Some of Britain’s most beloved biscuits include custard creams, Oreos, malted milks, and bourbons.
Another firm favourite? Humble Jammie Dodgers, of course.
The iconic sweet treat, first brought to the masses in 1960 by Burton’s Biscuit Company in Wales, is a type of linzer biscuit consisting of two thick shortbread rounds sandwiched with strawberry or raspberry-flavoured jam.
The humble biccy was the star of the show during a recent episode of BBC’s Inside The Factory - the behind-the-scenes programme highlighting how exactly how primary pantry items are made.
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Hosted by Paddy McGuinness and Cherry Healy, the instalment walked viewers through the Jammie Dodgers baking and assembly process, which takes place at the Fox's Burton's Company's Llantarnam factory in South Wales.
According to the Daily Record, the factory makes a jaw-dropping 4.4 billion biscuits each year, with 274 million featuring the iconic, love heart centre.
The latter, according to food historian Lizzie Collingham, was created to directly reference to the famous British nursery rhyme - The Queen of Hearts.
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“With a heart-shaped hole in the centre through which a red jam filling could be glimpsed, it was intended to recall the nursery rhyme when the Knave of Hearts stole the tarts the Queen had baked, ‘all on a summer’s day',” she claimed.
But the children’s song isn’t where the name ‘Jammie Dodgers’ comes from, as Inside The Factory viewers discovered.
During the show, fans were introduced to a brass roller, which creates 2,880 biscuit tops and bottoms every minute, as well as a conveyor oven that spans the length of eight double-decker buses.
After BBC watchers learned how their favourite dunkable was created, Rebecca Phillips, general manager at the factory, shared that the inspiration behind Jammie Dodgers name.
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She explained that it is actually named after The Beano comic star, Roger the Dodger.
One of the longest-running characters, Roger the Dodger is Beano’s original prankster, always trying to avoid doing chores with the help of his books.
“Just like our biscuits, Roger was said always to be jammy enough to get himself out of sticky situations,” reasoned Phillips.
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Despite being a grocery store staple for almost seven decades, people are only just realising that the biscuit is named after the beloved comic character.
“My fave comic and my fave biscuit are related - who'd have thought!,” commented one Redditor.
Another joked: “I always thought it was because they dodged the amount of jam they put on the biscuit. It's also something we would say and call someone as kids if a mate did something bad and got away with it, saying you jammie dodger, because they dodged getting caught.”
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“I could swear it was about mischief, so a Beano character makes sense I suppose! Love a JD,” replied someone else.
Scott Perry, marketing director at Fox's Burton's Companies, had the final say when it came to the moniker.
"We’ve loved seeing people discover the story behind our biscuits,” he remarked.
“Jammie Dodgers have always been about fun and mischief, so it feels only right that our name comes from one of the most iconic cheeky characters!”
Cheers, Rodger!
Topics: UK Food, TV and Film, Social Media
Ella Scott