Dalgety Bay, Scotland
After a pleasant day out in Edinburgh, we decided to stop at an ASDA on the way back to our Airbnb. This was our second (of several) grocery store visits, but ASDA has a different vibe than Aldi. To me, ASDA is about the closest the United Kingdom gets to a Wal-Mart, which really makes sense, as Wal-Mart owned ASDA for a period of around 20 years. Even here in the United States, Wal-Mart has a way of underpricing Aldi on brand-name goods, so it seemed almost too good to be true to see 10 Tunnock’s Tea Cakes for £1.00. Seeing the price, I decided to buy some to check them out.
Tunnock’s has been producing baked goods in Scotland since 1890, when family patriarch Thomas Tunnock purchased his first bakery. It was his grandson Boyd who invented the tea cake in 1955. Tunnock’s describes a tea cake as using “Italian meringue…, a biscuit base…, and covered in milk chocolate.” Overall, a Tunnock’s Tea Cake is an airy, light snack that meets the calling of anyone with a sweet tooth. Unlike many similar-sized treats, the Tea Cake is actually pretty satisfying.
While we never found the tea cakes at the price we found them in that ASDA, we purchased them at a few more stops before leaving the country. We brought some home and placed them in the freezer. I pulled away the aluminum foil and ate a tea cake as I prepared for this post. Like many Scottish treats, the sweetness can be overpowering. The power is that your sweet craving is met, and unlike many American candies, you do not find yourself overeating to meet your sweet tooth desires.
It is possible to get tea cakes from grocery stores and other bakeries. Adding jam is even a popular ingredient for these other tea cakes, and they also were tasty. However, it is difficult not to be impressed with the simplicity of the original Tunnock’s Tea Cake. It is possible to purchase these in the United States, as they are found for sale at World Market, other British Food Retailers, and online through Amazon and Walmart. The prices are quite a bit more than a pound, but it is good to know that there are outlets where I can meet this sweet tooth in the United States. Whenever you travel, it is always a good idea to try out local brands, as you may find a new favorite treat.