Review: Duchy Originals organic shortbread

Another jolly good find in the new British import section at Hub Cigar in Edmonton. Shortbread is one of my guilty pleasures (I usually make a big batch around Christmas), and I have a soft spot for organics. Easy sell.

The Look: Considering the number of shortbread tins and packages that have a Scottish motif, this little baby is much more stark and modern. The cookies are thin with a nice golden tone, and they’ve got a little logo stamped into them. They’re just about the same size as the photo on the box. Inside the box there are two packages of six cookies — good for portion control and freshness.

The Pitch: “At Waitrose and Duchy, we share a belief in the value of British organic food, grown and produced sustainably.” There’s also a logo and blurb about contributions being made to The Prince’s Charities Foundation. They’re aiming for the eco set, clearly.

The Taste: Greasy with butter, plus much sugary sweetness. They’re thinner than I was expecting, and are baked to a degree that gives them a crisp, crunchy texture, further accentuated by sugar crystals. Good shortbread depends on good butter and flour, and you can really taste that quality here.

—

RATINGS AND DETAILS

Cost: $4.95 (on sale) for a 150-gram box at Hub Cigar in Edmonton.

Value for cash money: Not cheap, but not terrible.

Availability: I’ve only seen these at Hub Cigar. No idea where else to find them locally.

Nutrition?: Per two biscuits (25 grams): 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 75 mg of sodium, 1 gram of protein. They’re cookies, not salad. Note that it’s VERY easy to eat two cookies.

Vegetarian friendly?: Yes! The package says so. But with loads of buttery goodness (29 per cent, says the ingredient list), they’re certainly not vegan.

Ducky?: That’s what I keep accidentally typing whenever I try typing Duchy. Odd.

The verdict: A very tasty organic cookie that isn’t exactly healthy, but at least reduces eco-guilt by a few percentage points.