EVEN the briefest scroll through social media can make it seem as though the world is burning down, but the latest online war has been focusing on an issue that truly gets down to brass tacks - what exactly are the nation’s most loved biscuits and can Weetabix really be included in the mix?

 

This is truly top drawer debate then?

Hey, is that sarcasm? It’s the small things in life that are of the most value and a biscuit with a cup of tea is surely among them.

 

But Weetabix isn’t a biscuit!

Well, indeed, at first thought not many of us would put Weetabix in the ‘biscuit’ category, but a post by Macmillan Cancer Support ahead of their UK-wide Macmillan Coffee Morning event really set the heather on fire by suggesting Weetabix is among the UK’s favourite biscuits.

 

What else made the list?

In a post saying “We've rated the nation's most loved biscuits, so you don't have to…”, Macmillan said thee absolute ultimate were equally chocolate fingers, shortbread, bourbons and cookies, followed by “first class” fig rolls, chocolate digestives, party rings and Madeleines, with “average Joe” biscuits comprising Weetabix, Rich Tea, Jaffa cakes and Garibaldis, while “bottom of the barrel” were, in their opinion, pink wafers, custard creams, ginger nuts and Jammie Dodgers.

 

Google stepped in?

Google’s Twitter replied “Asking on behalf on the nation, since when was Weetabix a biscuit?” Macmillan replied, with a screenshot of a Google search, revealing the term “biscuit” used to describe Weetabix.

 

The public were split?

Average Joe responses ranged from “Macmillan, I love you but you’re drunk’, to “Custard creams at the bottom of the barrel? Controversial!” Another said “No disrespect…but Madeline is cake”.

 

As for Weetabix?

One tweeter declared that putting Weetabix in the biscuit tin was a “career-ending decision”, but Macmillan then posted a video of someone having a cup of tea and dunking their Weetabix, which encouraged the Weetabix account to reply “Too hot to handle”.

 

Brits do love a biscuit?

Biscuits enjoyed a bumper year in lockdown, with sales up 7.2 per cent on 2019 to hit nearly £3bn. Even the Queen is a fan, said to opt for a Rich Tea with a cup of Earl Grey of a morning, while Prince William requested a groom’s cake for his wedding reception, made from 1,700 McVitie’s Rich Teas and 17kg of chocolate.

 

When is this year’s Macmillan event?

For the World's Biggest Coffee Morning - taking place this year on September 24 - members of the public are asked to hold coffee mornings, “socially distanced or on video call”, to raise funds for the charity. The charity states: “Every Coffee Morning has the power to raise vital pennies and pounds. Whether it’s with your pals in the park, a virtual bake ‘n’ make.”