Choose shortbread or digestives by the allergens you need to avoid and the exact variety, not by the biscuit’s name. The checked all-butter shortbreads contain wheat and milk, while the checked plain digestives contain wheat; some gluten-free varieties still contain milk, oats or soya. Compare ingredients and precautionary statements when ordering, then check the pack received before serving or eating it.
Check both ingredients and precautionary statements for the exact biscuit. The checked butter shortbreads contain milk, while Waitrose Essential digestives carry a milk precaution. A different free-from recipe may contain oats or another ingredient you need to avoid.
Look for a biscuit expressly labelled gluten-free rather than choosing a standard wheat-based shortbread or digestive. Check its other ingredients separately: a gluten-free variety may still contain milk, oats or soya.
Find out which ingredients and precautions matter to the recipient before choosing a variety. Check the delivered pack even if you recognise the brand, as online ingredient and allergen information can change.
Start with the required exclusions, then compare the exact variety’s ingredients, precautions and label when it arrives.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit type | Compare the exact recipes, not just the names. Walker’s Shortbread, Dean’s and Tesco list wheat and milk in their checked butter shortbread fingers; Waitrose lists wheat in its Essential digestives. | “I’d like shortbread rather than a digestive, but only if that variety’s ingredients suit the person eating it.” |
| Gluten-free claim | Choose a variety expressly labelled gluten-free when that is required. Check its remaining ingredients: Walker’s gluten-free rounds contain butter, while the checked Prewett’s gluten-free milk-chocolate digestives contain oats, milk and soya. | “I need a gluten-free biscuit, and I also need to check whether milk, oats or soya matter.” |
| Precautions | Read any relevant “may contain” wording alongside the ingredients. Waitrose Essential digestives say they may contain milk; the checked M&S Made Without Wheat rounds are marked unsuitable for nut or peanut allergy. | “An ingredient list alone won’t answer my question about a stated cross-contact risk.” |
| Pack received | Match the delivered variety to the one ordered, then read its current ingredients and warnings. Waitrose advises checking product labels because recipes and online allergen details may change. | “If I’m ordering for someone else, I want to check the actual pack before serving the biscuits.” |
Walker's gluten-free shortbread rounds contain butter (milk), and the checked gluten-free milk-chocolate digestives contain oats, milk and soya.
Check every ingredient you need to avoid against the exact variety, as well as its precautionary statements.
Waitrose Essential digestives carry a “may contain milk” statement. That describes a potential cross-contact risk, not an intentional milk ingredient.
Read the precautionary wording on the pack when milk allergy affects the choice.
A title may not make the precise flavour clear, and retailers warn that recipes and allergen information can change.
Resolve any variety mismatch before ordering and check the current physical pack before serving or eating the biscuits.
Its checked classic fingers and gluten-free rounds have different flour recipes.
The checked All Butter Shortbread Fingers are an example of a traditional butter recipe.
Its checked Made Without Wheat All Butter Shortbread Rounds are labelled gluten-free.
Its checked Essential Digestive Biscuits provide a plain digestive example.
Its checked 210g All Butter Shortbread Fingers use wheat flour and butter.
Its Vegan Scottish Shortbread is a different recipe to the checked butter shortbreads.
These options include a gluten-free digestive and a gluten-free oat biscuit; the oat biscuit is not shortbread or a digestive. Check each pack against the allergens that matter to you.
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A gluten-free digestive option if you want this biscuit type. Check the pack’s full ingredients and precautionary statements for any other allergens you need to avoid.
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A gluten-free oat biscuit to consider if you are open to something other than shortbread or digestives. Check whether oats and the pack’s other ingredients and precautions suit the person eating it.
No. The checked gluten-free shortbreads from Walker’s and M&S contain butter (milk). Check milk ingredients and relevant precautions on the exact pack separately.
It indicates a potential risk that the named allergen could be unintentionally present, rather than listing an intentional ingredient. The Food Standards Agency describes this as precautionary allergen information; check the current pack rather than treating the absence of wording in an online listing as a guarantee.
No. Waitrose warns that recipes and displayed allergen information may change. Read the label on the pack received before serving or eating the biscuits.
Use the delivered pack’s allergy information, not the earlier listing, to assess that biscuit. If the variety or wording is unclear, ask the retailer or manufacturer for information about the specific product before serving it.