The delicious. biscuit collection

There’s something very British about biscuits. They’re a time-honoured way to welcome visitors, they fll the gap between one meal and the next – and, paired with a perfectly brewed cup of tea, they relieve all manner of crises

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING REBECCA SMITH PHOTOGRAPHS YUKI SUGIURA STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON. ADDITIONAL TEXT: REBECCA ALMOND

Biscuits are Britain’s greatest gift to the world (don’t listen to those who say otherwise). They have certain magical qualities. Childhood squabbles are silenced with the bribe of a bourbon, in-laws won over with an assorted tin of border shortbread (the luxury variety, of course), fagging offce meetings brought to life by a plateful of garibaldis… No doubt David Cameron diligently dunked a digestive while mulling over his election campaign speech.

But these sweet morsels of appeasement can also be fashpoints of contention. Offer a ginger nut devotee a malted milk at your peril. Lift the lid to fnd your other half has eaten the last custard cream and you have legitimate grounds for divorce. The spartan rich tea is either loved or loathed, the effete pink wafer misunderstood and the ‘cookie’ dismissed as an American imposter. Then there’s the jaffa cake issue: is it a biscuit or is it a cake?

Find your favourite, though, and you’ve a friend for life, whether you like yours crisp or crumbly, plain or chocolate-coated, sandwiched with stick-your-teeth-together jam or lick-it-up cream.

We’ve created a biscuit collection to suit all tastes, from chewy to ultra-crumbly to dunk-worthy. What an incentive to get baking – just make sure you hum Rule Britannia while you’re at it.

COOKIE MONSTER Giant chocolate chunk and toffee cookie

Giant chocolate chunk and toffee cookie

THE CHEWY ONE

SERVES 15-20. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN, OVEN TIME 45 MIN, PLUS COOLING

While this is heaven eaten when it’s still a little warm, the texture is at its very best after a night at room temperature. You could also freeze the dough in the tin and bake from frozen – just add an extra 4-5 minutes to the cooking time.