturbing their sleep 'from as early as 5am each day,' said New Forest District Council. Mr Brown's bid to quash a conviction for non-compliance was dismissed at Southampton Crown Court. BBC (Michael Meadowcroft) Each entry that appears in the New Statesman receives a £5 book token. Send your entries to comp@ [See also: This England: One previous owner] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Mint
05-05-2025
- Mint
Lounge Loves: People watching, rum-aged coffee and more
I know these two brothers who are now US citizens, but their biscuit of choice remains Parle-G, which they grew up eating. Yes, the same biscuit that moms dissolve in a glass of warm milk as enticement when their child is being difficult. Parle-G will be 100 in a decade or so, and there is something about snacking on a piece of history which has remained true to its crunch. In Britain, McVitie's Chocolate Digestive has turned 100, and now we are told that the right way to eat it is with the chocolate side down. I had to put this theory to test. But in our sweltering weather, the chocolate smears your fingers, more so when you are holding the dark side down. I had to put the biscuits in the fridge first to firm up the chocolate. I tried both versions, and I have to say that I prefer tasting the biscuit part first. Sometimes, you got to pick a side—not with Parle-G though. Coming home to a fridge stocked with interesting condiments brings me a lot of joy. I've dabbled in making my own aioli and XO sauce, but chilli oils hold a special place in my heart. I've tried many versions, from Moi Soi to a small business in Kalimpong, but Nomad's Bacon Chilli Oil has come out on top. This indulgent condiment is like a hybrid of bacon relish and chilli oil—it pairs surprisingly well with pesto on a Margherita pizza and adds a fun kick to sweet corn chicken soup. Its got chunky bacon bits, Byadgi chillies (the kind used in Mangalorean ghee roast) and Sichuan peppercorns. It's become my go-to way to curb my craving for several strips of bacon—just a little taste goes a long way. Beyond the museums, flea markets, food and drinks, one of the perks of being on vacation is watching people go about their day. Imagine sitting in a park and just looking at the world around you with no interruptions of work calls/mails/texts—a child playing with his father, a dog chasing a ball, a woman running in a leopard catsuit, two girls drawing each other's portraits, a formal suit-wearer hurriedly walking past with grocery bags, two young boys laughing while looking at their phones. You see them and cook up stories in your head about who they are, though there's no actual desire to get to know them or their life stories. In those few minutes, life seems good and all figured out.
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Are you eating your favourite sweet treat all wrong? Experts reveal the best way to consume classic biscuits and chocolate for optimum flavour
For generations, Brits have been dunking, nibbling and snapping their favourite biscuits without a second thought. But there may be an art to consuming out favourite snacks, from chocolate digestives to the humble custard cream - and now experts have weighed in on the definitive methods to achieve optimum taste and texture. Whether you're partial to a Jaffa Cake, can't resist a Kit Kat, or swear by a Creme Egg, there is surely no 'right' way to eat them. Or is there? The definitive guide may have you questioning everything you thought you knew about your favourite sweet treats. Of course, the best way to enjoy a biscuit or bar of chocolate is whichever way you wish - but according to experts, some methods make for the optimum experience. However how you eat some other treats are still left up to personal preference, as perhaps the real joy of biscuits is that there's no 'right' way to enjoy them. It comes after social media was ablaze with biscuit enthusiasts who were told they had likely been enjoying their favourite chocolate digestives incorrectly for years. Meanwhile a top chef revealed the correct way to break off a piece of Toblerone and it appears most of us have been doing it wrong. So how does your way of eating your favourite sweet treat compare to what the experts say is the best? Chocolate digestives With their crunchy biscuit base and luxurious chocolate topping, McVitie's Chocolate Digestives have been favourites among biscuit lovers since they launched back in 1925. But Britain's biscuit enthusiasts have likely been enjoying their favourite teatime treat incorrectly for years, a McVitie's factory boss has revealed. For decades, legions of tea-dunkers have savoured Chocolate Digestives with the biscuit side facing down. But in the latest twist in the fraught, years-long debate, Anthony Coulson, general manager at McVitie's chocolate factory in Stockport, has declared the beloved biscuit should be eaten with the chocolate side facing down. The astonishing revelation looks set to split generations of fans of the Chocolate Digestive, which was first rolled out in 1925, eight years after the the Stockport factory opened its doors. 