I think we can all agree that, although barely half way through it, June 2012 has been particularly British. Not only have we had the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee where the whole Nation partied hard and waved the Union Jack to celebrate Her Majesty’s 60 years on the throne, but we’ve had absolutely diabolical weather. England’s weather is generally pretty bad at best, but this ‘Summer’ just takes the biscuit. Literally.
To carry on with the theme, The British Biscuit Festival is underway right this minute until Sunday celebrating the British tea-time institution, Tea and Biscuits, taking place at the Brunswick Centre, London.
At the festival Journalists will compete at the Terrific Biscuit Tin Tournament – competing in a number of challenges from dunking a biscuit in tea without it going soggy to reciting sonnets with a mouthful of biscuits, to be crowded 2012 Biscuit Champion.
Other events include…
Build-a-Biscuit Workshops – The Cake Conjurer will be on hand to assist biscuit fanatics in the creation of their dream biscuit with a range of delectable filings, bases and toppings.
Tea and Biscuit Social – Step into Dai Gestive’s living room, a pop-up installation where you can enjoy a biscuit over a chin-wag.
Tea Dance – The Ragroof Theatre company will be hosting an ol’ fashioned tea dance on the Saturday, keeping the crowds entertained with ballroom moves and biscuits.
Bisc-ART – This is a call-out to the public and professionals to create fabulous pieces of biscuit art. Six of the best will be showcased on the day with one crowned the winner – whether it’s a portrait of the Queen made out of cream or a building made of bourbons…
Plus…
Guerrilla Science
Guerrilla science produce events that “mix science with art, music and play”, they create unique opportunities for audiences to experience science in unorthodox ways. For the Biscuit Festival, they will explore three scientific angles on Biscuit Culture.
– Biscuit Taxonomy: What is a biscuit?
– The Role of the Biscuit in scientific exploration and discovery
– Best Dunking Biscuit Experiments
‘The Fantastical History of Funeral Biscuits’ by Animal Vegetable Mineral
The giving of funeral biscuits was a widely spread tradition from the late 18th to early 19th century, particularly around the Victorian Era when funerals were at their height of social importance. Dressed in full Victorian mourning gear, walkabout performers will circumvent the festival with baskets of funeral biscuits for distribution. Performers will enlighten visitors to the evolution and eventual demise of the British funeral biscuit before allowing them the chance to personalise a funerary biscuit of their very own. Each biscuit will come in a small parcel containing an AVM postcard, timeless recipe, and two biscuits wrapped in a traditional mourning poem.
Spin Cookie Art by The Cinnamon Tree Bakery
The Cinnamon Tree Bakery will be showcasing the worlds first Spin Art Cookie Decorating Activity. Visitors will be able to buy a blank 6 inch sugar cookie, hand baked by The Cinnamon Tree Bakery, which can then be decorated with home made edible paints (made from natural food dyes) in hand cranked spin machine producing Damien Hirst style effects! Anyone can create a unique and fantastic pattern on their cookie and everyone gets to go home with their own tasty work of art.
Twitter – @BiscuitFestival
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