General Chat

A wrangle lasting almost 20 years over the exact legal status of a Snowball was settled by a judge and a tax expert sitting down to a plate of cakes.

Their decision went in favour of the two bakeries claim that their Snowballs should be classed as cakes, and as such should not be subject to VAT.

It will cost HMRC who had classed it as a sweet and as such was subject to VAT, more than £2.8million to refund the taxes already paid by the two firms.

The judgement means Lees can claim back £2,057,497 in VAT from HMRC, while Tunnocks can claim back £805,956.

I just love it when the tax man gets his fingers smacked :-D

Yes, but was it not the customer`s monies that paid the VAT.
So are the customers whose money actually paid the VAT to get any refund? Of course not .
Nice windfall with no outlay for the two firms though. :-D

Good point Budgie Rustler - it also raises the question as to whether the price of one on my favourites will now be reduced by 20% ;-)

Don't count on it...but it ought to. :-D :-D :-D

Tunnoch's

I had lovely memories of Tunnoch's caramel wafers......... loved them when I was a child in Scotland..... but rarely had them.

Went back to Scotland when I was 38........... one of my first purchases was a caramel wafer, and I didn't like it! :-(

I didn't like Scotch pies either.

Scozz My best girl friend is a Scot and absolutely loves them. I always buy them for her as treat when I see them. She also loves something called Tablet, have you heard of that? :-D


My cookery teacher always said (Many moons ago)

The difference between a cake and a biscuit is if there are left for a few day. :-

The biscuit will go soft.
The cake will go hard.

It never happened in our house they were all eaten up pronto


:-D

TUNNOCK'S TEACAKES,NON SNOWBALL KIND
LAST ABOUT 30 SECONDS IN OUR HOUSE.

Had a pack in the week

And today bought 2 x six packs.

Love Tunnocks Tea Cakes

I do not care what they are, they are just scrumptious :-D

Paula+ I used to love it when my Mum made tablet, she tested to see if it was ready to pour into trays by placing small spoonfuls on a saucer - I always got to taste what was placed on the saucer :-)

Try it - Scottish Tablet;-

1 teacup of milk
Large tin of condensed milk (around 400g size)
2lb of sugar
4oz of butter
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1. Melt the butter and sugar.
2. Add the condensed milk, the teacup of milk, and the vanilla essence.
3. Stir and turn up the heat and keep stirring until it reaches boiling point.
4. Turn the heat down low and stir for about 45 minutes
5. Remove from the heat and beat well with a wooden spoon for about a 60/90 seconds.
6 Put a few drops on a saucer and if it sets then it's ready to be poured into shallow baking trays.
7. Score the surface into squares and allow to set.
8. Break off a square, place in mouth and enjoy, then have another square :-D

Warning - this is a recipe that involves boiling sugar with liquids, sugar boils at a higher temperature than water, so be careful not to get any splashes on your skin as they will stick to the skin and cause nasty burns :-(

LadyScozz - the only thing that I think that can improve on a Scotch Pie with chips and beans is, two Scotch Pies with chips and beans - scrumptious :-D

DazedConfused is it possible you have a sweet tooth :-D

DIZZI :-D

OFiTG. I think you have a sweet tooth too.

Paula+ I used to have, but my diabetes put a stop to that, and as the years have passed my dentist has left me with no teeth :-D :-D :-D

I find tablet far, far too sweet and sickly. It is also very rich and I daren't think of the calories in just a small piece.

I don't like Scotch pies either, but I do buy Tunnock's tea cakes and sometimes caramel wafers. OH likes them.

Something else I like, which is now beginning to find its way south, is Border biscuits. They make a lovely chocolate coated ginger variety.

OFiTG .... My OH is borderline diabetic so we are very careful with our sugar intake, he does still have a sweet tooth though., so I am like the sweetie police. :-D

What about Jaffa cakes? Are they cakes or biscuits? :-S

At a VAT tribunal in 1991the court found in favour of McVities, meaning that VAT is not paid on Jaffa Cakes in the United Kingdom.

Graham If they are left, do Jaffa cakes go soft or hard? :-S

Mmmmmmm. love teacakes and snowballs.

Just like to bite the head of them off, and then scoop out the fluff with my finger. It tastes better that way!

:-D :-D :-D

I don't know Paula. I've never left any. :-S