'It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom,' the factory boss told BBC Radio Manchester. Mr Coulson, who said he preferred chocolate-on-top, added: 'One of the very first things I learnt when I got to join McVitie's was chocolate side down to eat the digestive. 'Now up until then I'd always eaten it the other way round.' But in an apparent bid to pacify thousands of flabbergasted biscuit eaters, he added: 'You can do it exactly how you want to do it.' An astonishing 80 million packets of the humble teatime staple are produced every year, with the chocolate made in Greater Manchester. The genesis of the Chocolate Digestive happened roughly 25 years after the plain biscuit and two years before McVities launched the Jaffa cake. Despite the biscuits often being referred to as chocolate-topped, McVities has disclosed the plain variety actually go through a 'chocolate reservoir' and the chocolate is slavered on its underside. It comes after researchers from Oxford University believe they have settled the debate, and claim that you should pick up the biscuits with the chocolate side up, but flip them over before eating them. The experts say this method allows the brain to register the chocolate coating, while flipping them before eating maximises the 'oral-somatosensory experience' of the chocolate melting on the tongue. In the 2021 study, Oxford University food scientist Professor Charles Spence analysed different ways of eating a chocolate digestive – including chocolate side up, chocolate side down, and with the winning flip. His findings suggest that the biscuits are best enjoyed at room temperature, and when a 'substantial bite' is taken. 'Which side up a half-coated chocolate biscuit should be eaten is a topic that's been hotly debated, which is why we wanted to get to the bottom of the million dollar question,' he said. 'My research suggested that whilst there are merits in both ways, holding the biscuit chocolate side up first to maximise the visual experience and then switching it over as the biscuit is brought toward the mouth provides the best multi-sensory experience.' While the findings suggest that eating the biscuits chocolate side down results in a more delicious experience, previous research by McVitie's shows that just 23 per cent of chocolate digestive eater actually choose to eat their snack this way. This is largely due to the fact that people see chocolate as the topping – much like you wouldn't eat a piece of toast with jam on the bottom. Mark Schomberg, Head of Chocolate and Culinary Craft at McVitie's, said: 'There is no 'right or wrong' way to eat a Chocolate Digestive, however we've previously confirmed that technically speaking the chocolate is on the bottom of the biscuit as that's how it's enrobed when they are created.' Professor Spence's research also revealed that people tend to enjoy eating biscuits if it's more noisy. While it's not the most social way to eat a biscuit, he suggests that eating with your mouth open may help to enhance the taste. Meanwhile, chewing slowly can also boost the flavour, so it's best to linger over each mouthful, according to Professor Spence. Jaffa Cakes For a small inoffensive treat, Jaffa Cakes can cause a lot of debate. Is it a biscuit? Is it a cake? Should you eat it all in one or nibble off the edge before the jelly? These are questions asked in households across the UK, and while theses questions may always remain a mystery, McVitie's has baffled fans by putting an end to one debate. The Edinburgh-biscuit company has revealed the chocolate is actually on the bottom of the Jaffa Cake, contrary to popular belief. UK social media user known as David claims to have asked the Jaffa Cake team to confirm which side of the treat is the top via Facebook messenger. In screenshots that have since been shared widely, they said: 'Hi David, our Jaffa Cakes go through a reservoir of chocolate, so the chocolate is the bottom, Thanks Jaffa Cake' to which David quickly replied: 'WTF'. The post was then shared to the Facebook group Family Lockdown Tricks and Tips, where many disagreed with the news. 