Colleagues who need gluten-free biscuits
Look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the bourbon cream pack. Check its other allergen information for the people who will eat it, and plan how to keep it apart from wheat-biscuit crumbs after opening.
Who is the biscuit tin for?
The right purchase depends on whether the tin must include a gluten-free bourbon cream, a separate general-office biscuit, or both.
Small-office biscuit buyers
Own-label Free From bourbon creams offer the familiar sandwich-biscuit format. Check the pack size and current availability when restocking, rather than assuming that every retailer’s bourbon cream has the same ingredients.
Organisers serving mixed dietary needs
You can offer standard bourbon creams as well, but they need a separate place. The McVitie’s, M&S and Waitrose standard products considered here list wheat and cannot serve as the gluten-free option.
What should you check before buying?
Gluten-free bourbon creams
Choose when: the office needs the bourbon-cream format for a colleague avoiding gluten, and the received pack confirms a gluten-free claim.
Trade-off: the Asda pack is listed as 160g and the Sainsbury’s and Tesco packs as 150g; check whether the quantity suits the office.
Standard bourbon creams
Choose when: you want an additional biscuit for colleagues who do not need it to be gluten free.
Trade-off: the standard McVitie’s, M&S and Waitrose products examined here contain wheat, so they must stay separate from the gluten-free provision.
A different gluten-free biscuit
Choose when: having a gluten-free biscuit matters more than having a bourbon cream specifically.
Trade-off: a custard cream, wafer, digestive or oat biscuit changes the format or flavour; check the pack for every dietary requirement.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free claim | Look for an explicit gluten-free statement on the pack received; do not infer it from the word “bourbon” or from a short ingredients list. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in food as sold. | A colleague needs a gluten-free biscuit, and I want the pack itself to identify the option clearly. |
| Other allergens | Read the full ingredients and allergy advice for milk, soya, sesame, nuts or any other ingredient relevant to colleagues. GOV.UK explains that allergens used as ingredients in prepacked food must be clearly identified in the ingredients list. | Gluten is not the only requirement in our office; I need to check each colleague’s requirements separately. |
| Shared storage | Keep gluten-free biscuits in their packaging or a separate covered container. Use clean hands or utensils and keep them away from wheat-biscuit crumbs, in line with Coeliac UK’s advice on avoiding cross-contact. | If both types are on offer, I need colleagues to be able to take the gluten-free biscuits without picking up crumbs from the general tin. |
| Biscuit format | Check whether the product is a bourbon cream or another gluten-free biscuit. Standard McVitie’s, M&S and Waitrose bourbon creams list wheat; the Asda and Sainsbury’s Free From bourbon products are listed as gluten free. | Is a bourbon cream important here, or would a clearly labelled gluten-free custard cream or digestive also meet our needs? |
| Restocking | Check the current listing and the pack supplied. Tesco’s Free From Bourbon Creams listing was marked out of stock in the supplied product information, so do not rely on an earlier stock message. | I need to know what I can obtain for the next office restock, not just what appears in a product listing. |
What can go wrong with a shared tin?
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Assuming every bourbon cream is gluten free
The standard McVitie’s, M&S and Waitrose bourbon creams examined here list wheat. Their familiar name does not make them suitable for the gluten-free provision.
Start with a product explicitly labelled gluten free, then check the ingredients and allergy advice on the pack you receive.
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Putting both types loose in one tin
Once packs are open, crumbs and shared utensils can bring gluten-free biscuits into contact with wheat biscuits. Coeliac UK advises avoiding this kind of cross-contact.
Keep the gluten-free biscuits in their packaging or a separate covered container, and use clean hands or utensils when serving them.
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Assuming gluten free covers every dietary need
A gluten-free label does not answer questions about milk, soya, sesame, nuts or vegan suitability.
Check each relevant requirement against the actual pack and keep its ingredients and allergy advice available to colleagues.
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Relying on an old stock message
A product listing may not reflect what can be obtained for the next restock. Tesco’s Free From Bourbon Creams listing in the supplied information was marked out of stock.
Check availability when ordering and identify another suitable, explicitly gluten-free option if needed.
Which brand and retailer ranges are relevant?
These references distinguish named gluten-free bourbon products from standard bourbon creams; a retailer’s wider Free From range does not make every bourbon it sells gluten free.
