Last Sunday I reviewed Pepperidge Farm’s chocolate variety pack. This week, I’m doing the ‘Classic’ variety.

Some of from the chocolate pack are in the classic pack, as well.

For example, the Milano chocolate. There are not Milano double chocolate, though.

The biscuits that are only in the classic pack are:

Chessmen: Rectangular biscuits with chess characters on. They’re sort of shortbread but more buttery on the front. The taste reminds me somewhat of the cornbread you can find in the American South. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan.

Pirouettes: Lovely, light, crunchy tubes a couple inches long (when you buy them on their own, they’re a couple inches longer), but useless for dunking. They would be mind-blowing if coated them in chocolate and carmel so you could drink tea through them a la TimTams .

Bordeaux: These are single versions minus the chocolate and are a favourite in our house. Perfect for dunking, they hold their integrity but melt beautifully once you bite into them.

Speaking of melting, Archway shortbread cookies are gorgeous. They take a quick dunk and then the entire biscuit goes into your mouth and dissolves into beautiful tasty loveliness. I prefer these to Walker’s shortbread, much to my own surprise.

Archway also has Windmills , which my husband loves. They’re made with molasses and almonds, neither of which I’m crazy about, but their texture is nice and maintains integrity upon the dunk.

The Archway that both K and I love are their Ginger Snaps , which take a slightly longer dunk, and are gorgeous. They’re bite-size so you don’t have to worry about dropping crumbs everywhere, either.

Of the biscuits in this experiment, the clear winners were the non-chocolate Bordeaux from Pepperidge Farm and the Archway Shortbread and Ginger Snaps. Well done, you!

Living in the States is nice in some ways (infinite parking!) and not-so-nice in others (strangers talk to you in public), but one thing that I need in order to maintain a sense of sanity is a decent cup of tea and some British biscuits . American biscuits are fantastic, don’t misunderstand, but they don’t go with tea for shit.

There’s a World Market nearby, which carries some McVities products, but it’s still quite a drive away and on the expensive side. Most regular stores carry Pepperidge Farm cookies, though, so we’re giving those a go for you, dear reader. (They call them ‘cookies’ and though Pepperidge Farm does make traditional cookies, the products reviewed here would be more accurately billed as British biscuits.)

So if you’re desperate to find a decent bikkie in the States or would like to have an informed opinion about the differences between biscuits and cookies, read on.

This week we’re trying the chocolate variety pack. [Next week will be the ‘classic’ pack.]

There are two types of Milano cookies. Each has two oval, light biscuits sandwiching rich chocolate. One type has twice as much filling at the other. Both are lovely and crispy, though neither absorbs tea well and can only stand the briefest of dunks before falling apart.

Orleans Two round biscuits with chocolate in the middle. Extremely similar to Milano. The biscuit is the same, except slightly thinner. The same rich chocolate in the middle. Very nice. Still structurally weak, but a bit better than the Milano due to shape, I think.

Geneva: Oval biscuit, one side of which is covered with chocolate and pecan bits. These are tricky. One on hand, the biscuit part is solid and the chocolate is thick. It’s not going to crumble easily. On the other, there are pecan bits on the top, which you don’t want in your tea, so you have to watch them carefully.

Lisbon: Round biscuit, half dunked in chocolate. This is the closest to a cookie in the bunch, though I’d still classify it as a biscuit. Do not let the seeming solidity fool you, though, it can only withstand a quick dunk before disintegrating. Fortunately, the entire biscuit can go in one bite and the chocolate and biscuit melt together wonderfully.

Tahiti: Two round, coconut-flavoured biscuits with chocolate between. Also very light, and it was fine. I’m not a big fan of coconut, so I can only report on texture, which is very similar to the Milano and Orleans.

Bordeaux: Chocolate between two rectangular biscuits. This is as close to a chocolate HobNob, texture-wise, as I’ve come across in the States. They’re not as structurally-sound, but they’re better than anything else I’ve tried. My personal favourite.