'Lol no really not accepting this. The cake part is the bottom,' said one. 'Omg that's like eating a ham salad sandwich with the ham on the bottom and salad on top. All wrong,' added another. ''I refuse to accept this,' said a third. 'The bad news just keeps on coming. What a year,' a fourth wrote. 'Their own advert shows choc side up on the plate!' a fifth noticed. Users also took to Twitter to share their shock, with one writing they were 'horrified' at the news. McVitie's have previously weighed in on the debate, revealing that it's not just Jaffa Cakes but all their sweet treats that have the chocolate on the bottom. Marketing director Kerry Owens previously told MailOnline: 'When we make our McVitie's chocolate biscuits – whether that be Chocolate Hobnobs, Chocolate Digestives, or even Jaffa Cakes – they go through a reservoir of chocolate on the production line. 'This essentially 'enrobes' the bottom in chocolate - so we can confirm that the chocolate is officially on the bottom of the biscuits.' Toblerone It's a classic chocolate treat that's beloved by many, but Toblerone can be tricky to to grapple with, as many struggling to break off a piece of the delicious Swiss chocolate when they indulge in the popular snack. But now a top chef has shared the correct way to break off triangles from the sweet treat, leaving many perplexed. Chef Koudy, from the Czech Republic, revealed the triangles are supposed to be pushed together and pinched before being snapped off an be eaten. Eating a bar of Toblerone usually involves tugging at the bar to snap away each of the triangular pieces. But with Chef Koudy's method it's a matter of just placing your finger on the tip of the piece and instead of trying to firmly pull the chunk of chocolate off the bar, he instead pushes it towards it. Taking to TikTok, the food influencer demonstrated the bar being snapped off piece-by-piece, ensuring you don't end up with chocolate all over your hands. 'Do you know Toblerone should be pushed together to break?' he wrote in the caption. The video has since racked up nearly 50 million views with many commenting their shock. 'Each day I learn new things,' one person wrote. However, many said they just bite straight into the chocolate bar, while others worried about touching a piece of chocolate you don't eat. 'I personally eat it like normal chocolate,' wrote one. 'Aren't we supposed to just take a bite?' said another. KitKat KitKat has finally settled the hotly-contested debate over the 'correct' way to eat the iconic chocolate bar. Viral videos have surfaced on TikTok showing KitKats being eaten in 'unmentionable' ways, with many controversially chomping the block 'like an animal' without breaking apart the fingers. And the confectionery brand has stepped in to let Australia know once and for all - that as long as you 'have a break' to enjoy your KitKat, then you're doing it right. From savouring the crispy wafer to taking one big honking bite out of the corner, fans are outraged by some of the ways people take on a KitKat. The contentious topic has long been debated, with plenty of table-flipping passion no less, but this week a new point has been unearthed - is there even a 'wrong way' to enjoy a KitKat? 'We know Aussies are extremely passionate about how they eat their KitKat, and fans across the country are stepping up to defend their technique,' Nestlé head of marketing confectionery Joyce Tan said. 'Whether you snap, nibble or chomp, what really matters is that you take a break from your day to enjoy your KitKat your way.' The Rybka Twins - Sam and Teagan - shared a TikTok video showing how they eat KitKat differently. Sam took a big bite out of the block while Teagan snapped off a finger first before eating. 'No Sam, not that like. Poor KitKat,' one wrote, while another pair of twins said: 'This is like my and my sister.' TikTok star Millie Ford, from Sydney, left her followers outraged after she shared an amusing video of herself reenacting a school teacher munching on the chocolate bar without snapping off a finger. 'What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost,' she said. Her video has been viewed more than 1.5million times, with one saying: 'The KitKat did nothing to you why have you forsaken it like this?' Another wrote: 'You did not just bite into a KitKat like that.' While one said: 'She ate the KitKat like that because the teachers did that... in my school at least.' Custard Creams The custard cream is said to have originated in 1908 in England and the biscuit design is Victorian with baroque markings. There has been a debate for years on the best way to enjoy the buttery, creamy vanilla biscuit. Whether people dunk them into a hot cup of tea or pull the biscuit apart to lick the vanilla cream centre. Taking to Reddit one Brit was keen to settle the debate on the correct way enjoy the delicious treat. The post read: 'Ignoring other features such as dunking in tea or similar, do you eat custard creams either: 1. As they are, in a couple of bites. 