Rich tea

Rich tea

Origin
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Region or state	Yorkshire
Details
Type	Biscuit
Main ingredient(s)	Wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, and malt extract
Approximate calories per serving	11

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.

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.

See also

• Biscuit tin
• Digestive biscuit, biscuits with fibre and a dark colour from the sweet outer layers of wheat
• Malted milk (biscuit), biscuits that contain both malt and milk
• Marie biscuit, round biscuits with vanilla flavouring

External links

• Review of biscuit on Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down

• "Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit". The Telegraph. May 2, 2009