Type Biscuit Food energy
(per serving) 38(per biscuit) kcal | Region or state Yorkshire Place of origin United Kingdom | |
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Main ingredients Wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, and malt extract Similar Hobnob biscuit, Digestive biscuit, Dunking, Malted milk, Custard cream | ||
Rich tea is a type of sweet biscuit; the ingredients generally include wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil and malt extract. Originally called Tea Biscuits, they were developed in the 17th century in Yorkshire, England for the upper classes as a light snack between full-course meals. One of the best-selling biscuits in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland, the biscuit is also popular in Malta and Cyprus. The plain flavour and consistency of rich tea makes them particularly suitable for dunking in tea and coffee; McVitie's rich tea is the second most popular biscuit in the UK to dunk into tea.
Contents
In 2004, Terry Wogan, a radio presenter for the BBC, described rich tea as the "Lord of all Biscuits" on his Radio 2 breakfast show. McVitie's is the best-known manufacturer in the UK; however, all major supermarkets now sell an own-brand version of the biscuits. A Cadbury's variant of the rich tea is coated in chocolate, similar to a digestive.
They are also sold as a finger variety and, as Rich Tea Creams, a long thin rectangular version with vanilla cream sandwiched between two biscuits (made by Fox's). The Morning Coffee biscuit is rectangular rather than round but tastes very similar to the rich tea.
In March 2011, it was announced that Prince William had chosen a groom's cake for his wedding reception, made from 1,700 McVitie's rich tea biscuits and 17 kg of chocolate.
How to make gluten free rich tea biscuits
Packets
Blue with all brands, but Jacob's had them in red until 2001