Choose a digestive specifically labelled gluten-free rather than relying on a familiar biscuit brand. If a guest also avoids oats, the listed Schär plain digestive has no oat ingredients; the Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's plain gluten-free digestives contain gluten-free oats. Check each guest's other ingredient restrictions and keep gluten-free biscuits separate from wheat biscuits when serving.
A gluten-free label is the starting point for guests who need it, but their requirements may also affect the ingredients and serving arrangement you choose.
Choose an explicitly gluten-free digestive, ask whether the guest eats gluten-free oats and put their biscuits out away from wheat-biscuit crumbs. Coeliac UK notes that a small number of people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten-free oats.
Check oats, milk, soya and any relevant allergy warnings on the exact pack. A plain digestive and a chocolate version from the same range can have different ingredients.
Start with the exact pack's gluten-free claim, then narrow the choice by ingredients before working out how many biscuits to serve.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Look for a gluten-free claim on the exact digestive pack, not just a Free From range name. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold. | I'm serving someone who needs gluten-free food, so an ordinary digestive or a different gluten-free biscuit from the same brand is not enough to identify a suitable pack. |
| Oat ingredients | Read the ingredient list. The listed Schär plain digestive has no oat ingredients; the listed Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's plain gluten-free digestives contain gluten-free oats. | If my guest avoids oats as well as gluten, I need to check the ingredients rather than assuming every gluten-free digestive suits them. |
| Other ingredients | Check the exact pack's milk, soya and allergy information. ASDA Groceries lists soya and a possible lupin warning for the Schär digestive; its chocolate Free From digestive lists milk, oats and soya, and says it may contain nuts. | Some guests have restrictions beyond gluten. I'll keep the packs available so they can check the product they are offered. |
| Party serving | Use a separate serving area and clean utensils if wheat biscuits are also offered. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water to address cross-contact. | I want guests who need gluten-free biscuits to be able to take one without picking up crumbs from the wheat-biscuit plate. |
| Portions | Check the biscuit or serving count as well as pack weight. ASDA Groceries lists 15 biscuits in three inner packs for the Schär 150g product and suggests 16 servings for its own-label plain 188g pack. | For the number of guests I'm catering for, the count on each chosen pack is more useful than assuming similarly sized packs provide the same portions. |
McVitie's lists wheat in Original Digestives, while its Gluten Free Original Hobnobs are a different biscuit. The Crawford's Digestives listing at Iceland Foods also lists wheat.
Check the gluten-free claim and ingredients on the exact digestive pack, rather than relying on the brand or biscuit shape.
Coeliac UK notes that some people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten-free oats. Chocolate digestives can also have different milk and soya ingredients from plain versions.
Ask guests about oats and other relevant restrictions before choosing a pack, and retain the packaging for ingredient checks.
Wheat-biscuit crumbs can transfer to biscuits intended to remain gluten-free.
Set out the gluten-free biscuits on a separate, clean surface with clean serving utensils.
These distinctions concern the named products and ranges, not every biscuit made by each brand.
Its listed 150g plain gluten-free digestive provides a choice without oat ingredients.
Its Free From range includes a 188g plain gluten-free digestive made with gluten-free oat flour.
Free From by Asda has separate plain 188g and chocolate 166g gluten-free digestive listings.
Its listed 188g Free From plain digestive is labelled gluten-free and milk-free and is made with oats.
Its Original Digestives and Gluten Free Original Hobnobs are distinct products.
Its listed 400g digestives are an ordinary wheat-biscuit reference, not a gluten-free choice.
Its Made Without range includes gluten-free products, while its biscuit catalogue lists digestives separately.
This plain gluten-free digestive is relevant when a guest needs an option without oat ingredients; check its other allergen information before serving.
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A plain gluten-free digestive to consider when a guest avoids oat ingredients. The listed ingredients for this 150g product contain no oats; it contains soya and may contain lupin. Check the pack's ingredients and portion count before serving.
No. Under the Food Standards Agency's UK labelling definition, gluten-free means no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold. Check for that claim on the exact digestive pack.
No. Coeliac UK says a small number of people with coeliac disease remain sensitive to gluten-free oats. Ask the guest whether oats are suitable for them before choosing an oat-based digestive.
Put the gluten-free biscuits on a separate, clean surface and use clean utensils. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water to address cross-contact from crumbs.
Count the guests who need a suitable biscuit and check the portions on the packs you choose. ASDA Groceries lists 15 biscuits for the Schär 150g product and suggests 16 servings for its own-label plain 188g pack; follow the actual pack's storage directions after opening.
The Department of Health & Social Care's England HFSS guidance addresses specified retail promotions and placement, not a general ban on serving digestives at a private party. The Department for Education says newly announced school food standards are due to become mandatory for schools in England in September 2027. If a school is providing food for the event, ask it which requirements apply to that arrangement.