Residents put to task to find the best biscuit for dunking
Residents at a group of Staffordshire care homes were tasked with deciding the best biscuit for dunking in their tea.
The residents at Tudor House in Cannock, Windsor House in Hednesford and Wheaton Aston Court care homes celebrated National Biscuit Day on May 29 by joining residents in other homes across the UK to see which type of biscuit fared best when dunked in a cuppa.
The Dunking Challenge saw residents test biscuits that all make regular appearances during morning coffee and afternoon tea at the homes, including custard creams, bourbons, digestives, hobnobs, rich tea, nice, malted milk and ginger nuts.
After much dipping, dunking and drenching, the results were in with the Hobnob biscuit taking first place, closely followed by the Bourbon for not only holding together well but tasting delicious when moistened with a warm brew.
Resident Miriam Taylor said: "I love having afternoon tea with my friends but I’m normally far too polite to dunk my biscuits in public.
"Our dunking test was the perfect excuse and it was great fun.
"My favourite biscuit didn’t break up and splash in my tea; this dunking can be a messy business with the wrong sort of biscuit."
Resident Dorothy Clapham said: “I ate far too many biscuits but it was all in the name of serious research and now I know which ones are best suited to the job.
"My favourite biscuit melted in the mouth after being dunked without going too soggy; and I didn’t lose half the biscuit in the bottom of my teacup."
As part of the day’s activities, the care homes’ Magic Moments coordinators took residents on a trip down biscuit memory lane with a screening of old adverts.
These included the 1980’s Trio and Club biscuits and a 1941 Pathé News film showing the mass production of biscuits for the army during World War II.
John Bridgeman, Four Seasons Chef, said: “Morning coffee and afternoon tea have always been very important times of the day in our care homes.
"It’s the perfect opportunity for residents, their family and friends and team members to come together and put the world to rights over a cuppa and a sweet treat.
"The dunking challenge was great fun and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy having a good excuse to indulge in one or two more biscuits than usual."
