Hosts serving a guest who avoids gluten
Choose by the gluten-free statement on the particular biscuit, not by its bourbon shape or the retailer’s wider free-from range.
Who is this for?
Older guests who can eat ordinary biscuits
A gluten-free biscuit may be an option for tea if the guest can manage its texture. Age alone does not establish a need for modified textures; follow any individual swallowing guidance.
Hosts accommodating several dietary requirements
Check each requirement separately. Tesco Groceries lists its Free From Bourbon Creams as gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans; confirm the current packet before serving.
What to check before buying
Start with the exact product’s gluten-free label, then check whether its format, other ingredients and serving texture fit the guest.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Look for a gluten-free statement on the exact product. Check the current packet’s ingredients and allergen information before serving. | I need a biscuit I can identify as gluten-free without relying on its appearance or the retailer’s other ranges. In Coeliac UK’s 2025 Shopping Habits survey, 74.7% of its 3,785 member respondents said they trusted its Crossed Grain Trademark more than a gluten-free statement. |
| Bourbon format | Confirm that the labelled gluten-free product is a bourbon-style cocoa sandwich biscuit if that format matters. Tesco Groceries and Sainsbury's each list a 150g Free From Bourbon Creams product. | If the familiar bourbon-style biscuit is part of the tea, I would choose that format rather than a different gluten-free biscuit. A different format works only if the guest is happy with the change. |
| Other dietary needs | Check milk-free or vegan wording separately from gluten-free wording. Tesco states both for its Free From Bourbon Creams; Sainsbury's describes its product as milk- and gluten-free. | Where a guest also avoids milk or needs a vegan biscuit, I need the current packet to confirm every relevant requirement. |
| Serving texture | Ask whether the guest follows a prescribed texture-modified diet. Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust’s fork-mashable dysphagia guidance excludes dry, crispy, crunchy or crumbly foods, including dry biscuits. | Before putting biscuits on the tea table, I need to know whether the guest has individual swallowing guidance; a gluten-free label does not answer that question. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming every biscuit in a retailer’s range is gluten-free
Waitrose & Partners and M&S sell free-from biscuits, but their ordinary Essential Bourbon Creams and Extra Cream Bourbon Creams respectively list wheat flour.
Choose a biscuit with a gluten-free statement on the exact product and check its packet before serving.
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Comparing conventional bourbons before checking the label
A conventional bourbon containing wheat flour does not meet a guest’s gluten-free requirement, regardless of other reasons for choosing it.
Check gluten-free status and the guest’s other ingredient requirements before comparing suitable products.
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Assuming gluten-free means suitable for swallowing difficulties
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust’s fork-mashable dysphagia guidance excludes dry biscuits. Gluten-free labelling concerns ingredients, not whether that texture suits an individual.
Follow the guest’s prescribed texture guidance and seek advice from their clinician or speech and language therapist rather than adapting a biscuit yourself.
Relevant brand and retailer references
These examples distinguish labelled bourbon-style products from other gluten-free biscuits and conventional bourbons; a retailer’s wider range does not establish the status of every product.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists Free From Bourbon Creams in a 150g pack.
- The product listing states gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans.
- Check the current packet’s ingredients and allergen information before serving.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's describes its 150g Free From Bourbon Creams as cocoa biscuits with a cocoa filling.
- The product description states milk- and gluten-free.
- If vegan suitability also matters, check the current packet rather than inferring it from the milk-free statement.
M&S
M&S has a free-from biscuit range, separate from its standard Extra Cream Bourbon Creams.
- Its free-from range provides other biscuit formats to check if a bourbon is not essential.
- M&S lists wheat flour in Extra Cream Bourbon Creams, so that product does not meet this gluten-free requirement.
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners lists gluten-free biscuit formats alongside conventional bourbon creams.
- Its gluten-free biscuit range includes chocolate-biscuit alternatives.
- Essential Bourbon Creams list wheat flour; choose by the label on the exact product.
McVitie's
McVitie's Gluten Free Hobnobs Original 150g appears in Sainsbury's gluten-free biscuit category.
- Gluten Free Hobnobs offer an oat-biscuit format for a guest who does not require a bourbon.
- Hobnobs are not bourbon-style cocoa sandwich biscuits.
Gluten-free biscuit alternatives on Joybuy
These Joybuy options are gluten-free wafers, digestives and oat biscuits for a tea where the bourbon format is optional. None is a bourbon cream. Check each current packet against the guest’s dietary requirements, and follow any individual swallowing-texture guidance.
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Schar Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers 125g
A vanilla wafer alternative when a bourbon-style cocoa biscuit is not essential. The product name states gluten-free; check the packet for any other ingredients the guest needs to avoid.
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Schar Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits 150g
A gluten-free digestive for tea if the guest does not specifically want a bourbon-style sandwich biscuit. Confirm the current packet meets their other ingredient requirements.
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Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g
A gluten-free oat-biscuit alternative in the Dark & Coconut variant, not a bourbon cream. If oats are a concern for the guest, check the current ingredients and their individual dietary guidance before serving.
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McVitie's Gluten Free Hobnobs 150g
A gluten-free Hobnob oat biscuit for a guest who is happy with a different format from a bourbon cream. Check the current packet if oats or other ingredients need individual consideration.
Questions about buying and serving
What does ‘gluten-free’ mean on a UK food label?
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. For a packaged biscuit, also check the current ingredients and allergen information before serving.
Are ordinary bourbon creams gluten-free?
Do not assume so: Waitrose & Partners lists wheat flour in Essential Bourbon Creams, and M&S lists it in Extra Cream Bourbon Creams. Check the exact product for gluten-free labelling, even when the retailer sells other free-from biscuits.
Which bourbon-style option is also labelled milk-free and vegan?
Tesco Groceries states that its Free From Bourbon Creams are gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans. Confirm those statements on the current packet before serving.
Can I serve a gluten-free bourbon biscuit to someone with dysphagia?
Not on the strength of its gluten-free label. Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust’s fork-mashable dysphagia guidance excludes dry biscuits; follow the person’s individual clinician or speech and language therapist guidance on suitable textures.
What if the biscuits are loose or from an open assortment?
Ask the seller for allergen information and identify the exact biscuit before serving. Do not infer that a loose biscuit is gluten-free from its appearance or its place alongside free-from products.