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Harry Wallop of the Daily Telegraph has recently become exercised about the decline of the ‘every-day’ biscuits in favour of the more arriviste chocolate chip cookies and exotic Viennese whirls. As Bertie Wooster would say, this takes the giddy biscuit! A nice cup of tea and a bit of a sit down is part of a Chap’s rigorous daily schedule and so a guide to the biscuits a gentleman’s gentlemen should be providing on the tea tray:

Sportman’s Biscuit

Pictures of various sporting activities depicted on a biscuit, which is mildly bizarre but a jolly nice biscuit to dunk in tea.

Malted milk

Comforting and made with oodles of milk. Introduced in 1924, a perfectly lovely accompaniment to a Chap’s morning coffee.

Jaffa cake

Is it a cake or a biscuit? A VAT Tribunal ruled that a Jaffa Cake is a cake not a biscuit. Footling legal niceties aside, this is a lovely teatime treat and so we’ll include it anyway.

Bourbon

Chocolate biscuits often have the problem of melting when placed on the saucer. This little beauty avoids that peril with a satisfyingly cocoa crunch.

Gingernut

A really good ginger biscuit should be slightly salty and a hint of spice. Grrr.

Fig roll

A Chap needs a bit of fibre (both moral and actual) and this little beauty practically counts as one of your five a day?

Digestive

The classic dunker. "Dip me! Again!"

Custard cream

A crunchy biscuit with the hint of custard powder to give a Chap a whiff of pudding with a cup of tea. Perfect.

Tunnock’s Chocolate Caramel Wafer

Five layers of chewy caramel, chocolate and jolly wrapper – over 5,000,000 made and sold per week, apparently. For when a Chap requires a more substantial biccie.

Plain chocolate digestive

If a Chap takes the risk of a bit of melting chocolate, the perfect combination of sweet oatmeal with a hint dark chocolate to give a bit of bite. Whilst many Chaps may favour the milk chocolate variety, the plain chocolate lends an air of devilish sophistication to accompany one’s favourite cup of tea.

Read the Daily Telegraph article