A simple dessert made from Arnotts' Kingston biscuits and canned peaches has become a social media craze, with supermarkets reporting a sharp spike in demand as people eagerly try the delicacy.
The recipe, made by baking Kingston biscuits with a tin of canned peaches in the oven, had gone viral across social media platforms in Australia and New Zealand, with thousands of people sharing their own versions of the dish online.
Woolworths' Jamies Matthewson told Seven Sharp demand in supermarkets for the beloved Arnotts biscuits had surged almost overnight.
"We've seen a three-fold increase in this biscuit. It's more than tripled, it's quite amazing," he said.
Matthewson said viral food trends could quickly empty supermarket shelves, leaving retailers scrambling to find extra stock.
"First thing we do is work out how much stock we've got on the shop floor in all of our stores, and work how much stock we've got in the depot," he explained.
"We then have to try and backfill the depot with stock from the supplier, and that can be really tricky."
Auckland University marketing lecturer Shahper Ricter said viral trends could breathe new life into long-established brands, allowing them to capitalise on the sudden success.
"It's good for brands because Kingston biscuits have been around for yonks. The older generation probably know it, but the younger generation have no idea what Kingston biscuits are," she said.
"Trying to manufacture a viral trend never works. It falls from the sky as you say, and then they just have to run with it."
Ricter said taking part in the trend was just as important as the end result.
"It actually works quite well. If people like it, they made it, but if they don't they, it they still film it and post it, so win win."
How does it taste?
Seven Sharp's Mary-Jane Aggett set out to try the viral recipe alongside food writer Polly Markus.
The pair made the dessert by layering two packets of Kingston biscuits in a baking dish, topping them with a large tin of canned peaches before baking it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Markus described the recipe as "0.5 out of 10" for difficulty, saying it was simple to put together despite initially looking unassuming.
Once baked, the pair found the biscuit's chocolate cream filling had turned soft and gooey — to the delight of some, but not all.
"It's very sweet. You wouldn't be having much more than that," Markus said.
More fond of the dish, Aggett described it as "very yummy".
Not content with stopping there, the pair decided to take the recipe "a little rouge", swapping the peaches for canned plums and using Melting Moments biscuits instead of Kingstons.
And the final verdict?
"That's ones even better," Aggett said.
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