Thursday, March 4, 2010

Finding New "Must Haves" From Other Bloggers


     Don't stop reading! Isn't that just the worst name for something that tastes good? A few weeks ago, I was reading a blog post from one of my favorite bloggers, Torie Jayne. Torie is from London and is a designer. Her blog is beautiful and she shares everything from furniture to craft projects, all in amazing color palettes.


Torie posted a recipe for this gorgeous butterfly cheesecake and the crust used Digestive Biscuits. Well, I immediately asked her what she meant...and I was intrigued enough by her response to dig a bit deeper.

A digestive biscuit, sometimes referred to as a sweetmeal biscuit, is a semi-sweet biscuit popular in the United Kingdom and in other Commonwealth countries, as well as in Ireland and in Greece. The term 'digestive' is derived from the belief that they had antacid properties due to the use of sodium bicarbonate when they were first developed. (from Wiki)

     Years ago, I was able to buy a Tea Biscuit from Carr's, that is no longer available. I loved them and this sounded somewhat similar...so, I started my search. I discovered that there are several sources in the States for British products. I also learned that McVitie's Digestives are the original and I decided I would try those. I checked various websites and found that my best deal was ordering them from Amazon where I bought 7 packages for $28 and got free shipping. I did put a link to them on my sidebar. I see they have lowered the price since I bought mine last week!

     They are a little bit like a graham cracker, only more fragile. They crumble so easily, but even the crumbs would be good for crusts, or sprinkled on puddings etc. They are slightly sweet and perfect for a treat with tea or coffee. They would even be good for an easy breakfast. The nutrition label is different than I'm used to, but I think it says that they have 70 calories, 3.1g of fat and .5g of fiber per biscuit.




     Thanks to Torie, I have a new treat on my "Worth it" list of favorites. Have you found anything wonderful through another blogger? If so, why don't you share it with us in the comments!

I'll share a few more beautiful photos from Torie Jayne.


Don't you love her color palette for Halloween?


Torie's sweet colors for Christmas.




11 comments:

Unknown said...

What a great discovery... they sound yummy too. I will have to go check her blog out.. thanks SUE!

Blondie's Journal said...

Strange name but the biscuits sound good! Thanks for the heads up. It looks worth your investigating.

You read my post in which I urged everyone to check out Farmhouse Wares. I love picking up tips like this. Great post, Sue!!

xoxo
Jane

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

I know digestives well! You can find them easily here in the Maritimes. My favorites are chocoate coated on one side -- yummy with tea!

Sophie said...

Pretty blog! Thanks for mentioning it, off to browse. :)

Oh, I think we are headed your way this weekend. Not sure how everything is going to work out and the itinerary is overbooked at the moment, but we are heading downstate!

Natasha in Oz said...

That is a staple pantry item in our house! Nothing better than a digestive and a hot cup of sweet Twinnings English Breakfast tea!

Best wishes and happy weekend,
Natasha.

Low Tide High Style said...

I love digestive biscuits and our daughter (who no longer lives at home) insists that we keep Marmite on hand at all times too! You can buy digestive biscuits at our local Giant grocery store. They have all sorts of British foods on the international food aisle.

Kat :)

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Hey Sue
Well us convicts over from the motherland have digestives too!! Not a bad biscuit.. although I can't eat them anymore due to the wheat allergy which makes them anything but digestive for me.. hahaha

Actually the word biscuit is quite funny too.. Here in australia it is like the above.. what I think you guys call cookies [we say that also]. the first time I went to the States i couldn't grasp the concept of 'biscuits with gravy' .. haha we don't have what you call biscuits.. and mind you I just love biscuits with gravy but haven't had that since that trip all those years ago. Ok.. now I have finished with my boring comments.. Interesting post.. Have a great weekend.. xx Julie

dee dee said...

Hey Sue! When I saw your photo on my side bar yesterday, I was wondering if you were going to take a trip to Great Britain! These little "cookies" are yummy with coffee or tea! Can't wait to see what you make with them!
dee dee

Unknown said...

Hi Sue, You are too sweet! Lovely post and so glad you have found the digestive biscuits. Have a sweet day!

Sue said...

Interesting. I may order some.

carmilevy said...

This is one of the things I love about living in Canada: Our Commonwealth heritage means we "get" food like this all the time. I grew up with digestives never more than a hands-reach away. On a cold winter afternoon, they were always great with hot chocolate after I came in from playing in the snow.