Choose a plain digestive if you want a wheatmeal-style biscuit; choose bourbon creams if you prefer a chocolate-flavoured sandwich biscuit. For either option, compare the portion you plan to carry and check the exact pack for ingredients and allergens. Biscuits should sit alongside food, drink and any emergency snacks needed for the walk, particularly in winter conditions.
Biscuits are straightforward to portion and carry if kept dry and protected from crushing. For winter hill days, Mountaineering Scotland advises taking food and drink as well as emergency snacks; a packet of biscuits is only one part of that plan.
A plain digestive and a bourbon cream offer different flavours and formats. Compare their per-biscuit labels if sugars, saturated fat or the number you intend to pack affects your choice.
Standard biscuit recipes and free-from versions are not interchangeable. Read the current pack’s ingredients, allergen warnings and suitability statements rather than relying on the word “digestive” or “bourbon”.
Start with the biscuit style you would eat on the walk, then check the portion, label and packing needs against your route.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit style | Compare a plain wheatmeal-style digestive with a chocolate-flavoured bourbon cream. Check coated and free-from versions as separate recipes. | I would choose a plain biscuit for a simpler flavour; if I want a cream-filled chocolate flavour, I would look at bourbons instead. |
| Portion and nutrition | Read energy, sugars and saturates per biscuit, then consider how many you will pack or eat. Tesco Groceries lists its Bourbon Creams at 68 kcal, 3.5 g sugars and 1.7 g saturates per biscuit; Sainsbury’s lists its Bourbon at 63 kcal, 3.4 g sugars and 1.3 g saturates per biscuit. | The number of biscuits I carry matters more to my planned portion than a comparison based on just one biscuit. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check emphasised allergens, may-contain warnings and any free-from claim on the exact pack. Sainsbury’s labels its separate Free From Bourbon Creams gluten free and milk free. | If I need to avoid gluten or milk, I would check a specifically labelled product rather than assume an ordinary bourbon or digestive meets that requirement. |
| Food for the route | Keep biscuits dry and protected from crushing. Plan other food, drink and emergency snacks for the conditions; Mountaineering Scotland specifically advises emergency snacks for winter hill days. | On a longer or colder walk, I would pack biscuits as an accessible snack, not as my entire food provision. |
| Recipe variant | Read the label of the version you are buying rather than transferring figures or suitability claims between plain, reduced-sugar, chocolate-coated and free-from biscuits. Waitrose & Partners lists McVitie’s Digestives The Light One at 1.30 g sugars and 0.40 g saturates per biscuit. | If a particular ingredient or label figure matters to me, I would compare the actual variant going into my rucksack. |
Plain, coated and free-from recipes can differ, as can the number of biscuits in a pack. The product name alone does not tell you the nutrition of the portion you will eat.
Compare the current label per biscuit and per 100 g, then consider the quantity you intend to carry.
A suitability statement for a dietary preference does not replace the ingredients and allergen information needed for gluten, milk or other food avoidance.
Read the exact pack’s ingredients, emphasised allergens and may-contain warnings. Check a free-from product against your specific requirements.
For winter hill days, Mountaineering Scotland advises carrying food and drink that suit the conditions, with emergency snacks in reserve.
Use biscuits as one accessible snack and plan the rest of your provisions around the route and conditions.
These examples show why the precise recipe matters; a range name does not establish the label details of every variant.
McVitie’s offers The Original Digestives and a separate reduced-sugar Digestives The Light One variant.
Tesco Bourbon Creams are a standard chocolate-flavoured sandwich-biscuit example.
Sainsbury’s lists both a standard Bourbon biscuit and a separate Free From Bourbon Creams product.
The Essential range includes both digestive biscuits and bourbon creams.
These digestive options cover plain, sugar-free, gluten-free and dark-chocolate variants for the hiking-snack decision. The chocolate-coated version is a different choice from a plain digestive or a bourbon cream.
No image available
A plain digestive option if you prefer that style to a cream-filled bourbon. Check the current pack’s wheat and other allergen information before taking it on a walk.
No image available
A sugar-free-labelled digestive variant for comparing with standard recipes. Check the current ingredients and allergen warnings, including any information about sweeteners, rather than assuming it has the same recipe as a plain digestive.
No image available
A gluten-free-labelled digestive to check if ordinary wheat-based biscuits do not fit your requirements. Read the current pack for the full ingredients, allergen warnings and suitability information.
No image available
A dark-chocolate digestive rather than a plain biscuit or cream-filled bourbon. Compare its own nutrition and allergen label with the other recipes before deciding how many to pack.
Pack plain digestives if you prefer a wheatmeal-style biscuit, or bourbon creams if you want a chocolate-flavoured sandwich biscuit. Neither choice replaces planning food and drink for the route; compare the exact packs if portion figures or allergens matter to you.
Use the current pack’s per-biscuit information to plan the portion you intend to eat alongside your other provisions. Route duration and conditions matter too: Mountaineering Scotland advises taking food, drink and emergency snacks for winter hill days.
No; do not assume an ordinary bourbon or digestive is gluten free. Sainsbury’s separately labels its Free From Bourbon Creams gluten free and suitable for coeliacs, but check the current physical pack and its full allergen information for your requirements.
Keep them dry and protect them from crushing in your rucksack. Follow the chosen pack’s storage instructions, particularly after opening.
No. Department for Education school-food guidance applies to England’s school-food provision, not an individual’s hiking snacks. The department says updated standards will become mandatory for schools in England from September 2027; anyone buying for a school should check the applicable standards separately.