Food glossary

Biscuits

Biscuits

The word biscuit originates from the French bis cuit which means twice cooked, this refers to the first biscuits which were taken on long sea voyages. These original ship's biscuits had to be cooked twice in order to stay crisp. Nowadays the term biscuit refers to a wide range of small, thin crisp products which usually have wheat flour as the main ingredient. Sweet and savoury biscuits are available.

Savoury

Savoury biscuits can be plain, or flavoured with a range of different ingredients including cheese, herbs, seeds and nuts. A wide selection of savoury biscuits are available from Waitrose including Waitrose Cheese Sandwich Biscuits (savoury biscuits sandwiched together in pairs with a smooth creamy cheese-flavoured filling); Waitrose Cheese Thins (fine, crispy cheese flavoured rounds); Waitrose Poppy and Sesame Seeds Thins (fine, crispy biscuits flavoured with poppy and sesame seeds); Waitrose High Bake Water Biscuits (light and crispy plain savoury rounds) and Carr's Cheese Melts, (light and crispy wheaten biscuits sprinkled with cheese).

Uses: Savoury biscuits can be served as an accompaniment to foods such as cheese or cold meats or as appetisers with drinks. Plain savoury biscuits such as water biscuits are popular served as an accompaniment to a cheeseboard. Try spreading savoury biscuits with toppings such as cream cheese, tuna mayonnaise or pâté and garnishing with finely chopped tomatoes, peppers or cucumber or sprigs of fresh herbs.

To store: Keep in a cool, dry place and consume by the best before date. Once opened store in an airtight container.

Sweet

A range of ingredients can be added to sweet biscuits to add flavour and texture including chocolate, fruit and nuts. A wide variety of sweet biscuits are available from Waitrose including Waitrose Chocolate Chip Butter Shortbread (shortbread rounds with chunks of chocolate); Waitrose Organic Digestive Biscuits (round sweetmeal digestive biscuits made using organically grown ingredients); All Butter Biscuits (fluted round plain sweet biscuits made with 24 per cent butter); Waitrose Nice Biscuits (fluted oblong biscuits with a hint of coconut); Waitrose Organic Shortbread Fingers (Scottish shortbread fingers made with organic ingredients including 31 per cent butter); Waitrose Fruit Shortcake Biscuits (round fluted shortbread biscuits with currants and topped with sugar); Waitrose Rich Tea Biscuits (round, smooth textured plain sweet biscuits); Waitrose Plain Chocolate Digestive Sweetmeal Biscuits (round digestive biscuits covered on one side with a layer of plain chocolate) and Waitrose Plain Chocolate Butter Biscuits (oblong butter biscuits with a thick coating of continental plain chocolate).

Uses: Sweet biscuits are widely enjoyed as a snack, often to accompany a cup of tea or coffee. Plain sweet biscuits can also be used in cookery - crushed digestive biscuits are the main ingredient in cheesecake bases and can be sprinkled over creamy puddings to add texture and as a decoration. Children can decorate plain biscuits with icing and finely chopped glacé fruit or sweets.

To store: Keep in a cool, dry place and consume by the best before date. Once opened store in an airtight container.