Nairn’s Stem Ginger Oat Biscuits
Nairn’s oat biscuits have gained quite a reputation in the UK and it is great to see them here. The oats in question are grown in the Scottish Highlands, where conditions are perfect and farmers do not need to use insecticides.
Add to that that these biscuits are low GI and wheat free and it is hard to see where they can go wrong. With the taste of ginger actually stronger than that of sugar, these crunchy biscuits are great, even if their naturalness leaves them looking a little pallid.
Packed in four pouches of five biscuits for convenience.
Price: €2.85 for 200g
Available from: Health food shops and supermarkets
Marks and Spencer Organic Stem Ginger Cookies
Ginger biscuits seem to be quintessentially English and not surprisingly Marks and Spencer has a range on offer. These are at the top of that range and are definitely the most luxurious on our list.
With 14 per cent stem ginger, they have a mild taste that is concentrated in gooey lumps within these quite large cookies. Soft and buttery they are great for both kids and those whose teeth are not up to the normally brittle texture of a ginger biscuit. Great.
Price: €3.25 for 200g
Available from: Marks and Spencer
Frou Frou Ginger Cookies
Frou Frou seems to have made a niche for itself recreating British favourites and I was expecting the same from these ginger cookies but they were unlike any of the others tried. Small biscuits, they were crunchy but not as threatening to the teeth as your usual ginger snap.
They contain both stem ginger and ground ginger although the taste is not overwhelming. They also contain salt (being Cypriot). A good, value buy.
Price: €1.21 for 190g
Available from: supermarkets
McVitie’s Ginger Nuts
McVitie’s has been making biscuits for over 100 years, with their digestive (created in 1925) really being the benchmark for all other brands. I’m not sure how long the ginger nut has been its stable mate but again it is a reliable biscuit.
Although somewhat hard, these ginger biscuits are tasty – the ginger is strong although they are quite sweet (as, I suppose, one would expect from a biscuit). If you are a dunker, I’d say these are great as the rock-hard consistency means they are unlikely to dissolve in your cup of tea.
Price: €1.50 for 200g
Available from: supermarkets
Elkes Ginger Nuts
I had never heard of Elkes biscuits before, but they are the brand to be congratulated for bringing Malted Milk biscuits to Cyprus. But on to their Ginger Nuts, which look delicious. They are slightly bigger than most similar biscuits and extremely hard.
There is very little evidence of ginger in the taste, although this is not made up for by a mass of sugar. Not really a biscuit I would return to.
Price: €1.59 for 300g
Available from: supermarkets
Anna’s Ecological Ginger Thins
According to the packaging, 99 per cent of the agricultural ingredients contained in these biscuits were produced in accordance with ecological guide lines. And if that is good enough for the king of Sweden (as it says on the box), then it’s good enough for me.
As the name suggests, these biscuits are very thin – almost wafer like, which means there are more to a portion – the box recommends six! So you can munch your way through quite a few without feeling too guilty!
With cloves in addition to ginger, these light biscuits have a great taste – almost of the outdoors! They look good too. I’ll certainly be back for more.
Price: €1.50 for 150g
Available from: Ikea
Bohlsener Muehle Coconut and Ginger biscuits
Another organic choice, these small, leaf-shaped biscuits come in a bag that is handy for sharing. Made with coconut and that newly fashionable cereal spelt, these are quite sweet and the ginger taste is very subtle, although there does seem to be more of it in some biscuits than others. This also means they are great for giving to the kids as they are not too hot.
One of only two selections on our list not from the UK, coming from a German company that celebrates 30 years this year. Gluten free.
Price: €2.05 for 125g
Available from: health food stores including Etherio, Tel: 22 817181
