Furniss Cornish Gingerbread with Dark Chocolate Explained

Furniss Cornish Gingerbread with Dark Chocolate: ginger heat meets cocoa

Ginger and dark chocolate work because they come at the palate from opposite sides, one with heat and one with bitterness. Furniss has baked in Cornwall since 1886, gingerbread included from the very start, and this 200g pack puts the two flavours together.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Furniss Cornish Gingerbread with Dark Chocolate: ginger heat meets cocoa, in summary: Cornish gingerbread studded with dark chocolate pieces, where the ginger brings heat and the chocolate answers with bitterness. Serve it with a strong black tea, a ginger chai or even a thin slice of mature cheddar.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Ginger and dark chocolate work because they come at the palate from opposite sides, one with heat and one with bitterness. Furniss has baked in Cornwall since 1886, gingerbread included from the very start, and this 200g pack puts the two flavours together.

Heat, bitterness and a caramel edge

Most biscuit spices are aromatic: you smell them first and taste them after. Ginger is pungent instead, closer to mustard or chilli, and its warmth builds at the back of the mouth a moment after the first bite. Dark chocolate meets that heat with bitterness and cocoa fat, giving the spice something to push against, whereas milk chocolate would simply smother it in sugar.

The published label supports a ginger-led reading. Dark chocolate makes up 11% of the biscuit, crystallised ginger adds another 1%, and the spice mix runs to ginger, pimento, cinnamon and coriander. Invert sugar syrup sits high on the list, and syrups brown readily in the oven, which is where a gingerbread's darker colour and faint caramel note usually come from. It contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya, with butter among the ingredients.

A Cornish tradition in a modern pack

Cornwall's biscuit tradition runs from ginger at one end to clotted cream at the other. John Cooper Furniss, who opened a tea shop in Truro in 1886, stayed up late baking gingerbread and Cornish fairings so they could be served fresh each morning, and Furniss says it is still the only company licensed to make The Original Cornish Fairing. This bake belongs to New Wave, the brand's more modern range.

Its two New Wave siblings take the other road. The Cornish Shortbread With Clotted Cream is the gentle, dairy-led end of the trio, and the shortbread with Belgian choc chunks folds chocolate into a Cornish shortbread instead. Choose the gingerbread when you want spice and a stronger cup beside it; choose a shortbread when you would rather the cream did the talking.

Serving it warm, dunked or with cheese

Temperature changes this biscuit more than most. The compounds behind ginger's heat register more strongly when warm, so a biscuit from a warm kitchen, or one held in the hand for a minute, tastes clearly spicier than a chilled one. As for dunking, let the biscuit decide: if it snaps cleanly it will take a few seconds in the cup, and if it bends it belongs on the saucer.

A strong black tea with milk is the classic partner, and a ginger chai doubles down on the spice. Rooibos is a better match than it sounds, because its mild sweetness gives the ginger a cushion rather than a rival. Or serve it the way the north serves parkin, with a thin slice of mature cheddar or Wensleydale laid on top at the table.

The packs we stock

Furniss New Wave Cornish Gingerbread With Dark Chocolate Pieces, 200g (barcode 5010254002298)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Furniss New Wave Cornish Gingerbread With Dark Chocolate Pieces, 200g says it contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Invert Sugar Syrup, Vegetable Fat (Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Salt, Lemon Juice), Dark Chocolate (11%) (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Fat-reduced Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin), Rusk (Wheat Flour, Salt, Raising Agent (Ammonium Bicarbonate), Spices (Ginger, Pimento, Cinnamon, Coriander)), Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Crystallised Ginger (1%) (Ginger, Sugar), Butter (Milk), Salt.

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	489 kcal
Fat	20.0g
of which saturates	9.4g
Carbohydrate	71.0g
of which sugars	40.0g
Protein	5.0g
Salt	1.0g

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

Tea India Ginger Chai, 40 Tea Bags 100g: Ginger on ginger: a spiced chai that picks up the heat in the biscuit and carries it on through the cup.
Twinings Everyday 120 Plant-Based, 348g: A sturdy everyday black blend, brewed strong with milk, for the classic gingerbread and tea pairing.
Tetley Redbush Vanilla, 40 Tea Bags 100g: Vanilla on a redbush base makes a rounded, low-key cup that lets the ginger and dark chocolate stay in front.
Starbucks Espresso Roast by NESPRESSO Coffee, Dark Roast, Box of 36, 198g: A dark-roast Nespresso capsule that meets the bitterness of the dark chocolate head on.

Elsewhere in the Furniss range

The full range is on the Furniss brand page.

FAQ

Why pair ginger with dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate? Ginger brings heat and dark chocolate brings bitterness, so each gives the other something to work against. Milk chocolate would simply sweeten the spice away.

How much chocolate and ginger does it contain? The published label lists dark chocolate at 11% and crystallised ginger at 1%, with ginger, pimento, cinnamon and coriander in the spice mix.

What allergens are in Furniss gingerbread with dark chocolate? The published ingredient list names wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Check the pack in your hands, since recipes can change.

Can you dunk it? If the biscuit snaps cleanly, a few seconds in the tea is fine. If it bends rather than snaps, keep it out of the cup.

Does gingerbread taste different when warm? Yes. Ginger's heat is felt more strongly at higher temperatures, so a warm biscuit tastes spicier than a cold one.

Curator's note: Hold one in your hand for a minute before the first bite and brew the tea strong. If there is a good cheddar in the fridge, bring that out too. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Furniss Cornish Gingerbread with Dark Chocolate: ginger heat meets cocoa

Field	Detail
Brand	Furniss
Packs we stock	200g
Category	Chocolate Biscuits
Allergens (as published)	It contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya.
Dunkable	Only if it snaps cleanly, a few seconds
Best with	Strong black tea with milk, or a ginger chai
Try it with	A thin slice of mature cheddar