2. Split them in half, eat the cream out of the middle, and then eat the separate biscuits.' Many rushed to the comments with their own thoughts with one person saying there is a third way to eat the biccie. One person said: 'One other option; split in half. Eat the half with no cream on and then the other half with the cream.' Another added: 'This is the correct answer. Potentially even nibbling away the biscuit edges underhanging the cream before eating the remaining portion.' Someone else said: 'Split in half, eat the non cream bit. Do this again. Stick the two cream bits together creating a double cream.' A fourth added: 'Eat the biscuit around the edge, scrape of the biscuit above the cream, eat the biscuit on the bottom around the cream then eat the cream with biscuit on top' Jammie Dodgers Many rushed to the comments with their own way to eat the biscuit, while some agreed with Danny Jammie Dodgers, a popular British biscuit, are typically enjoyed by dipped in tea, or as a standalone snack. After briefly adding dairy to their recipe, Jammie Dodgers reverted back to a vegan-friendly recipe in 2020, sparking joy among plant-based diet followers across the globe. Meanwhile over the years, the biscuit has seen a variety of limited edition flavors, including toffee, lemon, and even berry blast. In 2009, they were even reportedly sent to the International Space Station as part of a care package for British astronaut Tim Peake. However despite being one of the only British biscuit to make it to space, the debate is still strong on what is the correct way to devour the delicious snack. Taking to Instagram threads Danny, from Leeds, asked his followers the pressing question. He wrote: 'How do you eat your Jammie Dodgers? I think I eat mine the weirdest way. 'Eat the top edge, eat the bottom edge and then boom centre goes in one.' Many rushed to the comments with their own way to eat the biscuit. One person wrote: 'Nibble all the outside and the biscuit leaving the jam then eat that…yes I'm weird.' Another said: 'I'm the same. Save the best till last.' While someone else agreed adding: 'Leaving the jam bit until last.' Cream Egg A Cadbury's worker has revealed the 'correct' way to eat a Creme Egg - and it involves licking out the filling A Cadbury's worker has revealed the 'correct' way to eat a Creme Egg amid significant debate about the best way to consume the confectionery. Shaheed Khattak, a systems maintenance engineer at the Cadbury factory in Bournville, Birmingham, said you firstly have to bite off the top of the popular chocolate treat. He explained that you then have to eat the filling, before eating the rest of the shell on its own. Speaking to the HuffPost, Shaheed said: 'Who are these people out there eating them whole? You're asking for death by Creme Egg. 'You have to bite the top, eat out the centre and then eat the shell on its own. Obviously.' He also revealed that the Creme Egg production line takes up two entire floors of the Cadbury's factory in Bournville.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
You're eating chocolate digestives all wrong: McVitie's factory boss reveals 'proper' way to enjoy your biscuits
With their more-ish chocolate topping and crunchy base, Chocolate Digestives have for years been ranked among the nation's favourite biscuits. But Britain's biscuit enthusiasts have likely been enjoying their favourite teatime treat incorrectly for years, a McVities factory boss has revealed. For decades, legions of tea-dunkers have savoured Chocolate Digestives with the biscuit side facing down. But in the latest twist in the fraught, years-long debate, Anthony Coulson, general manager at McVitie's chocolate factory in Stockport, has declared the beloved biscuit should be eaten with the chocolate side facing down. The astonishing revelation looks set to split generations of fans of the Chocolate Digestive, which was first rolled out in 1925, eight years after the the Stockport factory opened its doors. 'It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom,' the factory boss told BBC Radio Manchester. Mr Coulson, who said he preferred chocolate-on-top, added: 'One of the very first things I learnt when I got to join McVitie's was chocolate side down to eat the digestive. 