We've all gone crackers!

When I first started offshore racing, there always seemed to be couple of packets of Jacob's Cream Crackers on board which remained unopened, if not intact, on our return to port. Were they on board to ward off evil spirits or be thrown overboard as an offering to Neptune? Apparently, the idea was that crew, who were feeling a little green around the gills and couldn't face the prospect of a square meal, could sit in a dark corner and nibble on said crackers to quell their queasy stomachs. What's wrong with ginger nut biscuits then? Jacob's Cream Crackers remind me of those daft drinking games people play when they are teenagers e.g. who can eat the most JCCs in 2 minutes and stuff. So thumbs down for JCCs.

JCCs have been around for centuries and I was only thinking the other day, what has happened to TUC crackers? Well, Tony Turnbull writes in the Times:

"We chanced upon the ideal biscuit, one I hadn’t consciously eaten in 20 years. I didn’t know that they even still made TUC crackers, but those golden yellow, pin-pricked octagons turned out to be the original crowd pleaser — sweet enough not to be entirely savoury, but cheesy enough not to be sickly; not so crumbly as to splinter over the seats, but thick and dry enough to drain the saliva from your mouth and render you mute. Some say that they are named after the Trades Union Congress (a billboard providing the inspiration when the cracker was launched in the UK), others that it stands for The Unique Cracker..."
Source: The Times - April 22, 2010

So, TUC are still alive and kicking but not much in evidence on board.


Ritz crackers? Only seen them in the last couple of years as part of the canape selection (with Primula cheese spread - how 70s!) at the British Classic Yacht Regatta but what do you expect on wooden boats which have 'character' instead of modern galleys.

What has become the cracker of choice is Jacob's Savours. We can't get enough of them on Juno or dry land. Kate started the trend by buying the Sea Salt and Rosemary version and it's been a slippery slope since then - once the box is open, there is no going back until the last one is demolished! Jennifer describes the Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt "as addictive as heroin". Mind you, she says that about Tiger bread too. I too am hooked and have neglected my trusty Nairn oatcakes (rough or smooth milled) as of late in favour of a Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt thin with cream cheese and a slice of fresh cucumber but sometimes I can't wait long enough to put something on top. This is no hardship, as the crackers are just as delicious on their own.

This isn’t a definitive analysis of the most popular crackers on board boats and more research needs to be undertaken this summer.