A plain or wholemeal digestive is a practical choice to serve with coffee when you have friends over and want a biscuit without chocolate. Compare the nutrition information per 100 g if fibre, sugars or salt matter to your choice. If a guest has dietary requirements, ask what exactly they need to avoid and check the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging. For example, gluten-free does not automatically mean free from milk or soya.
You’re looking for a classic biscuit to serve with coffee and want to know whether one pack will be enough for your guests. Jumbo says its plain digestives provide around 27 portions per 400 g pack; bear in mind that guests may have more than one biscuit.
You don’t want to rely on words such as ‘digestive’ or ‘wholemeal’ alone. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing products per 100 g. For the varieties you’re considering, look at fibre, sugars, salt and energy, among other things.
If you or a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients, the information for the exact variety is what matters. For example, according to Jumbo, its gluten-free chocolate digestive contains milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts.
Before your coffee get-together, decide what matters most to your guests: a classic biscuit to share, nutrition information, an essential ingredient check or a distinctive flavour.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| A classic biscuit to share | Check the pack weight and the stated number of biscuits or portions. Make sure wheat is suitable for your guests. | When I’m making coffee for friends, I want to share a plain biscuit without chocolate as the main flavour. For around 42% of consumers, this kind of neutral option is the priority. |
| Nutrition information | Compare fibre, sugars, saturated fat, salt and energy per 100 g, then check the portion size. | Anyone choosing between plain, wholemeal and varieties with less added sugar will want to weigh up the nutritional values. For around 33% of consumers, this comparison is the top priority. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current packaging for the exact variety, including any ‘may contain’ information. | If a guest needs to avoid gluten or another ingredient, I want to know what I can actually serve. This check comes first for around 17% of consumers. |
| A distinctive flavour | Choose deliberately between a chocolate digestive and another coffee biscuit, such as speculoos; if you choose chocolate, check the allergens too. | If I’m offering chocolate or speculoos at a coffee get-together, that flavour matters more than a plain digestive. Around 8% of consumers put this preference first. |
A product name doesn’t tell you what a biscuit does or what its nutritional values are. For McVitie's Digestives Milk Chocolate, Jumbo’s product information explicitly states that the ingredients do not contain substances that aid digestion.
Base your choice on the ingredients list and nutrition information for the variety you want to buy.
Portion sizes can vary between products, so two sets of figures per portion aren’t necessarily comparable.
Following the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice, compare the values per 100 g first, then decide how many biscuits you want to serve.
According to the product information, Jumbo’s gluten-free chocolate digestive contains milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts.
Ask which ingredients the guest needs to avoid and read the allergen information on the current packaging for that exact variety.
According to Albert Heijn, AH Digestive 0% Sugar contains polyols and carries a warning about a possible laxative effect if eaten in excess.
Read the warning and compare the other nutritional values too, as well as the amount you plan to serve.
The AH range includes plain and wholemeal digestives, as well as a variety with 0% added sugar, so you can compare them side by side.
At Jumbo, you can compare plain and wholemeal digestives. There’s also a separate gluten-free chocolate variety.
The Digestives Milk Chocolate variety reviewed is an option when you specifically want to serve a chocolate digestive.
Biscoff is a speculoos biscuit to enjoy with coffee, not a digestive.
Biscotto is a supermarket own brand to consider when choosing a classic digestive.
These products suit two different ways of serving biscuits: a classic or chocolate digestive, or speculoos as an alternative if the biscuit doesn’t have to be a digestive.
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A classic digestive for anyone who’d rather not serve a chocolate variety with coffee.
400 g pack. If your guests have dietary requirements, check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
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For a coffee get-together where you’ve decided to offer a chocolate digestive.
266 g pack. According to Jumbo’s product information, this variety contains 30% milk chocolate and the allergens milk, soya and wheat.
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A speculoos biscuit for anyone who’d prefer something other than a digestive with their coffee.
250 g pack. If you have dietary requirements, check the ingredients and allergens for this pack size.
No, the name alone doesn’t prove that it has an effect on digestion. For McVitie's Digestives Milk Chocolate, Jumbo’s product information explicitly states that the ingredients do not contain substances that aid digestion. For a nutritional comparison, use the information for the exact variety.
Start by comparing the nutrition information per 100 g. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends using this basis to compare products; then check the portion you actually plan to serve.
No, gluten-free doesn’t mean free from other allergens. According to Jumbo, the gluten-free chocolate digestive reviewed contains milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts. Check what the guest needs to avoid and read the current packaging.
Seal the pack well after opening. Albert Heijn recommends keeping its digestive in a sealed tin; Jumbo advises storing its digestives in a well-sealed container in a dark place after opening. Follow the storage instructions on your packaging.
