Who is this for?

Hosts accommodating a guest with coeliac disease

Choose an explicitly gluten-free product, ask whether gluten-free oats are suitable for the guest, and keep its serving dish clear of ordinary biscuit crumbs. Coeliac UK advises taking care to avoid cross-contamination.

Hosts with mixed dietary requirements

A gluten-free label does not settle questions about milk, soya, eggs or nuts. Check the exact recipe and precautionary statements for everyone you are serving.

Hosts putting snacks around the game table

Chocolate-chip biscuits in small pouches, coated biscuits and cookies offer different ways to serve the group. Choose the format you can put out without mixing it with gluten-containing snacks.

What should you check?

Settle the dietary requirements before choosing between chocolate styles or planning how many packs to serve.

PriorityWhat to checkYour needs
Gluten-free claim Check the current pack for a product-specific gluten-free claim and read its ingredients and precautionary information. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold. I need a biscuit suitable for a guest avoiding gluten, rather than relying on a familiar brand name.
Oats and other ingredients Check for gluten-free oats and ask whether the guest can eat them. Read the milk, soya, egg and nut information for any additional restrictions; Coeliac UK notes that some people with coeliac disease react to gluten-free oats. An oat biscuit may work for one guest but not another. I also need to account for any other ingredients my guests avoid.
Chocolate style and serving Compare the stated formats: small pouches, chocolate-topped oat biscuits, coated digestives and cookies. Use a separate clean dish for gluten-free biscuits. I want guests to be able to pick up a snack during play without sharing a crumb-covered bowl.
Pack and order details Check the current listing, then use the delivered pack to confirm its biscuit count, ingredients and storage instructions. I need enough of the right biscuits for the group, particularly if I am ordering ahead.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming every McVitie's chocolate biscuit is gluten-free

    McVitie's lists wheat flour in Penguin Original and Club Orange, while its Gluten Free Milk Chocolate Hobnobs are a separately labelled product.

    Choose by the exact biscuit's current gluten-free claim and ingredients, not by its parent brand.

  • Equating gluten-free with suitability for every guest

    The specified chocolate-biscuit recipes differ in their oats, milk, soya and other allergen information.

    Ask about additional restrictions and read the chosen pack before putting it out.

  • Using a bowl with ordinary biscuit crumbs

    Crumbs from gluten-containing food can compromise a separate gluten-free serving. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water to reduce cross-contamination at home.

    Use a clean dish and utensils, keep the snacks apart, and leave the packet available for guests to read.

  • Planning portions from a listing alone

    Pack details matter when working out how many biscuits to put out for a group.

    Confirm the product and biscuit count on the actual pack before serving.

Relevant brand ranges

These references concern the named UK products, not every biscuit made by each brand.

McVitie's

Gluten Free Milk Chocolate Hobnobs are a chocolate-topped oat-biscuit option.

  • McVitie's lists gluten-free oats and milk chocolate for this product.
  • Check whether oats and its other listed ingredients suit your guests; Penguin Original and Club Orange are different products whose ingredient lists include wheat flour.

Nairn's

Choc Chip Oaties offer an oat-biscuit format for sharing.

  • Nairn's describes pouches of four biscuits.
  • Check oat suitability with the guest and read the chocolate-chip ingredients on the pack.

Schär

Digestive Choc is the brand's gluten-free chocolate-coated digestive.

  • It offers a coated digestive rather than an oat-cookie style.
  • Check its current ingredient and precautionary information for any additional restrictions.

Tesco

The specified Free From Choc Chip Cookie is a supermarket chocolate-chip option.

  • Tesco labels one 145g listing gluten-free, milk-free and egg-free.
  • Check the exact listing and pack: similarly named products need not have the same details.

Sainsbury's

Its specified Free From Triple Chocolate Cookies have a half-coated, three-chocolate format.

  • The UK listing identifies the product as gluten-free.
  • Sainsbury's says this product is unsuitable for customers with a nut allergy; check the remaining ingredients against guests' requirements too.

Joybuy product options

These options include a chocolate-flavoured macaroon and a Dark & Coconut oat-biscuit variant, followed by plain digestive biscuits and vanilla wafers. The last two offer gluten-free snacks but do not meet a request specifically for chocolate biscuits.

Mrs Crimble's Gluten Free 6 Big Choc Macaroons

Mrs Crimble's Gluten Free 6 Big Choc Macaroons

A chocolate-flavoured macaroon option for the snack table, rather than a conventional flour-based biscuit. The pack name specifies six; check its milk and nut warnings against guests' requirements.

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Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g

A 160g oat-biscuit option for guests who can eat gluten-free oats. Ask about sensitivity to avenin, a protein in oats, and check the pack's milk warning before serving.

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Schär Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits 150g

Schär Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits 150g

These 150g gluten-free digestives are plain, so choose them only if a non-chocolate biscuit also works for your game night. Check the pack's soya and lupin information for guests with those restrictions.

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Schär Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers 125g

Schär Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers 125g

These 125g vanilla wafers are a gluten-free alternative for guests who want something other than chocolate. They do not fulfil the chocolate-biscuit request; check the pack's milk, soya and nut information before serving.

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Questions before you serve

Does gluten-free have a defined limit on a UK biscuit?

Yes. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold to the final consumer. Look for the claim on the particular biscuit you plan to serve.

Can everyone with coeliac disease eat gluten-free oat biscuits?

No universal answer follows from a gluten-free oat label. Coeliac UK says a small number of people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten-free oats, so ask the guest before choosing an oat-based biscuit.

How should I serve them alongside ordinary biscuits?

Put gluten-free biscuits on a separate clean dish, away from gluten-containing crumbs. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water to reduce cross-contamination at home.

What should I check when ordering for game night?

Confirm the current product listing and delivery details, then check the delivered pack for its biscuit count, ingredients and allergen information. Similar product names are not a substitute for checking the exact recipe.

What does the ingredients list tell me about gluten?

Coeliac UK explains that cereals containing gluten must be emphasised in the ingredients list of UK prepacked foods. Read that list alongside the product's gluten-free claim and any precautionary statements relevant to your guest.