Huntley & Palmers, the biscuit manufacturer founded in 1822, is recreating the biscuits it specially produced for Captain Scott’s doomed 1911 race to the South Pole.
On sale next month in Waitrose and Harrods, the biscuit is the turn-of-the-century equivalent to modern day energy drinks such as Red Bull. The new, low-cholesterol biscuits use a similar recipe to that used for the 1911 expedition, including rice flour, although lard has been replaced with vegetable oil because it is not fashionable any more, according to Huntley & Palmers MD Nigel McCrea.
Captain Robert Scott never had a chance to tell people about the effectiveness of the product - he died on his return journey from the pole.
Huntley & Palmers revived the biscuits following a request for them from an expedition team going to the North Pole. “We did some trials and found out people liked them,” said McCrea.
Available in a four-pack with an rsp of £2.29, they will be marketed as an energy biscuit, ideally for hikers’ rucksacks.
The company is also delving further back into the past with the relaunch of its 19th Century brands John Ginger’s Ginger Nuts and Oat & Honey and Oat & Lemon Knobbles.
While McCrea said he did not expect anyone to remember some of the company’s older biscuit ranges, he said there was increasing demand for classic recipes.
“We get a lot of letters asking about things Huntley & Palmers used to do. There is demand at the premium end of the market for these sort of old-fashioned products, but you must have historical credibility.”
Stefan Chomka
On sale next month in Waitrose and Harrods, the biscuit is the turn-of-the-century equivalent to modern day energy drinks such as Red Bull. The new, low-cholesterol biscuits use a similar recipe to that used for the 1911 expedition, including rice flour, although lard has been replaced with vegetable oil because it is not fashionable any more, according to Huntley & Palmers MD Nigel McCrea.
Captain Robert Scott never had a chance to tell people about the effectiveness of the product - he died on his return journey from the pole.
Huntley & Palmers revived the biscuits following a request for them from an expedition team going to the North Pole. “We did some trials and found out people liked them,” said McCrea.
Available in a four-pack with an rsp of £2.29, they will be marketed as an energy biscuit, ideally for hikers’ rucksacks.
The company is also delving further back into the past with the relaunch of its 19th Century brands John Ginger’s Ginger Nuts and Oat & Honey and Oat & Lemon Knobbles.
While McCrea said he did not expect anyone to remember some of the company’s older biscuit ranges, he said there was increasing demand for classic recipes.
“We get a lot of letters asking about things Huntley & Palmers used to do. There is demand at the premium end of the market for these sort of old-fashioned products, but you must have historical credibility.”
Stefan Chomka
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