Asda Free From
Asda lists Free From by Bourbon Biscuits in a 160g pack and identifies the product as gluten free, free from milk and suitable for vegans.
- An explicitly labelled bourbon-biscuit option where both gluten and milk need checking.
- Read the delivered pack before serving, as product information can change.
Sainsbury’s Free From
Sainsbury’s lists 150g Free From Bourbon Creams as milk- and gluten-free cocoa biscuits made with rice and maize flour.
- Retains the cocoa-biscuit and filling format of a bourbon cream.
- The 150g pack may require more frequent restocking in a busy office; check the label on the pack supplied.
Tesco Free From
Tesco lists a 150g Free From Bourbon Creams product. Its product listing in the supplied information was marked out of stock.
- Another named Free From bourbon-cream route to check when restocking.
- Confirm current availability and the gluten-free statement on the pack before relying on it for the office.
McVitie’s
McVitie’s Tasties Bourbon Creams are a standard bourbon option, not the gluten-free product in this comparison.
- A separate option for colleagues who do not need gluten-free biscuits.
- The Asda listing for this product declares wheat and notes that it may contain milk and sesame.
M&S
M&S has a wider Free From biscuit range, but its Extra Cream Bourbon Creams are a conventional product containing wheat flour.
- The wider biscuit range offers other Free From products to assess by their own labels.
- Do not treat Extra Cream Bourbon Creams as gluten free because the retailer also sells Free From biscuits.
Waitrose Essential
Waitrose lists Essential Bourbon Creams in a 400g pack as a standard bourbon-biscuit option.
- The stated pack size may suit a separate general-office biscuit supply.
- Its ingredients list includes wheat flour and wheat starch, so it is not the gluten-free option.
Gluten-free biscuit alternatives on Joybuy
These Joybuy options are labelled gluten-free biscuits or wafers for an office that can use a different format. None of the products below is a bourbon cream; check each pack’s ingredients and allergy advice before sharing.
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Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
A gluten-free cream biscuit for an office where the sandwich-biscuit format matters more than the bourbon flavour. This is a custard cream, not a cocoa bourbon cream; check the pack for other dietary requirements.
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Schar Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers 125g
A gluten-free vanilla wafer for an office willing to offer a different biscuit format. It is not a bourbon cream; check the pack’s milk, soya and nut information against colleagues’ requirements.
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Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g
A gluten-free oat biscuit with dark chocolate chips for an office seeking a biscuit rather than a cream-filled sandwich. It is not a bourbon cream; check the oat and other allergen information on the pack for the intended colleagues.
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Schar Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits 150g
A gluten-free digestive for an office where the biscuit need not be a bourbon cream. It has no cream filling; check the pack’s soya and lupin information where relevant.
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McVitie’s Gluten Free Hobnobs 150g
A gluten-free Hobnobs oat biscuit for a separate office biscuit option. Despite sharing a brand with standard bourbon creams, this is not a bourbon; check its pack for other allergens before serving.
Common questions
What does “gluten free” mean on a biscuit label?
The Food Standards Agency defines gluten free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in food as sold to the final consumer. For an office bourbon cream, look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the pack rather than trying to judge it from the biscuit name.
Are ordinary bourbon biscuits gluten free?
Do not assume they are. The standard McVitie’s Tasties, M&S Extra Cream and Waitrose Essential bourbon products considered here list wheat or wheat flour; choose a bourbon cream explicitly labelled gluten free for the colleague who needs it.
Are gluten-free bourbon creams also milk free or vegan?
Not automatically. Asda identifies its named Free From bourbon biscuits as milk free and vegan, and Sainsbury’s lists its named Free From bourbon creams as milk free, but check the actual pack for every dietary requirement rather than extending one product’s claims to all gluten-free biscuits.
Can gluten-free biscuits go in the same office tin as wheat biscuits?
Keep them protected rather than placing both types loose together. Coeliac UK advises avoiding contact between gluten-free food and food containing gluten; separate packaging or a covered container, clean utensils and clean serving surfaces help prevent crumb transfer.
Is the online listing enough to check allergens?
Check the packet delivered to the office. Product information can change, so retain its ingredients and allergy advice for colleagues to read while the biscuits are being served.