What's the UK's favourite biscuit?
It probably comes as no surprise, but the UK certainly loves a biscuit. In fact, we enjoy them so much that we eat more in a year than any other European country, with a staggering 13.6kg consumed per person in 2016 alone! We all have our own personal favourites, and debates have likely raged on in your household over which biscuit deserves the crown as Britain's best? Do you like the structural integrity of a rich tea? The chocolate-y crumbliness of a hobnob? Or the sweet deliciousness of whatever it is that's inside an Oreo?
It's this kind of spirited debate that made us want to investigate further to see exactly what the UK’s favourite biscuit is. Using the very handy Google Keyword Planner, we wanted to see which biscuits Brits have been searching for on the web over the past 12 months. We've even included recipes for the top contenders, so you can give Great Britain's favourites a go yourself.
And for the purposes of this study, we're calling Jaffa Cakes a biscuit. Why? Because that's just the way the cookie crumbles...
The UK's Favourite Biscuit: The Results
The results here may be a surprise to some. Overall, the biscuit that came out on top wasn't a flashy new-fangled hopeful but rather the humble shortbread; the rich, buttery biscuit romped to victory over cupboard classics such as the Jammie Dodger and the bourbon, and pipped Jaffa Cake to take the top spot too.
Even in the top 10, there were some notable absences. Heavyweights like the hobnob, the custard cream and even the almighty Kit Kat were nowhere to be seen, with the "chocolate-covered wafer bar confection" (Wikipedia's description, not ours) just narrowly losing out on a spot in the top ten.
The UK's top 20 biscuits in full were as follows:
|
Position |
Biscuit |
|
1 |
Shortbread |
|
2 |
Jaffa Cake |
|
3 |
Lotus Biscoff |
|
4 |
Oreo |
|
5 |
Gingerbread |
|
6 |
Jammie Dodgers |
|
7 |
Ladyfinger |
|
8 |
Biscotti |
|
9 |
Bourbon |
|
10 |
Garibaldi |
|
11 |
Kit Kat |
|
12 |
Wagon Wheels |
|
13 |
Anzac biscuit |
|
14 |
Caramel shortbread |
|
15 |
Custard cream |
|
16 |
Digestive |
|
17 |
Empire biscuit |
|
18 |
Hobnob |
|
19 |
Fig rolls |
|
20 |
Lebkuchen |
The Results By Region
We've created a map of the results by region across the UK, which you can take a look at below…
Not only does the map show the dominance of the mighty shortbread, but by clicking on each biscuit icon, you can see how regularly each region searched for the winning biscuit each month.
Breaking down the results further, we can see that the only region in the UK that didn't name the shortbread as its favourite was London, who opted to choose the Oreo. This is certainly interesting as the Oreo has only been sold in the UK since 2008. The recipe for shortbread, meanwhile, was first printed in Scotland in 1736, a lineage that the famed Oreo simply can't live up to.
Up in Scotland, the Empire biscuit was voted as the region's favourite, also cropping up in Northern Ireland's top 10. However, it fared less well in England and Wales, failing to make the top 10 cut. Empire's top spot in Scotland is perhaps surprising, because shortbread originated in this neck of the woods.
Interestingly, Easter biscuits came second in the South West region, but didn't rank in any other region.
Gingerbread, Jaffa Cakes, Lotus Biscoff biscuits, biscotti and Jammie Dodgers were, perhaps unsurprisingly, firm favourites and made the top 10 in most regions.
Despite their obvious deliciousness, only Scotland and Northern Ireland placed custard creams in their top 10. Additionally, Wagon Wheels, with their crunchy, jammy, mallow-y tastiness, failed to reach the top 10 in England but did everywhere else.
The UK's Top 4 Biscuits: How to Make Them
Fancy getting your Bake Off on and giving the nation's favourites a try yourself? Take a look at these great little recipe cards…
Shortbread
It's official: shortbread is the nation's favourite biscuit. Want to make some for you and your family? Find the full recipe here.
Jaffa Cakes
Yes, you could go with the shop-bought approach, but we reckon mastering your own Jaffa Cakes is a true show of your culinary skills. Check out the recipe here.
Gingerbread
The classic gingerbread man always goes down well the little ones. Get them involved and give this recipe a go here.
Ladyfingers
Making your own ladyfingers opens up your repertoire to include things such as trifles and tiramisu, so they're well worth trying. Take a look at the recipe here.
We hope this article has inspired you to get creative in the kitchen! Looking for more? You’ll find the full range of Breville products, whatever you’re in need of, on our homepage.