When it comes to the perfect biscuit to accompany your cuppa, is there anything better than the good 'ol fashioned rich tea?
Alongside the classic chocolate digestive, the rich tea biscuit has become a staple to have when you need a light snack to go alongside your favourite brew.
Also, let's be honest here, is there a more dunkable biscuit than the rich tea?
Every good brew needs the right biscuit to dunk into it - I don't make the rules, but we are all aware that this is a well known fact in every single household.
Personally, I think the rich tea is arguably one of the best simple biscuits to go alongside my staple Scottish Blend cup of tea, and we all know that McVitie's is usually the way to go.
In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that most cupboards across the country will be home to a few biscuit packets from the popular British food company.
While many supermarkets have tried recreate the iconic snack, McVitie's tends to sweep the competition with its perfectly light and buttery biscuit that just melts into your tea.
But, like so many people, I have become increasingly concerned with rising food prices, and began to wonder if there may be a packet own-brand rich tea's that might be worth making the switch to.
A packet of rich tea's may only cost around £1.50, but some supermarket prices can be as low as 29p. So, you know what they say, every little helps.
With that in mind, I decided to visit Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Sainsbury's for their own-branded rich tea biscuits to compare against the mighty McVitie's.
Here is how I got on...
What biscuits were tried and what was the process?
As mentioned previously, McVitie's rich tea biscuits are an iconic snack to have at the side of your favourite cup of tea - and to dunk into!
So, of course, I made myself a steaming hot cuppa to make sure that I could test out each supermarket biscuits dunkable abilities.
I didn't just judge them based on their dunkable abilities, which was important, but I also tried them on their own to see what their official taste was like.
Here were the rich tea biscuits sampled;
- McVitie's Rich Tea - £1.49
- Morrisons Lyons Rich Tea - 40p
- Asda Rich Tea biscuits - 35p
- Lidl Tower Gate Rich Tea - 29p
- Sainsbury's Rich Tea Biscuits - 50p
Overall thoughts
McVitie's Rich Tea
Decided to start this taste test of with the star of the show, because it was important to set the standard as to what I would basing the rest of off.
As soon as I took a quick bite from McVitie's iconic biscuit, I was immediately met with a taste that I know all too well.
This humble biscuit may look plain, but it has always packed quite the punch in terms of flavour. It has a simple malty and buttery flavour that is never too overpowering. It also works wonders with your brew.
Another good sign of a perfect rich tea, is the texture. It can't be too soggy or too hard, it has to be just right.
Which is exactly what McVitie's has always nailed down perfectly. Even when dunked in my tea, it never fell to pieces and just melted in my mouth.
Solid start to the taste and I'm interested to see how the others fare.
Morrisons Lyons Rich Tea
I must admit, I did try to pick up a packet from Morrison's own budget brand Savers, but alas there were none and I had to settle for a packet of Lyon's.
This 40p packet of rich tea's were certainly...interesting. After taking a bite of one biscuit, I feel like I have a bit of a mixed opinion.
Without the tea, I must admit that the rich tea had no distinct flavour that reminds me of the popular biscuit. It was actually quite bland and the texture was a little stale.
That being said, once it was dunked into my tea, it funnily enough tasted better? Maybe it was the tea adding the flavour, but this biscuit was only good for dunking, not for eating on its own.
Asda Rich Tea Biscuits
Next up on the list, was a packet of rich tea biscuits from Asda's Smart Price range.
I must admit, I don't tend get any of my groceries from this supermarket, mainly only because it's a little bit out of my way, so I was intrigued to try their offering.
All in all, I can't fault this one at all.
It had a satisfying crunch that never felt like I was biting into cardboard and it had a light, malty flavour that was a little bit more distinct than Morrison's underwhelming biscuit.
What's more, is that Asda's rich tea had that buttery and milky undertone that McVitie's is quite well known for, which gave the biscuit a bit more depth when eaten on its own.
Was perfect when dunked into tea as well and complimented the brew very well.
At just 35p a packet, I can't complain at such a worthy contender.
Lidl Tower Gate Rich Tea
What can I say about Lidl that we all don't already know?
It's the budget supermarket that has become synonymous with great quality at lower prices, so I went into this one with quite high hopes.
Unfortunately, I am sad to say that Lidl didn't quite meet the mark with their own-brand rich tea biscuits.
I didn't really get the malty, buttery or sweet taste that I have become so accustomed to with rich tea's. And, without that iconic flavour, I don't think it should be allowed to even call itself rich tea.
The texture was also just slightly off putting as well, as it was very stale and a bit more crunchy than what I am used. Even a quick tea dunk couldn't soften this biscuit.
All in all, not a good show from Lidl this time. I guess at 29p per packet you get what you pay for, right?
Sainsbury's Rich Tea Biscuits
Last, but certainly not least, is a 50p packet of rich tea's from Sainsbury's.
At 50p, they were the most expensive supermarket packet of biscuits, so I had hopes that they would be a little better than Lidl's bland offering.
And, I am happy to report that this was a good biscuit to end on.
What I did notice was that this had a subtle wheat-y aroma that doesn't initially hit you until you've taken a few bites, and it gives a well-rounded taste on it's own.
There was a little bit of sweetness as well, which I really liked, though I am still missing that milky undertone that McVitie's is popular for.
Also, while the biscuit is initially quite firm, it does soften quite well when dunked into your tea.
Final verdict
If you are after you're new go-to rich tea biscuit that is almost as satisfying as McVitie's, then Asda are arguably the best of the bunch.
Their own biscuits offer a similar malty, sweet and buttery biscuit that is perfect for dunking into your tea without turning into a stodgy mess at the bottom.
Between the fantastic price and the taste, it was the solid winner of the competition for me.
Sainsbury's 50p packet was the best runner-up, but it lacked that milky and buttery taste that McVitie's manages to create with every bite.
Morrisons Lyons for 40p were certainly interesting on their own, but did pair decently with a cuppa. Which is sort of the point, right?
Unfortunately, Lidl's 29p packet left just a little bit much to be desired.
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