My friend Brian Arnott, no relation, used to work in the Arnott's factory, and has never heard of the port sucking trick. He fell about at the suggestion. I have tested them for porosity, sucking air, and I think I prefer the chocolate around Penguins, or better still, plain chocolate rich teas. Tim Tams are a bit too fatty in the covering area, wrong texture.

Thanks for the the grits information - I have seen a packet somewhere near here, but wasn't quite curious enough to buy. It sounds like polenta. I'll see if I can find it again. Top shelf, near the Camargue rice, I think it was.

As to the good ol' boys reaction to oven scones, if they had grown up calling them that, they would have the strong reaction to calling them biscuits, wouldn't they? But the packet ones sound dire - and almost timewasting. How long can it take to mix up and roll out a soda dough?