Bake-sale organisers serving a child with coeliac disease
Arrange a clearly identified gluten-free offering with the school. Keep its ingredient information to hand and plan how it will be protected from crumbs and shared utensils at the stall.
Who is choosing the biscuits?
Parents buying for a mixed-diet stall
Check the exact pack rather than judging biscuits by their appearance. A gluten-free shortbread can still contain milk or soya, or carry a nut or peanut warning.
Volunteer bakers
Check every ingredient and the school’s arrangements for homemade food. Preparation surfaces, equipment and serving utensils also matter when gluten-containing bakes are handled nearby.
What should you check before buying?
Start with the gluten-free claim on the exact pack, then check other allergens, serving arrangements and the number of portions needed.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free identification | Look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the current pack. Check the exact variant: Dean’s Shortbread Rounds 130g list wheat flour, according to Dean’s. | I need helpers to tell the gluten-free biscuits apart from ordinary shortbread without relying on how they look. |
| Other allergens | Read the full ingredient and precautionary-allergen information. Waitrose lists milk and soya flour in its Free From Gluten Butter Shortbread; Tesco lists milk and soya in its Belgian chocolate chunk variety. | Gluten is not the only ingredient I need to check before offering a biscuit to a particular pupil. |
| Preparation and service | Keep pack information available and agree a separate display and utensils with the school. Anaphylaxis UK recommends separation and different serving utensils for bake sales; Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and equipment during gluten-free preparation. | I want stall helpers to identify the right biscuits and avoid transferring crumbs between offerings. |
| Portions and pack details | Check the pack weight and stated servings, then estimate how many biscuits the stall needs. Waitrose lists eight servings for its 150g Free From Gluten Butter Shortbread pack. | There should be enough clearly identified biscuits for the school’s plans, without assuming that every pack provides the same number of portions. |
What can go wrong at the stall?
-
Mistaking conventional shortbread for a gluten-free variant
Biscuits from the same category need not have the same ingredients: Dean’s lists wheat flour in its Shortbread Rounds 130g.
Check the exact variant’s current pack and identify wheat-containing biscuits separately.
-
Treating gluten-free as a claim about every allergen
The documented gluten-free butter shortbreads contain milk, while particular varieties list soya or carry nut or peanut warnings.
Check the whole pack against the intended pupil’s requirements and the school’s arrangements.
-
Discarding the pack and sharing serving utensils
Removing packaging can leave helpers without ingredient information, and shared utensils can transfer crumbs between biscuits.
Keep the pack information available. Follow the school’s serving plan for separate display and utensils, in line with Anaphylaxis UK’s bake-sale guidance.
Which product lines are relevant?
These are references to specific products described by their makers or retailers, not assurances that every biscuit from a brand has the same ingredients.
Walker’s Shortbread
Walker’s labels its Gluten Free Shortbread Rounds as a distinct product from its ginger-and-lemon variety.
- The plain rounds’ listed flour blend includes rice, potato starch and maize.
- The plain rounds contain butter with milk and carry a may-contain-nuts warning.
Waitrose
Waitrose describes its 150g Free From Gluten Butter Shortbread as gluten-free plain butter shortbread.
- The product listing states eight servings, which can help with portion planning.
- Its listed ingredients include milk and soya flour, and it may contain nuts. Check the pack in case the recipe has changed.
M&S
M&S labels its 150g Made Without Wheat All Butter Shortbread Rounds gluten-free.
- This is a documented plain-round option for checking against the school’s requirements.
- The listed butter contains milk; M&S says this product is not suitable for people with nut or peanut allergies.
Tesco
Tesco describes its 150g Finest Free From Belgian Chocolate Chunk Shortbread as gluten-free.
- The chocolate chunk variety provides a different flavour from plain shortbread.
- Its listed ingredients include milk and soya, and its allergy information says it may contain peanuts and nuts.
Dean’s
Dean’s illustrates why the exact variant matters when choosing shortbread for a mixed-diet sale.
- Its Shortbread Rounds 130g have a published ingredient list that helps organisers identify them accurately.
- Those rounds contain wheat flour and milk; they are not the gluten-free offering.
Joybuy biscuit options
This Joybuy option is a packaged gluten-free oat biscuit, not shortbread. Consider it only if an alternative biscuit suits the school’s bake-sale plans, and check the pack for each pupil’s other dietary requirements.
No image available
Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks Chunky Oats, Dark & Coconut 160g
This 160g pack is a gluten-free oat-biscuit alternative for a stall that accepts biscuits other than shortbread. Check the current pack for other allergen information and whether oats suit the intended pupil; agree with the school how it will be identified and served.
Common questions
Does gluten-free shortbread also suit a child with a milk or nut allergy?
Not necessarily. The documented butter shortbreads contain milk, and several carry nut or peanut warnings. Check the current pack against the child’s requirements and the school’s arrangements.
How should gluten-free shortbread be served beside ordinary biscuits?
Keep its ingredient information available, display it separately and use different serving utensils. Anaphylaxis UK recommends separate areas and utensils at bake sales; preparation also needs attention to gluten cross-contact, as Coeliac UK advises.
Can volunteers bring homemade gluten-free shortbread?
Consider it if the school accepts homemade bakes and the baker can check the ingredients and prevent gluten cross-contact. Coeliac UK advises cleaning preparation surfaces and equipment; the biscuits must also be identified and handled appropriately when served.
How many packs of gluten-free shortbread should the stall buy?
Estimate the portions needed with the school, then check the stated servings on each exact pack. Waitrose lists eight servings for its 150g Free From Gluten Butter Shortbread, but that figure should not be assumed for other products.