Jam and curd maker, R&W Scott produced the biscuit, which is 36 inches in diameter and weighs an incredible 18 kilos, in Carluke at an event marking the countdown to this year’s Jam and Ham Festival, which has been held annually in the town for the last four years.
Bakers Brian Clark(L) and Jonathan Lightbody carry the massive biscuit. Picture: PA
True to R&W Scott’s traditional cooking methods, the biscuit was crafted by Clarks the Baker, with Brian Clark and his team taking 24 hours to create the massive biscuit using a time-honoured Scottish recipe, with the finished product smothered with R&W Scott’s popular strawberry jam and icing.
Lana Irvine (6), baker Brian Clark, Jamie Gordon (10),Joseph Irvine (8) and baker Jonathan Lightbody with the biscuit. Picture: PA
All in all more than 8 bags of flour and 3 bags of sugar,16 blocks of butter, 10 jars of R&W Scott Raspberry Jam, 50 eggs and 2kg of R&W Scott Fondant Icing were used by the baking team.
Master baker Bryan Clark said: "We make a lot of empire biscuits but none that size.
"It was easier (to make) than expected, there are always some problems with it cracking and stuff like that, so we made some extra just in case.
"But it was actually easier than we thought - we could've done it bigger. We're very happy with it."
Three pupils from the nearby St Athanasius Primary School, Jamie Gordon, 10, Joseph Irvine, 8, and Lana Irvine, 6, were asked to take part in the unveiling, helping to show the scale of the biscuit by posing alongside it and adding the finishing touches with some maraschino cherries.
Joseph described it as looking "delicious" and thought it would take 10 people to eat it, although he claims he could do it just himself.
He added: "I could probably put three or four rulers on it."
The well-known bakery favourite, which is hugely popular in Scotland, was thought to originally have been known as a 'Deutsch Biscuit', but following the outbreak of World War I, it was renamed as an Empire biscuit in England and Scotland, while in Northern Ireland it is still referred to as a German Biscuit.
John Easton, managing director of R&W Scott, said: “We’ve been supporting Carluke’s Jam and Ham Festival for the last four years but this year we wanted to do something really special to draw the crowds to our wee town. This creation demonstrates the amazing talent and tastes coming out of Carluke. It’s a masterpiece and we’re delighted with the results!”
The world’s unofficial largest empire biscuit will be put on display at the Jam and Ham Festival, which takes place on Saturday 30th September, with mini versions of the biscuit available for kids to taste.
