Biscuits for Cheese (Marks and Spencer)
Deciding between a “tall” vs “wide” biscuit strategy for accompanying cheese is always a complex challenge. A “tall” biscuit selection uses a highly-restricted number of mono-type cheese biscuit packets. Usually, one would pair a very small number of high-quality artisan biscuit types with a couple of auxiliary biscuits like Ritz, Hovis or conventional digestives. Meanwhile, a “wide” approach relies on the utility provided by the high variety of a cheese biscuit selection box. The individual biscuits are likely to lack the individual flair of the tall approach, but have the distinct upside of being able to match every cheese’s Elizabeth with the the perfect biscuity Mr. Darcy.
This entry from M&S extends the wide approach. It is a competent if unexciting safe pair of hands, featuring eight types of biscuit and a total of 55 biscuit instances; around six of these are cream crackers so of course will never get eaten and shouldn’t really be considered. It is lifted by the inclusion of (alas, too few) ultra-thin water crackers and table crackers, a pretty competent digestive and an excellent poppy and sesame thin. It compares very favourably on price (£2 for 300g) to the classic Jacob’s box (£3 for 300g) or Carr’s (£2 for 200g), and has only a slightly higher price density than the Tesco box (£3 for 500g).
I remain unconvinced by cream crackers; in my view every possible cheese will have a more exciting biscuit pairing available in this box. However, I accept they are an obligatory inclusion in such selections. The seven remaining types of biscuit are all pretty good. The table crackers and water crackers are unusually thin, allowing an improved cheese ratio, and with a satisfying shattering crunch. The wheatmeal digestive is thick, sweet and enjoyable. The wheat cracker and salt and black pepper crackers are pretty tasty but unexceptional; similar biscuits feature in most selection boxes. A small savoury cracker admirably fills the role of a Ritz biscuit. The poppy and sesame thin is not a common find in such boxes and pairs excellently with soft cheeses.
Overall, this cheese biscuit selection is pretty decent. I would buy it again if I had to get cheese biscuits, but I wouldn’t travel too far to do so. It’s closest in spirit to the various Carr’s biscuit selections and compares admirably to those.
I love cheese. Most of all I love the strongest Cheddars available; ewe’s or goat’s cheese are also often hits.
Totally disagree with the advantages of a ‘wide’ selection – in my view, the far more likely outcome is that you end up with a posse of Mr Collinses milling about in your box – stacks of mildly unappealing crackers that are clearly inferior to the digestives and water crackers you’ve regretfully already consumed.
Mr Darcy is the perfect man for any cheese.