Hosts with a strict sugar-free requirement
A Free From bourbon cream is not a substitute for a biscuit with a supported sugar-free claim. For this afternoon tea table, set aside a separately labelled option and check its current pack.
Who is choosing?
Hosts catering for gluten- or milk-free guests
A bourbon-style biscuit may suit the requested dietary exclusion without being sugar-free. Check the precise allergen statement on the pack rather than assuming every Free From product excludes the same ingredients.
Hosts serving traditional bourbon creams
Standard bourbon creams provide the familiar chocolate sandwich-biscuit format for guests who do not require a sugar-free option. Keep them distinct from biscuits provided for specific dietary requirements.
What should you check?
A sugar-free biscuit in another style
Choose when: Sugar-free is a firm requirement for an afternoon tea guest.
Trade-off: A cookie or digestive will not provide the traditional bourbon-cream format.
A Free From bourbon cream
Choose when: The product’s stated dietary exclusions match a guest’s needs and sugar-free is not required.
Trade-off: Free From does not mean sugar-free; the checked Tesco and Asda versions both list sugars.
A standard bourbon cream
Choose when: Guests want the conventional chocolate sandwich biscuit without a sugar-free requirement.
Trade-off: The checked standard products exceed the sugar-free claim threshold, and their allergens need checking separately.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free claim | Check the current pack’s claim and sugars per 100 g. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 sets a maximum of 0.5 g sugars per 100 g for a sugar-free claim on a biscuit. | For a guest who needs sugar-free biscuits, I would check the claim itself rather than rely on Free From wording or a per-biscuit serving figure. |
| Dietary exclusions | Read the exact milk and gluten statements, ingredients and allergen information. Tesco Groceries lists 21.9 g sugars per 100 g for its Free From bourbon creams; ASDA Groceries lists 18 g per 100 g for its Free From version. | A guest may need a biscuit without particular ingredients, while someone else needs sugar-free. I would label those choices separately on the table. |
| Serving information | Compare the per-biscuit and per-100 g figures without treating a small biscuit as sugar-free. Tesco Groceries lists 3.5 g sugars and 1.7 g saturates per biscuit for its standard Bourbon Creams. | If I am putting out several biscuit types, the serving figures help me decide how to present them and keep their dietary labels clear. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Calling a Free From bourbon cream sugar-free
Tesco Groceries lists 21.9 g sugars per 100 g for its Free From Bourbon Creams, and ASDA Groceries lists 18 g per 100 g for its Free From version. Neither figure meets the 0.5 g per 100 g sugar-free claim threshold in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
Check the current pack’s sugar claim and per-100 g declaration. If sugar-free is essential, do not substitute a Free From bourbon cream on the basis of its name.
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Judging sugar content by biscuit size
Tesco Groceries lists 3.5 g sugars per biscuit for its standard Bourbon Creams; its per-100 g figure is 25.2 g. A serving figure does not change whether the product meets a sugar-free claim threshold.
Use the per-100 g declaration to assess a sugar-free claim, and keep a separately checked option for any guest who requires one.
Relevant brand references
These product-line examples help distinguish traditional, Free From and sugar-free biscuit labels; they are not interchangeable dietary claims.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists both standard Bourbon Creams and a Free From Bourbon Creams variant.
- The two listings let shoppers compare distinct biscuit choices.
- The Free From variant lists 21.9 g sugars per 100 g; the standard variant lists 25.2 g per 100 g. Neither should be presented as sugar-free.
Asda
ASDA Groceries lists a standard bourbon biscuit and a Free From bourbon-style product.
- The checked Free From listing states that it excludes milk and cereals containing gluten.
- That Free From listing also declares 18 g sugars per 100 g, so its dietary-exclusion wording is not a sugar-free claim.
McVitie’s
McVitie’s Tasties Bourbon Creams are a conventional bourbon-cream option for the party table.
- The 300 g product is identifiable as a bourbon-cream biscuit.
- ASDA Groceries lists 30.3 g sugars per 100 g for this product; it is not a sugar-free alternative.
Morrisons
Morrisons lists sugar-free biscuits in styles such as chocolate-chip cookies and digestives, separately from its Free From bourbon biscuits.
- The distinct styles give a host a format to consider when sugar-free is the priority.
- The Morrisons Free From Bourbon Biscuits listing on Joybuy declares 18 g sugars per 100 g and is marked no longer available.
Joybuy biscuit options
These Joybuy products are labelled zero sugar and offer a sandwich cookie and a digestive as alternatives to bourbon creams. Check each current pack’s claim, nutrition panel and ingredients before serving it to a guest with a specific requirement.
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Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies 97g
The sandwich-cookie format is an alternative for an afternoon tea table that also includes bourbon creams, but this is not a bourbon biscuit. Check the current pack’s sugar claim and ingredients against your guest’s requirements.
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Gullon Zero Sugar Free Original Digestives 400g
This digestive offers a different biscuit style when a bourbon cream does not meet the sugar-free requirement. It is not a bourbon biscuit; check the current pack’s claim, sugars declaration and ingredients before serving.
Questions about serving biscuits
Are the bourbon creams discussed here sugar-free?
No. Tesco Groceries lists 21.9 g sugars per 100 g for its Free From version and 25.2 g for its standard version; ASDA Groceries lists 18 g for its Free From version and 30.3 g for McVitie’s Tasties Bourbon Creams. Each exceeds the 0.5 g per 100 g threshold for a sugar-free claim in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
Does Free From mean a bourbon biscuit has no sugar?
No. Free From describes particular dietary exclusions, not a sugar-free claim. The checked Tesco and Asda Free From bourbon products both declare sugars, so read the exact exclusion statements and the per-100 g sugars value separately.
What can I serve if a guest needs sugar-free biscuits?
Consider a separately labelled biscuit in another style, such as a cookie or digestive, and check its current sugar-free claim and nutrition panel. Morrisons lists those styles in its sugar-free biscuit category; the format change does not establish suitability for any other dietary requirement.
How should I store opened bourbon biscuits?
Follow the directions on the particular pack. Tesco Groceries advises keeping its standard Bourbon Creams in a cool, dry place and using an airtight container once opened.