Hosts comparing sugar labels
If you want to keep a recognisable bourbon-style biscuit on the Christmas table, sugars per 100g gives you a like-for-like starting point. Check the per-biscuit figure as well when planning how many to set out.
Who is choosing the biscuits?
Hosts checking guests’ allergens
A guest avoiding milk or cereals containing gluten may need a specifically labelled free-from biscuit rather than a standard bourbon cream. Check the physical pack for its full ingredient and allergen information before serving.
Hosts filling a sharing bowl
If pack size matters more than choosing the lowest listed sugar figure, compare the number of biscuits or stated servings alongside the nutrition label. Standard bourbon-cream packs and smaller free-from packs serve different planning needs.
What should you compare?
Start with the nutrition figures on the same per-100g basis, then check the pack and allergen details that matter for your guests.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Listed sugars | Compare sugars per 100g before per-biscuit figures. ASDA lists 18g for Free From Bourbon Biscuits and 27g for its standard pack; Tesco lists 25.2g for Bourbon Creams. | I want a bourbon-style option with a lower listed sugar figure, without assuming that “free from” means the same thing as a reduced-sugar claim. |
| Allergens | Read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement. ASDA labels its Free From Bourbon Biscuits free from milk and cereals containing gluten; its standard Bourbon Biscuits contain wheat. | Some guests avoid particular ingredients, so I need to check the exact biscuit I will serve rather than rely on the name or a retailer listing. |
| Pack size | Check the pack weight and stated servings. ASDA lists 160g for its Free From pack and 300g for its standard pack; Tesco Bourbon Creams are listed at 296g. | For a larger buffet, I need to work out how many packs to put out, not assume that similarly named biscuits come in similarly sized packs. |
| Other label figures | Compare saturated fat and other nutrition values separately from sugar. ASDA Free From Bourbon Biscuits list 10g saturated fat per 100g alongside 18g sugars per 100g. | A lower sugar figure is useful to me, but I do not want to treat it as a judgement about every part of the biscuit’s nutrition label. |
What can be easy to overlook?
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Treating “free from” as a general nutrition claim
ASDA’s Free From Bourbon Biscuits list less sugar per 100g than its standard Bourbon Biscuits, but they also list 10g saturated fat per 100g. The allergen exclusions and the sugar figure answer different questions.
Check the sugars, saturated fat and allergen declaration separately, using the same per-100g basis when comparing nutrition figures.
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Comparing only sugar per biscuit
A per-biscuit figure helps with serving plans, but biscuits of different sizes are not directly comparable on that basis alone.
Use sugars per 100g to compare products, then read the per-biscuit figure for the pack you intend to serve.
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Serving from memory rather than the packet
A bourbon-style biscuit labelled for particular allergen exclusions is not necessarily suitable for a guest avoiding another ingredient.
Check each physical pack before serving and keep its ingredient and allergen information available to guests.
Which brand ranges are relevant?
ASDA
ASDA lists both standard Bourbon Biscuits and a separate Free From bourbon-style pack.
- The Free From pack is labelled free from milk and cereals containing gluten and lists 18g sugars per 100g.
- The standard pack lists 27g sugars per 100g; the Free From pack still lists 10g saturated fat per 100g.
Tesco
Tesco Bourbon Creams are a 296g standard sharing pack labelled suitable for vegans.
- Tesco lists 25.2g sugars per 100g and 3.5g per biscuit.
- A vegan label does not answer whether the biscuit suits guests avoiding wheat or other allergens; check the pack.
Waitrose
Waitrose Essential Bourbon Creams come in a 400g pack for a larger sharing bowl.
- The larger listed pack size may simplify planning for a gathering.
- Waitrose lists 27.8g sugars per 100g, so compare the nutrition label if reducing the listed sugar figure is your priority.
M&S
M&S lists Giant Bourbon Biscuits for dessert uses and separate Extra Cream Bourbon Creams.
- M&S describes the Giant Bourbon Biscuits as suitable for filling with ice cream; they list 24.7g sugars per 100g.
- Extra Cream Bourbon Creams list 36.7g sugars and 15.1g saturated fat per 100g. The Giant Bourbon Biscuits contain milk.
McVitie's
McVitie's Tasties Bourbon Creams are listed on Joybuy as a 300g conventional bourbon-cream pack.
- The stated 300g format gives hosts a pack weight to use when planning a sharing bowl.
- Check the pack’s nutrition table before comparing its sugar figure with the other biscuits discussed here.
Joybuy sandwich-biscuit alternatives
These Joybuy options are cookies-and-cream or sandwich biscuits for a party, rather than bourbon creams. If the bourbon flavour is central to your choice, compare bourbon-labelled packs instead.
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Gullon Zero No Added Sugar Cookies and Cream 210g
A 210g cookies-and-cream alternative when you are considering a sandwich biscuit rather than a traditional bourbon. Check the pack for wheat, soya, possible milk and its sweetener warning before serving guests.
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Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies 97g
A 97g sandwich-cookie option rather than a bourbon cream; check how many packs your gathering needs. Read the packet for wheat and soya allergens and any sweetener warning.
Questions about serving bourbon biscuits
Does a lower sugar figure make a bourbon biscuit a “reduced sugar” product?
No: comparing two nutrition labels does not establish a manufacturer’s reduced-sugar claim. ASDA lists 18g sugars per 100g for its Free From Bourbon Biscuits and 27g for its standard Bourbon Biscuits; use those figures to compare the packs without treating the Free From name as a sugar claim.
Does “free from” settle the choice for every guest?
No. ASDA labels its Free From Bourbon Biscuits free from milk and cereals containing gluten, but those exclusions do not describe every ingredient or nutrition value. Check the full pack label against each guest’s requirements; the product also lists 10g saturated fat per 100g.
How can I plan portions for a Christmas buffet?
Use the chosen pack’s stated servings and per-biscuit nutrition figures to decide how many biscuits to put out. Pack sizes differ: ASDA lists 160g for its Free From Bourbon Biscuits and 300g for its standard Bourbon Biscuits, so one pack of each will not fill a bowl in the same way.
Do school-food standards apply to a private Christmas party?
No. Department for Education school-food guidance concerns food supplied in state-funded schools in England, not food served at a private household party. It does not, by itself, establish an HFSS classification for an individual bourbon biscuit.
What should I check before serving guests with food allergies?
Check the physical pack’s current ingredients and allergen statement before serving. A biscuit labelled free from milk and cereals containing gluten answers those particular questions, but guests may need information about other ingredients too; keep the packet available at the buffet.