'Now up until then I'd always eaten it the other way round.' But in an apparent bid to pacify thousands of flabbergasted biscuit eaters, he added: 'You can do it exactly how you want to do it.' The genesis of the Chocolate Digestive happened roughly 25 years after the plain biscuit and two years before McVities launched the Jaffa cake An astonishing 80 million packets of the humble teatime staple are produced every year, with the chocolate made in Greater Manchester. The genesis of the Chocolate Digestive happened roughly 25 years after the plain biscuit and two years before McVities launched the Jaffa cake. Despite the biscuits often being referred to as chocolate-topped, McVities has disclosed the plain variety actually go through a 'chocolate reservoir' and the chocolate is slavered on its underside. McVitie's marketing director Kerry Owens previously said: 'When we make our McVitie's chocolate biscuits – whether that be Chocolate Hobnobs, Chocolate Digestives, or even Jaffa Cakes – they go through a reservoir of chocolate on the production line. 'This essentially "enrobes" the bottom in chocolate - so we can confirm that the chocolate is officially on the bottom of the biscuits.' In 2021, a study by the University of Oxford sought to settle the controversial debate, finding that people should pick up the biscuits with the chocolate side up, but flip them over before eating them. Researchers said this technique helped the brain register the chocolate layer and then turning thm over before indulging boosts the 'oral-somatosensory experience' of the chocolate melting on the tongue.
Metro
24-04-2025
- Health
- Metro
McVities says we've been eating Chocolate Digestives wrong for 100 years
There are some foods that you can very obviously eat 'wrong'. Biting into a pomegranate like an apple would be one example, or chomping a Babybel without removing the red wax first. But did you know you've probably been eating Chocolate Digestive biscuits incorrectly your entire life? You're not alone in this though, as apparently it's been happening for the last 100 years. According to the experts over at McVities, who have been producing the iconic biscuit since 1925, the snack is supposed to be eaten with the biscuit side facing up and the chocolate side down, so that it's on your tongue. Speaking to the BBC, Anthony Coulson, the general manager of the company's biscuits factory, explained that this is the way the product was originally designed to be eaten. This is because the chocolate side has always been considered the 'bottom' of the biscuit. While some will probably think it's nonsense to worry about which way a biscuit is shoved into their gob, it turns out this 'chocolate goes on the bottom' rule doesn't just apply to Digestives, but but Hobnobs and even Jaffa Cakes too. A McVities spokesperson previously told Metro: 'When we make our McVitie's chocolate biscuits – whether that be Chocolate Hobnobs, Chocolate Digestives, or Jaffa Cakes – they go through a reservoir of chocolate on the production line. 'This essentially 'enrobes' the bottom in chocolate – so we can confirm that the chocolate is officially on the bottom of the biscuits.' Which way do you eat Chocolate Digestives? Couldn't care less where the chocolate is, it still tastes great And if this revelation has blown your mind, it might also shock you to learn that you've probably been dunking your biscuits wrong as well. McVities previously worked with scientist Dr Helen Pilcher to discover what the 'optimal' dunking conditions were for their most popular products, and she revealed that the average biscuit should absorb 20% of its original weight in liquid for the best dunk. More Trending And this happens much faster than you might realise, according to the expert. So you really don't need to dunk for long. When it comes to Chocolate Digestives, Dr Pilcher says the optimal dunking time is 3.6 seconds, and you'll be in the dunking 'danger zone' if you get close to 12 seconds. She also advised dunking the chocolate biscuits in Earl Grey tea instead of an English Breakfast. View More » 'Taken with Earl Grey tea the chocolate mixes beautifully with the bergamot, to make a liquid chocolate orange flavour.' Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: McDonald's is bringing back '10/10' discontinued menu item and three other fan-favourites MORE: Supermarket own-brand cheddar cheese officially crowned better than Cathedral City and Davidstow MORE: Demand for viral chocolate bar blamed for world wide pistachio shortage
