La Sablésienne Bergamot Tea Shortbread Cookies 100g

Butter leads these French sablés, and it has room to: the maker lists it at 22.2% of the recipe. Wheat flour and eggs give the biscuit its familiar shortbread character, while bergamot tea and bergamot flavour bring a bright, floral citrus note. A crisp, scalloped edge gives a neat first bite; the centre breaks into a tender, buttery crumble. It feels comforting at first, then a little more interesting as the bergamot lingers. There is enough richness for a shortbread lover, while the citrus keeps the next biscuit as inviting as the first. The flavour is inspired by Earl Grey, though the maker calls this its bergamot tea recipe. Expect a tea accent, not a tea bag disguised as dessert. La Sablésienne bakes its sablés on metal plates and lifts them by hand. The 100 g decorative box is small enough for a personal tea break and smart enough to give away. You may change your mind about giving it away.

• For the matching cup: Brew Dammann Frères Earl Grey Yin Zhen Tea Bags. Its bergamot note picks up the biscuit's citrus perfume. Bring out this pairing for an unhurried afternoon with friends, or keep it as a quiet reward after lunch.
• For a fruity contrast: Try Dammann Frères Four Fruits Rouges Tea Bags. The berry aroma gives the buttery crumb a brighter companion, especially if you prefer a fruitier cup with your sweets.
• For an easy dessert: Put a few sablés beside fresh berries or poached fruit, with whipped cream. They also make a charming little gift with a box of tea. Serving ideas and paired products are sold separately.

The number 1670 on this box is a story, not the biscuiterie's founding year. It recalls the Marquise de Sablé, credited with bringing little butter biscuits to the court of the Grand Condé. Sablé-sur-Sarthe later gave the biscuit its name, and La Sablésienne was established there in 1962. The house keeps that local connection through its butter-rich recipes and ingredients sourced largely from western France. The bergamot tea version gives the old courtly biscuit a modern afternoon-tea twist. It is a useful dinner-table fact to share while passing the box around, though nobody has to wait for the history lesson before taking another.

Ingredients and allergens: Wheat flour, butter (milk, 22.2%), sugar, water, bergamot flavour, bergamot tea, eggs, salt, skimmed milk powder, and sodium bicarbonate. Contains wheat/gluten, milk, and egg. Facility also uses sesame, soy, and tree nuts. Check the pack for allergies.

Store at ambient temperature, protected from heat, direct sun, and moisture. Keep the box closed between servings so the biscuits retain their crisp texture.