Jammie Dodgers Cherry: The Deep, Sweet One

The cherry Jammie Dodger is defined by an absence: there is no sharpness in it at all. Without that edge the filling reads deep, round and sweet from first bite to last, which changes both the tea you pour and the time of day it suits.

Cherry, the British baking way

Cherry in a British biscuit rarely tastes like fruit picked off a tree. It belongs with the bakewell tart and the glacé cherries in a fruit cake: sweet, dark and a little confected, with a hint of almond that the mind supplies by association rather than any ingredient putting it there. This Dodger sits squarely in that tradition, which is why it feels like a treat rather than an everyday biscuit.

The window gives it away before you taste it. Through the heart the centre shows a deep red that verges on brown, clearly darker than the raspberry, and that colour is a fair warning of what follows. Around it the shortcake is unchanged across the range, soft and sandy; only the filling has been swapped.

What the label says

The published ingredient list names the filling as cherry flavour apple jam, at 27 per cent of the biscuit, built on glucose-fructose syrup, apples and sugar and coloured with anthocyanins. As in the raspberry original, the body of the jam is apple; cherries themselves are not listed, so the cherry note comes from flavourings. The shortcake is wheat flour, vegetable oils, sugar and partially inverted refiners syrup.

The allergen statement lists wheat (gluten) and sulphites, the sulphites arriving with the apples. The brand's suitable-for-vegans labelling is published for its raspberry packs rather than this one, so check the current box if that matters to you. Recipes do vary between flavours, and the pack in your hand is the one to trust.

A Dodger for a proper brew

With no sharpness in the filling to clash with tannin, cherry copes with a strong mug better than either raspberry or mango and passionfruit. Brew a breakfast blend for a good four minutes and add only a little milk. Avoid a weak, sugared cup: it piles more sweetness onto a biscuit that already has plenty and offers nothing to cut through it.

Keep the dunk to a second, if you dunk at all. Tea floods in through the heart-shaped hole, so the biscuit collapses from the middle outwards instead of at the rim. We think it suits the evening better than mid-morning: the finish is long and rounded, one is satisfying and a third starts to cloy, so make it a single biscuit with a late cup.

The packs we stock

• Jammie Dodgers Cherry Flavour Biscuits, 140g (barcode 072417338069)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Jammie Dodgers Cherry Flavour Biscuits, 140g says it contains wheat (gluten) and sulphites. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin), Cherry Flavour Apple Jam (27%) (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Apples (Sulphites), Sugar, Humectant (Glycerol), Flavourings, Acid (Citric Acid), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Colour (Anthocyanins), Gelling Agent (Pectin)), Vegetable Oils (Sustainable Palm, Rapeseed), Sugar, Partially Inverted Refiners Syrup, Raising Agents (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt, Flavourings.

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

• Yorkshire Tea Cherry Bakewell Brew, 40 Tea Bags 112g: Leans into the bakewell side of cherry, so the cup and the biscuit tell the same story.
• Barry's Tea Gold Blend, 80 Tea Bags 250g: A strong, brisk everyday blend that a filling with nothing sharp in it can happily stand beside.
• Yorkshire Tea Bedtime Brew, 40 Tea Bags 100g: A late-evening cup for the time of day we think this biscuit suits best.

Elsewhere in the Jammie Dodgers range

• Jammie Dodgers 16 Raspberry Flavour Biscuits Jumbo, 280g
• Jammie Dodgers Mango & Passionfruit Flavour Biscuits, 140g
• Jammie Dodgers Minis Cherry Flavour Multipack Biscuits, 6 x 20g
• Jammie Dodgers Minis Raspberry Flavour Biscuits 6 Snack Packs
• Jammie Dodgers Raspberry Flavour Biscuits, 140g
• Jammie Dodgers Strawberry Flavour Jam & Biscuit, 140g

The full range is on the Jammie Dodgers brand page.

FAQ

How is cherry different from raspberry Jammie Dodgers? Cherry is darker, rounder and sweeter, with none of the slight brightness raspberry has, so the sweetness runs right through the bite.

Where does the cherry flavour come from? The published ingredient list names the filling as cherry flavour apple jam. Cherries are not listed; the flavour comes from flavourings.

Why do cherry biscuits seem to taste of almond? Association. Cherry sits beside the bakewell tart in British baking, so the palate expects almond, but it is not on the ingredient list.

How strong should the tea be for cherry Jammie Dodgers? A strong breakfast blend with a little milk and no sugar. A cherry bakewell flavoured black tea makes a playful match too.

Can you dunk a cherry Jammie Dodger? Barely. A second is the limit before the centre gives way, so it is better eaten beside the cup.

Curator's note: One of these with a strong cup after supper is the right dose. Reach for a second and the cherry starts to taste like a sweet shop. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Jammie Dodgers Cherry: The Deep, Sweet One

More from the tea wiki

• Tea and Biscuits
• Biscuit Dunking Physics: The Real Science
• Tea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise
• Tea With Cake: The Pairing That Never Fails (If You Get It Right)
• Tea and Food Pairing: The Five Principles

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