Biscuit tins, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Well if this isn’t one of my favourite categories of top-class British finery to discuss, I don’t know what else may be. Is there anything more satisfying than that signature metallic *thung* sound that comes from pulling the lid off a biscuit tin?! Even now as a fully-fledged adult, with children, and grandchildren, and all the trimmings, I’m still transported back to my childhood every time I hear it. The anticipation of knowing I was about to scoff some of my mum’s delicious homemade biscuits was almost too much to bear! (I’m going to include the recipe a little later, so keep reading if you love a good bake, or know someone who can do it for you!) Luckily for me, I stock a huge array of Emma Bridgewater tins, so I’m never short of the perfect piece to squirrel away my treasures, baked or otherwise. How do you use your biscuit tins?

Way #1: Biscuit tins are versatile

Biscuit tins have so many applications beyond biscuits. When you’ve exhausted every biscuit recipe you know, or you’re simply not the sweet snack type, you’ll not be short of options on how to use these beauties! For your reading pleasure, I’ve compiled a bit of a list of how else you might like to use your tins:

1. Storing seeds: either the kitchen kind or the garden kind
2. Storing sewing bits and bobs: needles, threads, scissors, fabric scraps etc.
3. Storing art bits and bobs: paintbrushes, paints, tools, etc.
4. High-end gifts: filled with cakes, cookies or other sweet or savoury treats
5. Collecting smaller objects: stamps, coins, figurines, etc.
6. As a serving tray (or set of serving trays if you have multiples in various sizes)
7. Storing cooking tools: piping bags, cookie cutters, etc
8. Storing small office supplies: pens, paper clips, post its
9. Storing precious keepsakes: photos, baby keepsakes, postcards, love letters!
10. Storing jewellery, or hair accessories

Some of these options may sound more appealing than others if you’re starting out with a brand new biscuit tin out of my store. For instance, chances are high that scratchy old nails and bolts might not be the best contents to keep your tins looking in good nick, but that’s not to say they wouldn’t make a fabulous receptacle.

*** Jane’s hot tip! If you’re wanting to create some separate spaces in your biscuit tin, simply cut up some cardboard to size and glue together to make sections!

Way #2: A good biscuit tin lasts a lifetime!

Not only are they super stylish, these quintessentially British pieces will last you years. Possibly even generations. I have some of my own earmarked to pass along to my grand children when they start to take an interest in baking for themselves.

Way #3: The clue is in the name… a biscuit tin is not plastic!

We live in an era of consciousness where all of us are little more aware about what we put into our bodies, and out into the environment. And while home-baked cookies (recipe incoming shortly) are one thing, nasty leaching chemicals are another. Likewise, overflowing landfills are not exactly a great prospect, which is where so many broken and disused storage containers tend to end up. Biscuit tins, however, can take a beating (not that you would, of course), and are completely airtight for whatever you fancy storing within.

Time to bake!

I’ve kept you waiting long enough. As a token of my appreciation for being a part of the Ruby’s Home Store universe, I’d love to give you a little treat. As I’ve been alluding to, these were one of my favourite things my mum used to make when I was growing up. It’s maybe a bit sentimental, but I have the recipe stuck in my book on a scrap of paper in my mum’s handwriting. So not only are the cookies yummy it is lovely to open see it there as a reminder of her.

                        Here is the recipe:

                        Mum’s Cornish Ginger Fairings

• 100g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 ½tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200˚
2. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan
3. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and add the melted mixture, stirring into a dough
4. Roll the dough into small balls and place on greased baking sheets
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown
6. Cool on a wire rack
7. Enjoy!

That’s about it from me for this instalment of the blog. I’d love to see how you use your biscuit tins, and how your Fairings turn out! Please reach out to me and let me know over the socials, or by email at: jane@rubyshomestore.com.au.

                        Lots of love

                        Jane x