Welcome board, Ipswich Biscuit Gala (2019). Photo by Louis Simpson.
THE IPSWICH BISCUIT
(2019)
Food • Community • Heritage • Place
In 2019, Pacitti Company launched a competition, asking local people to imagine the town having its own namesake biscuit. This competition - about place, taste and memory - sparked the creative imaginations of all sorts of folk who are proud to call the Ipswich region home. Along with their recipes, entrants were also asked to share the stories behind their Ipswich biscuits.
The invitation to take part was shared widely in the months leading up to the competition. The BBC and local newspapers supported the project, which increased reach to people who otherwise might not see the callout. Project ambassadors helped spread the word - sometimes dressed in biscuit costumes - and targeted work was undertaken to invite people through community groups, the Job Centre, the Council, parenting networks, local businesses, pubs, sports groups, the local speedway club, Ipswich Buses, faith groups, youth groups and social clubs:
‘Imagine the town having its own namesake biscuit - something delicious with the word 'Ipswich' stamped, or pricked, or marked on it - an edible ambassador for the town. Get creative and think about Ipswich. Dream up an original recipe then make and bake your very own biscuits. Be sure to write down your recipe and take a photograph of your cooked biscuits. Your biscuit could be based on your favourite flavours, just because you like them. Maybe you’ll use an ingredient that reminds you of someone or somewhere you love. Or perhaps you have something growing in a window box or garden that you think could feature. Whatever it is, be sure to share that story with us when you send your entry in. Even if it’s simply that you LOVE chocolate! The winner will be announced in December at an Ipswich Biscuit Gala and the packaged Ipswich Biscuit launched at SPILL Festival.’
RESEARCH
During research and development of the Ipswich Biscuit project, Think Tank Associate, Professor Martin Jones taught us that biscuits are as old as journeys and bound up with representing locations. Early biscuits carried by travellers often had place names imprinted on them. So marking this new biscuit with the word 'Ipswich' could show the world who we are and where we are from.
County town of Suffolk, Ipswich is home to around 137,000 people. Once an extremely significant English port, the town has a long history of becoming home to migrants and settlers from around the world, all adding to a rich cultural mix. Issues many people care about locally are also commonplace around the country: a need to support more businesses, especially independents, improving housing, health, education, transport infrastructure and prioritising jobs. Ipswich can feel a bit down on its luck and there are definitely serious issues to attend to, including crime, although Suffolk is still a relatively low crime county. So the town is a place of mixed fortunes, meaning considerations around place, nutritional health and wellbeing are serious. Certainly it takes much more than a biscuit to solve the issues of the town. But projects such as the Ipswich Biscuit afford good opportunities to come together meaningfully, to display some pride in who we are, where we live and what we want.
Professor Jones noted three key areas to investigate, which became core to shared public research:
Ingredients - thinking through what Ipswich is (an historic port, a market town), with whom it is or has been in contact, by trade or other means, and what ingredients might reflect that;
Technologies - the processes by which biscuits have been marked with names and places across centuries, and what might best suit now;
Content - the choice of what images and text to impress on the biscuit - when manufactured, but also afterwards, when packaged.
A dedicated Ipswich Biscuit website and free public talks held at the Think Tank were accompanied by other activities and resources: students at local sixth forms, colleges and Suffolk University took part in dedicated marketing, advertising and packaging contests.
A free resource kit, Biscuits, Bakes and History - An Information Pack, containing a wealth of biscuit facts and contributions by Professor Jones, was distributed widely. Meanwhile, History and Bakes - A Resource Pack for Schools provided teachers with materials to explore the project through the lenses of history, art, and food technology.
SHORTLISTING
Once the competition began, the focus shifted to making sure the winning biscuit truly represented the town. People from across the community were invited to become Ipswich Biscuit judges and to act as project ambassadors within their own communities.
Judges included:
Alice Thomas - youth representative
Anna Matthews - Ex La Tour Cycle Café
Cathy Frost - independent shopkeeper
Charlotte Smith Jarvis - food editor, Archant
Cherise Phillips - singer
Clinton Chisholm - youth representative
Ezra Hewing - Suffolk Mind
Glen Chisholm - Councillor, former Mayor
Ion Andone - Pretzie Bakery
Isaac Codjoe - Suffolk Youth Parliament
Jan Parry - councillor, Mayor of Ipswich
Justin Rumbsy - artist
Kirsty Tallent - artist
Leo Thomas - youth representative
Lydia Tse - Suffolk Chinese Association
PC Woodmancy - Suffolk Constabulary
Professor Martin Jones - author and educator
Rev. Cat Conolly - Anglican Minister
Saskia Stent - Ipswich Museum
Scarlett Lightfoot - youth representative
Selena Andone - Pretzie Bakery
Su Ling - owner of Green Room Cafe
Teresa Marrable - Ipswich Oddfellows.
Over two days in November, two separate panels made up of these community judges independently tasted and debated biscuits from a long list that Robert and team had chosen. From fennel seeds to turnips, parsnips to lavender, Ipswich went all out for flavour. The biscuits were all baked professionally and tasted anonymously to keep the judging fair. Taking into account the accompanying stories behind each bake, ten finalists were then selected to move on to the next stage of the competition - the public vote.
