Hobnob biscuit
{{merge from| Abbey Crunch|discuss=Talk:Abbey Crunch#Merge proposal|date=April 2025}}
{{Short description|British brand of biscuit}}
{{About|the biscuit|other uses|Hobnob (disambiguation){{!}}Hobnob}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Hobnobs
| image = Hobnobs.jpg
| caption =
| alternate_name =
| country = United Kingdom
| region =
| creator = McVitie's
| course =
| year = 1985
1987 (Chocolate variant)
| type = Oat
| served =
| main_ingredient = Rolled oats
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
Hobnobs (sometimes stylized as HobNobs) is a biscuit brand owned by British company McVitie's. They are made from rolled oats and are similar to a flapjack-digestive biscuit hybrid. McVitie's launched Hobnobs in 1985 and a milk chocolate variant in 1987.{{cite book |last=Osman |first=Richard |title=The World Cup Of Everything: Bringing the fun home |date=2017 |publisher=Hachette UK}} The plain variety is manufactured at Tollcross factory in Glasgow, and the chocolate variety is made at the Harlesden factory in north-west London.{{cite news |title=See how chocolate digestives are made at a London biscuit factory |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/see-how-chocolate-digestives-are-made-at-a-london-biscuit-factory-061118 |access-date=17 August 2022 |work=Time Out}}
They are primarily sold in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and Ireland but are available in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and several European and Asian countries (e.g. Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong). In Italy they are now marketed as a variety of digestive biscuits, having previously been known as Suncrok. They were also released in Canada in November 2012, made available in Wal-Mart's British modular section in their food aisles. The McVitie's Hobnob is the third-most-popular biscuit in the UK to "dunk" into tea, with its chocolate variant sixth.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/4927255/Chocolate-digestive-is-nations-favourite-dunking-biscuit.html |title=Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=2 May 2009}} In 2014 a UK survey declared the Chocolate Hobnob the nation's favourite biscuit.{{cite web |url=http://kernpack.co.uk/packaging-blog/nations-favourite-biscuit/ |title=What is the nation's favourite biscuit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217155053/http://kernpack.co.uk/packaging-blog/nations-favourite-biscuit/ |archive-date=17 February 2015 |publisher=Kernpack |date=11 December 2014}}
History
The commercial recipe for Hobnob biscuits was introduced by McVitie's in the UK in 1985.{{cite news |title=McVitie's History |url=https://mcvities.co.uk/about |access-date=16 August 2022 |work=McVities.co.uk}} A best seller, demand for the plain Hobnobs led to the introduction of a chocolate variant in 1987. The biscuit is available in many varieties, including dark chocolate, chocolate orange, and Hobnob bars. Other Hobnobs-branded snacks include a Hobnobs flapjack. Hobnobs contains approx 0.16 g of sodium per biscuit.{{cite web |url=http://www.unitedbiscuits.com/our-brands.php?rnd=E%2FcEVvZQTq5hKBPcpwglMXa8UdpYd1FTPEW78O0S4GVLPbzLj86tjPjxhzuR7SSTsEbsE6U9RrjQhGapsIYyoQ%3D%3D |title=United Biscuits |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726143202/http://www.unitedbiscuits.com/our-brands.php?rnd=E%2FcEVvZQTq5hKBPcpwglMXa8UdpYd1FTPEW78O0S4GVLPbzLj86tjPjxhzuR7SSTsEbsE6U9RrjQhGapsIYyoQ%3D%3D |archivedate=26 July 2011 }}
The name Hobnob comes from the verb 'to hobnob', which means to spend time being friendly with someone who is important or famous.{{cite web |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hobnob|title=Hobnob}} Channel 4's Secret World of Biscuits programme claims that the name comes from the two words "hob" (suggesting home-cooked on a stove) and "knobbly" referencing the texture.{{cite AV media |title=The Secret World of Biscuits |date=8 August 2021 |publisher=Channel 4}}
Manufacture
Plain Hobnobs are made at the Tollcross factory in Glasgow. The chocolate variety is made at the Harlesden factory in north-west London.{{Cite web|last=Marketer|first=The Conscious|date=2020-12-31|title=Harlesden: The last of the inner-city London suburbs|url=https://theconsciousmarketer.medium.com/try-harlesden-before-it-dies-81dc5767c6ec|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Medium|language=en}} The basic ingredients for Hobnobs are oats.
Marketing
The original tagline of the Hobnobs was "one nibble and you're nobbled",{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/media/feature/1999/06/24/brand/print.html |title=Keeping up with the Jonesness |date=24 June 1999 |access-date=28 January 2007 |author=Justin Holloway |work=Salon |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041028234743/http://www.salon.com/media/feature/1999/06/24/brand/print.html |archive-date=28 October 2004 }} and was removed. It has since been brought back, but slightly changed by adding "hob" to the beginning of the last word.{{cite web |title=Hobnobs |url=https://mcvities.co.uk/products/hobnobs |publisher=McVitie's |access-date=2 August 2022}}
The tagline "Chocolate now has Hobnobs underneath" was used for the introduction in the UK of chocolate Hobnobs.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/previous.php3?item=142 Milk Chocolate and Orange Hobnobs] on Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down
{{United Biscuits}}
{{Oats}}
Category:Food brands of the United Kingdom
Category:Products introduced in 1985