Biscuit map of Britain

Custard creams up North but posh brands in South

IS your idea of a perfect tea break dunking a chocolate digestive or two? You may well be from Lancashire.

But if you prefer tucking in to a rich tea, you probably hail from Wales.

And if you grab a breakfast biscuit on the way to the office, you’ve marked yourself out as a Londoner.

That’s according to a report, which reveals the nation’s biscuit-eating habits – and shows that your preferred sweet treat could be more telling than you think.

The Waitrose Food and Drink report found that, overall, milk chocolate digestives are the most popular type of biscuit sold to adults in its supermarkets, while Jammie Dodgers are the favourite among children.

But its research also whittled down the favourite biscuit for each region – with the findings showing an obvious north-south divide.

As while northerners are more likely to reach for traditional teatime favourites like custard creams, it seems Londoners prefer posher brands.

Yorkshire folk are partial to custard creams or chocolate bourbons, while in Lancashire the chocolate digestive was best of the biscuits.

But in idiosyncratic Leeds, biscuits by local producer Botham’s of Whitby were the biggest seller – outselling every other brand. Mean- while, in the North East, chocolate biscuit bars and ginger nuts topped the list.

The researchers also found that the north- south divide is also in evidence when it comes to dunking – 65 per cent of northerners like to leave their biscuit in for a long time, while most southerners opt for a quick dip, if at all.

Tea is the most popular dunking choice, although half dunk into coffee too – with two-thirds of the country admitting to the habit.

Scottish biscuit lovers were found to be the most patriotic, with shortbread and Tunnock’s Tea Cakes topping their list of favourites. However, dunking is apparently considered rude north of the border.

The report also revealed that even when it comes to biscuits, Oxford and Cambridge still disagree – Oxford scholars plump for a dark chocolate digestive, while students in Cambridge like to keep it classic with the milk chocolate version.

However, it seems those living in Wales and the South West have plainer tastes – as they are particularly fond of rich tea biscuits.

On the other side of the country, healthier and more expensive biscuits came top in the diet- conscious East of England, while residents in Central England enjoy malted milk the most.

In London, the most popular biscuit is the breakfast variety – with busy commuters in the capital consuming more of the morning snack than any other region.

Among the finance workers in Canary Wharf, tastes are rather more indulgent, with the Caprice

Two-thirds admit to dunking

Classic Wafer – filled with chocolate and hazelnut – voted as their favourite. Meanwhile, people in Brighton controversially shun the biscuit altogether – and take a break with a KitKat instead.

The report, published today, also found that biscuit eating is a quintessentially British habit – as we munch our way through an average of six a week.

However, women are more likely to feel guilty about their love for snacking – as over half admitted to secretly eating a biscuit and hiding it from loved ones.