FINALIST RECIPE #8
This recipe, for a rum, lime, oat and coconut biscuit, created by Loren Blackett and Charlie Price, was one of the ten shortlisted finalists. Following public voting by hundreds of people, this oats, lime and rum biscuit came a very close second and lost out on becoming the Ipswich Biscuit by just three votes.
‘Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Add together rolled oats, flour, coconut, baking soda, salt and lime zest and mix well. Add butter, brown sugar and mix until creamy. Add golden syrup and rum flavouring to the butter and sugar. Add dry ingredients and mix until crumbly. Add soy milk and mix until you can make a ball with your hands. Place tablespoon-sized or smaller balls onto a tray lined with baking paper and cook for 10–15 mins, or until golden.
‘This biscuit is a fun new discovery for us, much like the town of Ipswich for many people that visit, and also the people that live here. There is a lot going on and so many places to discover new things. From the vastly mixed cultural community and lively nightlife, to quirky shops and restaurants hidden in alleyways, each bite of this biscuit has something different to offer.
Many of the key ingredients that build this biscuit link it to the Anglo-Saxon history that Ipswich carries. If we'd only had some mead for good measure! The lime and rum we added link it to the Bajan heritage that is close to us and to Ipswich, as my grandparents and many before them found their home in here. Barbados has a huge variety of foods, and much like Ipswich is growing, and developing more foods to vegans and intolerances, it's about time there was a biscuit that combined them all. We think this might well be it.’
- Loren Blackett and Charlie Price
THE IPSWICH BISCUIT GALA
At the Ipswich Biscuit Gala, held in Ipswich Town Hall at the end of 2019, the ten finalist recipes were represented on large display boards by their ingredients and corresponding stories. Each biscuit was professionally made in bulk, so that the hundreds of local people who attended across the afternoon were able to taste and then vote for their favourite.
The voting was followed by the Gala itself, which was officially opened by four-year-old Cairo, son of singer Cherise Phillips who then performed a set of songs. Professor Martin Jones presented a talk on the history of biscuits and a series of biscuit-themed games kept the crowd amused. A successful Guinness World Record was officially recognised when audience member Lee Brade managed to eat eight custard creams in a minute, before proclaiming, "I think I've got the biscuit sweats".
THE WINNING BAKE
Just 15 years old at the time of the Gala, talented Ipswich-based home cook Eleanor Tadesse was crowned the winner of the Ipswich Biscuit competition by public vote, for her delicious lemon shortbread. People liked its sweetness, its strong lemon flavour and its soft texture. The recipe had been passed down through Eleanor's family from her grandmother Edith. It uses lemons (Edith's favourite) as these were not available in Ipswich during the Second World War, so they were a treat. It also uses real butter, as Edith was forced to bake with margarine during rationing. So not only does this biscuit represent Ipswich's families and our shared past, it also reminds us to be grateful for the simple things, which we often take for granted.
THE BISCUIT ON SALE
Following the Gala, Sarah Hayward Cox, of Midweek Kitchen, helped Robert and team to develop Eleanor's winning recipe from something home-cooked, into a product that could be enjoyed by many. Sarah brought in exceptional suppliers and all the ingredients used in the Ipswich Biscuit were ethically sourced, local to the county and represented the best that Suffolk has to offer.
In October 2021, on the opening night of SPILL Festival, the Ipswich Biscuit was publicly launched and then available to buy at a range of local cafes across the town. From a lump of hand-held dough and some thinking about what belonging might mean, to a delicious treat tried by many, the Ipswich Biscuit was born.
Ipswich Biscuit community judges (2019) photo by Andy B
Ipswich Biscuit community judges (2019) photo by Andy B
Ipswich Biscuit Gala welcome board (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Prof. Martin Jones, Ipswich Biscuit Gala (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Finalist Recipe #8 (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Parsnip finalist (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Carrot finalist (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Cairo opens the Gala (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Cherise Phillips sings (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Lee Brade (centre) breaks a world record, alongside Karl Forsdike and David Wright (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
Councillor Jan Parry, Mayor of Ipswich, presents Eleanor Tadesse with a certificate for winning the Ipswich Biscuit Competition, along with a £100 cash prize (2019), photo by Louis Simpson
The winning Ipswich Biscuit (2021)
DOCUMENTS
Ipswich Biscuit leaflet - given out with each biscuit sold
Biscuits, Bakes and History - An information pack
History and Bakes - A resource pack for schools
CREDITS
Date: 2019 - 2021
Duration: 6 months
Place: Ipswich, Suffolk
Concept, direction: Robert Pacitti
Research: Professor Martin Jones, Robert Pacitti
Development kitchen expert: Sarah Hayward Cox
Producer: Pacitti Company
Funding: Pacitti Company core funding, supported by Arts Council England, Ipswich Borough Council, and earned income.
Special thanks to: everyone who took part, shared time, stories and recipes.