Hosts serving a guest with coeliac disease
Choose a pack expressly labelled gluten-free, then give it a clean serving space away from wheat-containing snacks. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils to avoid gluten cross-contact.
Who is the biscuit for?
Hosts catering for several dietary requirements
Tesco and Sainsbury’s each list their Free From Bourbon Creams as gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans. Check each claim on the pack in hand: a vegan claim alone does not establish gluten-free or milk-free suitability.
Hosts planning how many biscuits to put out
The listed Tesco and Sainsbury’s gluten-free bourbon cream packs are each 150g. Check the pack size against your guest list, but settle dietary suitability before considering an ordinary bourbon cream: the checked Waitrose Essential product contains wheat.
What should you check before buying?
Start with the exact biscuit’s gluten-free claim and allergen information. Once it meets guests’ requirements, plan how it will be served and what you would offer if a bourbon-style pack is unavailable.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free suitability | Look for a gluten-free claim on the exact pack; read its ingredient and allergen information. Do not use a conventional bourbon cream as a substitute solely because it looks similar. | I want a biscuit my gluten-free guest can identify clearly. In Coeliac UK’s 2025 shopping survey of 3,785 responding members, 74.7% said they trusted the Crossed Grain Trademark more than a gluten-free statement; that measures members’ trust, not biscuit-buying behaviour. |
| Serving separately | Prepare a clean surface and separate plate. Coeliac UK advises cleaning utensils with hot soapy water and using separate condiments or clean cutlery for shared spreads. | If ordinary biscuits are also on the table, I need to keep their crumbs and serving tools away from the gluten-free plate. |
| Other dietary needs | Check milk-free, vegan and gluten-free claims separately on the current pack. A vegan label does not answer a question about gluten or milk allergens. | One shared biscuit would simplify serving, provided its exact label meets each guest’s requirements. |
| Pack and backup | Check pack weight and availability before the meeting. If switching biscuit type, confirm its gluten-free claim and other relevant allergens rather than relying on the retailer’s free-from range name. | I need enough biscuits for the group and an acceptable alternative if bourbon-style creams are unavailable. |
What could go wrong at the table?
-
Assuming every bourbon cream is gluten-free
Waitrose Essential Bourbon Creams list wheat flour and wheat starch, while M&S Extra Cream Bourbon Creams list wheat flour. Neither checked product is the gluten-free serving option.
Buy an exact pack carrying a gluten-free claim for that plate, and keep any conventional bourbons separate.
-
Relying only on an online listing
Tesco and Sainsbury’s caution that product ingredients and allergen information can change.
Before opening the biscuits, read the physical pack’s gluten-free claim, ingredients and allergen declaration, particularly when a guest has more than one dietary requirement.
-
Sharing tongs, spreads or a crumb-covered surface
Contact with gluten-containing snacks after opening can undermine the care taken when choosing a packaged biscuit.
Follow Coeliac UK’s cross-contact advice: clean the serving area and utensils, and use separate condiments or clean cutlery for shared spreads.
-
Choosing a larger pack before checking the label
Pack size does not make a wheat-containing bourbon cream suitable for a gluten-free guest.
Check dietary requirements first, then decide how many packs the group needs. Agree on another gluten-free biscuit type with the guest if bourbon-style creams are unavailable.
Which brand ranges are relevant?
Tesco Free From
Tesco lists a 150g Free From Bourbon Creams pack for the bourbon-style option.
- Tesco labels this exact product gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans.
- Tesco advises checking the physical label because product information can change.
Sainsbury’s Free From
Sainsbury’s lists 150g Free From Bourbon Creams made with cocoa, rice flour and maize flour.
- The exact product is labelled gluten-free and milk-free, and listed as suitable for coeliacs and vegans.
- Check the pack before serving, as Sainsbury’s says ingredients and product details can change.
Waitrose Essential
Essential Bourbon Creams are a conventional biscuit, not the gluten-free option for this table.
- The listed pack is 400g, which may help when planning a separate plate for guests who eat gluten.
- Its ingredients include wheat flour and wheat starch.
M&S Food
M&S has a Free From biscuit range, but that range name does not establish the suitability of its conventional bourbon creams.
- The ingredient information for M&S Extra Cream Bourbon Creams lists wheat flour; check the exact product rather than the wider range.
McVitie’s
Sainsbury’s gluten-free biscuit listing includes McVitie’s Gluten Free Hobnobs Original Biscuits.
- Those Hobnobs offer a different biscuit type to consider if the guest is happy to move away from bourbon creams.
- A gluten-free Hobnob listing does not make a McVitie’s bourbon biscuit gluten-free.
A gluten-free biscuit alternative on Joybuy
This custard cream is an option if your book-club guests are happy with a gluten-free biscuit that is not a bourbon cream. Check the pack’s current ingredients and allergen information against their requirements.
No image available
Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
For a book club, these gluten-free custard creams are an alternative when a bourbon-style biscuit is not essential. The pack is 125g; confirm that its current label meets each guest’s ingredient and allergen requirements before serving.
Questions before book club
Can I serve ordinary bourbon creams to a gluten-free guest?
Choose a biscuit whose exact pack is labelled gluten-free instead. Waitrose Essential Bourbon Creams list wheat flour and wheat starch, and M&S Extra Cream Bourbon Creams list wheat flour.
Are the Tesco and Sainsbury’s free-from bourbon creams also vegan?
Both retailers list their exact 150g Free From Bourbon Creams as suitable for vegans and milk-free, as well as gluten-free. Recheck the pack before serving because product information can change.
Is a vegan biscuit automatically suitable for a gluten-free guest?
No. Vegan and gluten-free claims address different requirements, so check for a gluten-free claim and read the ingredient and allergen information on the exact pack.
How should I serve gluten-free biscuits alongside ordinary snacks?
Put them on a clean, separate plate and avoid shared tools that could transfer crumbs. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water and using separate condiments or clean cutlery for shared spreads.
What if gluten-free bourbon creams are unavailable?
Ask the guest whether another biscuit type is acceptable, then check that product’s gluten-free claim, ingredients and other relevant allergens. A gluten-free custard cream is a different flavour choice; an ordinary wheat-containing bourbon cream is not a substitute for the gluten-free plate.