For a plain digestive at afternoon tea, choose a biscuit explicitly labelled gluten free, then check whether your guest can eat oats and has any other allergies. Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s list gluten-free oats in their digestives; Schär’s published recipe does not list oats but contains soya. Check the packet you serve and keep gluten-free biscuits away from crumbs from ordinary biscuits.
Choose a biscuit with an explicit gluten-free claim, ask whether the guest eats gluten-free oats and serve it away from crumbs from ordinary biscuits. Coeliac UK advises cleaning serving surfaces and utensils to reduce cross-contact.
Schär’s published Digestive Biscuits recipe does not list oats, unlike the documented supermarket oat digestives. That ingredient list is not an oat-free cross-contact guarantee; check the packet and ask about soya and lupin too.
Check milk, nuts, soya, lupin and vegan labelling separately from the gluten-free claim. The documented digestive recipes and precautionary allergen statements differ.
Start with the exact biscuit’s gluten-free claim, then narrow the choice by oats, other allergens and whether a plain digestive matters for your tea table.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free claim | Check the exact variant and its packet for an explicit gluten-free claim. A familiar brand name or the word “digestive” does not establish suitability. | I’m serving someone who needs a gluten-free biscuit, so I cannot rely on the name of an ordinary digestive. |
| Oats and other allergens | Check whether the recipe lists gluten-free oats, then read the full allergen and precautionary statements. Coeliac UK notes that a small number of people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten-free oats. | If my guest avoids oats, I need to look beyond the gluten-free claim. I also need to check any separate soya, lupin or nut allergy. |
| Biscuit type | Check whether the pack says digestive or identifies another biscuit. McVitie’s Gluten Free Hobnobs and Nairn’s Original Oaties are oat-based alternatives, not plain digestives. | A plain digestive matters for this tea table; if it does not, I can consider another gluten-free biscuit that meets my guests’ ingredient requirements. |
| Serving and storage | Keep gluten-free biscuits off crumb-covered plates and use clean utensils for shared spreads, as Coeliac UK advises. Follow the packet’s instructions after opening. | I want to serve several guests without getting crumbs from ordinary biscuits into their food, and keep any opened biscuits as directed. |
McVitie’s Original Digestives list wheat flour, while the documented M&S Milk Chocolate Digestives list wheat flour and barley malt extract. A different gluten-free biscuit in either brand’s range does not change those recipes.
Look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the exact packet you intend to serve.
Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s documented gluten-free digestives contain oats. Schär’s published recipe lists soya and warns that the biscuits may contain lupin.
Ask the guest about oats and other allergens, then read the packet’s ingredients and precautionary statements.
Crumbs on plates, utensils or shared spreads can come into contact with a gluten-free biscuit.
Coeliac UK advises clean surfaces and utensils, and clean cutlery for shared butter, jam or other spreads.
These examples describe specific documented biscuits or ranges; a gluten-free claim on one product does not apply to every biscuit from the same brand.
Its plain Digestive Biscuits provide a recipe that does not list oats.
Tesco Free From Digestives are plain digestives made with gluten-free oat flour and oat bran.
Free From by Asda Digestive Biscuits are an oat-containing plain digestive.
Sainsbury’s Free From Digestive Biscuits are made with oats.
McVitie’s Gluten Free Original Hobnobs are a tea-biscuit alternative, not its Original Digestives.
Original Oaties offer a gluten-free oat biscuit when a digestive is not required.
M&S has a Made Without range, but its biscuits must be checked product by product.
These options include one plain digestive whose published recipe does not list oats and two gluten-free tea biscuits that are not digestives. Check each packet against your guests’ requirements before serving.
No image available
A plain digestive to consider when your guest avoids the oat ingredients in the documented supermarket alternatives. Schär’s published recipe does not list oats, but it contains soya and may contain lupin and eggs; check the packet for the guest’s requirements, including any concern about oat cross-contact.
No image available
An oat-based gluten-free tea biscuit to consider if a plain digestive is not essential. Hobnobs are not McVitie’s Original Digestives; check the packet if your guest avoids oats or has another allergy.
No image available
A flavoured oat biscuit for tea rather than a plain digestive. Its gluten-free claim does not answer whether it suits someone who reacts to oats; check the packet’s ingredients and allergen advice before serving.
No. The documented Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s gluten-free digestives contain oats. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat gluten-free oats, but a small number remain sensitive, so check with your guest and read the exact packet.
Serve them on a clean plate with clean utensils, away from crumbs from ordinary biscuits. Coeliac UK also advises using clean cutlery for shared butter, jam and other spreads to reduce cross-contact.
Follow the packet instructions. The documented Tesco and Asda digestive listings say to keep the biscuits in a cool, dry place and use an airtight container after opening.
Check the actual packet’s ingredient and allergen information before serving, rather than relying on an older listing. If the information conflicts, ask the seller to clarify it before offering the biscuit to a guest with dietary requirements.
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; “very low gluten” has a different limit. A gluten-free claim does not mean the biscuit has no oats or other allergens, so read the full packet information for your guest.