McVities Tasties Shorties - 300g

In the British biscuit tin, Shorties live in the sensible middle row, somewhere between the Rich Tea and anything with chocolate on it. A shortcake biscuit is about as plain as biscuits get, and that is exactly the appeal: it never tries too hard, and it never lets the tea down.

People in Canada go looking for them because a Shortie is tied to a particular kitchen table. A mug of builder's tea, the radio on, a plate of biscuits that nobody bothered to count. You cannot really describe that to anyone, so you just want the packet.

The 300g packet is a proper everyday amount, enough for a week of elevenses or one determined afternoon. Keep it in the cupboard, and once it is open, fold the end over or tip the lot into a tin so they stay crisp. For dunking, quick in and out is the rule.

McVitie's is the name behind half the biscuits in a British cupboard, digestives and Rich Tea included, so Shorties tend to end up in the basket next to a packet of those and a box of decent teabags.