From Haidy, who reminds us that even as the weather warms up, we can continue to appreciate tea:
Biscuits are very personal, but most British people will agree that to drink biscuits with tea requires dunking potential.
Thicker, more solid biscuits that can survive immersion in hot liquid are therefore preferable: in my house, old fashioned English shortbread is the tea dunk of choice, but McVities Chocolate Hobnobs (available at Myers of Keswick and Tea and Sympathy) run a close second.
Of course, more delicate biscuits are just as tasty, but they require some skill in being able to swoop and dip without losing the biscuit in the tea where it will sink to the bottom in an unsalvageable mush.
Hobnobs are delicious. We at them in London last year. Beware--they are so delicious that you may be tempted to eat many of them in one sitting. This will have some dire consequences, about half an hour later. Let's just say three women in one hotel room with one bathroom was a little dicey for a while.
Addictively delicious, and I believe filled with partially hydrogenated oils--so, eater beware . . .
I found an inexpensive resource for McVities Digestives: Chinatown! Believe it or not, Pearl River Mart carries them for about $2 a pack. Usually just the plain ones though, not the yummy caramel kind. Hobnobs are definitely sturdier for dunking. Darn, now I'll be craving them all day...
When I lived in London in the early 70s I discovered these cookies, er I mean biscuits. They weren't called Hobnobs but man are they addictive. The ones I used to eat came in a simple cellophane wrapper kind of like Hits cookies. I have to say these are my all-time favorites cookies EVER and would walk a mile to get them. Good to know they're sold here.
Back in college my friend did her junior year abroad in Ireland and came back with Hobnobs. I've been hooked ever since!
gingernuts win hands down over hobnobs.
You can get Hobnobs (and tons of other British foods) at Village Farm Deli at 9th Street and 2nd Avenue. Some is out, and some is displayed behind the registers.
I love a Hobnob!
As an English woman and experienced biscuit devourer, I would suggest you get your hands on some McVities Milk Chocolate Digestives. Hob Nobs are great but they are a very poor second to the chocolate digestives, and dunking is a must!
Capitol Hill dwellers, you can get them at good ol' Rolands, at 3rd and PA SE. They also have McVittie's Digestives, but not in chocolate.
When I was living in Australia we had to have our TimTams with tea - to do a TimTamSlam of course. Never mind the ponciness of a little nibble - this was about biting off diagonally opposite corners of the rectangular biscuit, dipping one end in the tea and sucking madly for about 2 seconds until the tea came up the biscuit. Then, slam the whole thing in your mouth before it completely disintegrated. Now THAT'S having a nibble with tea.
Too bad they're REALLY hard to find here in Toronto.
as a young boy i enjoy the dippind of biscuits and the hobnob is a preferable biscuit i also find that some music helps too- christina milian's dip it low is a truly great song can any one else think of good dipping songs??