<Author: audere_est_facere
Date: 08/01/2007, 02:18 pm

Jaffa cakes - they don't contain jaffas and they aren't cakes. 'nuff said.>

You've obviously forgotten the great Jaffa cake/VAT Liability debate of 1991!

In 1991 the matter went to a tribunal (number 6344 in case you were wondering) in which the VAT man argued that the Jaffa wasn’t a cake and so should not be exempt from VAT (VATA 1983 Sch 5 Group 1 excepted item 2), trotting out all the old arguments. McVities countered with all of the other old arguments plus a specially prepared 12 inch Jaffa Cake, which focused the tribunal’s attention on the sponge base. The tribunal concluded that, while the product also had characteristics of biscuits or confectionery which was not cake, it had sufficient characteristics of cakes to be a cake for the purposes of zero-rating. (The tribunal also determined that the product was not a biscuit.) The distinction between cakes and biscuits is simply that biscuits go soft when stale, whereas cakes go hard. It was demonstrated that Jaffa Cakes become hard when stale and McVitie's won the case

I was looking at Londontown.com and saw many tea offers that are rather less than 25-30 pounds per person. Take a look here:
http://tinyurl.com/2382e9

Someone mentioned Selfridges above. Can anyone enlighten me as to which of the Selfridges restaurants and cafes are actually the one that is referenced:
http://www.selfridges.com/index.cfm?page=1186

Chas,

How on earth did you know that? Even so far as to look it up?

I am seriously impressed.

<Author: waring
Date: 08/04/2007, 06:26 pm

Chas,

How on earth did you know that? Even so far as to look it up?

I am seriously impressed.>

Because I used to work for HM Customs and Excise (we've now been taken over by the dark side). This case is a legend. It sounds ridiculous that they went to this degree of detail and litigation but there was a huge amount of money at stake for McVities and other manufacturers

The mother of all Jaffa Cakes:

http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/project.php?projectID=332

Having had some run ins with the customs service myself little surprises me involving them.

As to going hard or soft, that is down to the water in a product. Over time a product reaches a level of moisture equal to the atmospheric humidity it is in. If it loses water, it becomes hard, if it gains water it becomes soft.

The Selfridges cafe that does the afternoon teas is the one in the basement, next to the 'The Lounge' (where they sell interiors stuff). Can't remember the name - sorry - but it's not that difficult to find.

Quite a modern looking cafe so I stress not the grand old hotel experience, but nonetheless very tasty food.

An alternative is the Athaeneum, which does a more trad afternnon tea with pink champagne etc. Th cost is about £28 BUT is combined with a free pass to Buckingham Palace, or a current art exhibition. (see Lastminute.com)

What you are paying for is not tea, but an experience. We had tea at the Ritz in London and will always remember it as a one-time special occasion. As such, it was worth every penny.

Clearly someone needs to reinvent the Lyons Corner House - complete with orchestra.

hi, cindy,

there used to be an ABC on the strand opposite the royal courts, which was bit like a Lyons corner house, but I suppose it's gone, now. great fry-ups and scones with cream [think rumpole].

if you are in a hotel, you should have a kettle and the makings of a cup of tea. take yourself off to the nearest supermarket, and buy some clotted cream [cornish for preference,] also some strawberry jam, and scones, or get those from a bakery. for all 4 of you, I defy you to spend more than a fiver.

don't get us started on how to pronounce "scone". some of us say it as in "bone, or "throne", others as in "mom", [with an "n" of course].

let's call the whole thing off.

regards, ann

No aficionado of Jaffa Cakes, or tea, can afford to miss out on the excitement of the website devoted to cake, tea, and biscuits:

http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/

well, now I've seen it all.

this one rivals the web-site devoted to swan/goblin teasmaids, which has led to at least one marriage!

it's quite cheered me up!

regards, ann

That website is genius!

I love the idea of 'mighty biscuit engines', and agree that 'Nice' are biscuit hell (as are Malted Milks, Garibaldi and Fig Rolls)

The mention of dearly departed 'Abbey Crunch' (RIP) nearly brought a tear to my eye though.

>>2. Note the use of the word kettle - yanks don't have kettles (this is a source of continuing wonderment to me - but they don't).<<

We have one - but Mr. Pickle's parents are Canadian, and their parents were English and Welsh, so that may explain it.

Lee Ann

I do so have a kettle--an electric kettle at that! Couldn't manage without it.

Back to afternoon tea...try Selfridge's. Not fancy, but quite good.

I have an electric kettle - couldn't manage w/o it. But until I lived over there, I'd never even heard of an electric kettle.

The website says plain chocolate hobnobs have been discontinued! It can't be true!

It's the dark chocolate Hobnobs that have been discontinued. The milk chocolate ones are still available (I even know where to get them in Seattle).

Are you referring to electric kettles? If so, I think most US homes don't have one. But almost everyone I know has a kettle that goes on the stove top. Pots for brewing tea, too.

I always rue the day they discontinued 'Jaspers' - I can still taste the orange/lemon fresh baked taste and goodness now!!!