Mcvitie's Victoria Chocolate Creations - 307g

In Britain, a biscuit selection is a statement of intent. A plain packet says help yourself. A Victoria says someone has made an effort, and it carries the McVitie's name, the same one behind the digestive and the Hobnob.

From Canada, it's the one people go looking for when a trip home is a long way off, or when a British parent has a birthday and nothing else will do. It's less about the biscuits than about the room they used to come out in.

The 307g pack is a good spread for a table of visitors, or a week of very careful rationing for one. Keep it closed in a cool, dry cupboard between raids, and bring it out with a pot of tea and a little ceremony.

People who miss Victoria usually miss the rest of the McVitie's line-up too: digestives for dunking, Jaffa Cakes for arguing about whether they're cakes. Those can do the everyday shift, so the Victoria stays in reserve for proper company. That's the plan, anyway.