Biscuits
Gregg Wallace reconnects with the McVitie鈥檚 factory in Harlesden, London, who sold an astonishing 12.5 million packets in just two months during the coronavirus crisis.
Gregg Wallace reconnects with the McVitie鈥檚 factory in Harlesden, north west London, which he visited back in 2017. The coronavirus crisis caused a huge spike in the nation's desire for sweet treats, and sales of the firm鈥檚 chocolate digestives rose by 71 per cent, meaning in just two months, they sold an astonishing 12.5 million packets.
Gregg looks back at his original visit to the factory, following the production of chocolate digestives from the arrival of 28 tonnes of flour right through to dispatch. Along the way, he discovers that the chocolate is added to the bottom not the top of the biscuits - so they are all being eaten the wrong way up!
Cherry Healey is on the trail of the chocolate, the most expensive ingredient at around 拢2,000 per tonne, and historian Ruth Goodman investigates the link between biscuits and digestion.
Gregg speaks to manager Nina Sparks via video call. Nina reassures him that all the ingredients for the biscuits are still getting through, including the flour which has been missing from many of our supermarket shelves due to a packaging shortage.
Gregg also catches up with manufacturing manager Fraser Jones to find out what challenges he has been facing at this normally straightforward, final stage. Gregg learns that there have been problems with the supply of cardboard for the boxes, which are vital to protect the fragile biscuits during delivery.
Gregg catches up with Nina one last time to learn of yet another challenge for her team, this time at dispatch. The whole supply chain works on a tight timetable with lorries leaving with full loads and empty ones returning from the supermarkets to collect more biscuits. This was put into flux as trucks were held at huge queues at the supermarkets, and the factory鈥檚 dispatch yard was rammed with others awaiting their new load. Thanks to the dedicated work of the truck drivers and the organisational skills of Nina and her team, the lorries and therefore the biscuit supply chain has kept moving.
Finally, Gregg says a last goodbye to Nina, thanking her on behalf of 'all the biscuit nibblers of this nation'!
Last on
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:02Raury
Crystal Express
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00:02Neiked & Dyo
Sexual
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00:03Little Mix
Competition
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00:08The Vamps
Last Night
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00:10The Mock Turtles, Fatboy Slim
Can You Dig
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00:11Goldfrapp
Slide In
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00:13The xx
A Violent Noise
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00:14Allman Brown
Ancient Light
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00:15The 1975
Intro / Set3
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00:16Imagine Dragons
On Top Of The World
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00:17Jack Garratt
Worry
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00:22Agnes Obel
Aventine
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00:26The 1975
Chocolate
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00:27Tomoyasu Hotei
Battle Without Honor Or Humanity
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00:271975
Chocolate
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00:28Yuna
Rescue
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00:29The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Unsquare Dance
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00:29The Ravens
Ol' Man River
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00:37Shura
Touch
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00:39Tiny Tim
Tip Toe Thru The Tulips With Me
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00:41Professor Green
One Eye On The Door
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00:45Saint Raymond
Young Blood
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00:48Bloc Party
Better Than Heaven
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00:52Pretenders
Holy Commotion
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00:49Coldplay
A Head Full Of Dreams
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00:52Eliza and the Bear
Talk
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00:53Hot Chocolate
Every 1's a Winner
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00:54Laura Doggett
Into The Glass
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00:58Kygo
Fiction (feat. Tom Odell)
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Gregg Wallace |
| Presenter | Cherry Healey |
| Presenter | Ruth Goodman |
| Executive Producer | Lucy Carter |
| Series Producer | Nicola Lafferty |
| Director | Gavin Ahern |
| Production Company | Voltage TV |
| Executive Producer | Sanjay Singhal |
Learn more about the history of the factory and how it has evolved with an interactive from The Open University.
The fascinating stories behind the production of some of our favourite products.