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The best digestive biscuits
Whether eaten with a cup of tea or served with a cheeseboard selection, we tried seven plain digestives to find the best.
A consistently top contender in the age-old biscuit dunking debate, the plain digestive is a versatile option - often paired with not just a cup of tea but also cheese or chutney.
Originally created in 1839 as a digestive aid (hence the name), these biscuit-cracker hybrids have remained a popular choice in the UK ever since. The sweet-meal biscuit is a great afternoon treat alongside your cup of tea not only because of the sweet and savoury balance but research shows that the robust plain digestive is more than capable of surviving a tea dunking or two.
Ranking highly in the nation’s favourite biscuit poll, the plain digestive would look just as at home under a slice of cheese too. Working well with a creamy goats’ cheese as the pleasantly sharp flavour of the cheese brings out the sweetness of the digestive and it also shines with a classic cheddar for a rich, wholemeal mouthful.
A nifty British biscuit whatever it’s guise, it’s no wonder certain digestive brands are among the best-selling biscuits in the UK.
How we test:
The Good Housekeeping Institute taste test team sampled seven digestives from popular brands and grocers to find the best plain digestive. We looked for a well-balanced flavour of sugary sweetness with a savoury note from the wheat flour. Aiming for a crunchy but nicely baked texture that would work well on a cheese board or dunked in a cup of tea – you won’t be surprised who claimed the top spot.
Overall Score: 72/100
A sugary and inviting wheat aroma makes way for a balanced bite of savoury and sweetness in this biscuit.
Testers loved the crumbly grain that came together in a thick, crunchy mouthful, perfect on a cheeseboard or with a hot beverage.
Overall Score: 71/100
Testers loved the rustic, homemade appeal of this digestive including its crumbly grain and golden finish.
It has a strong savoury aroma and a wholemeal flavour with a hint of sweetness, making it the perfect base to some cheese or chutney.
Overall Score: 65/100
This biscuit has a lightly sweet flavour with subtle creamy, buttery notes also coming through though a richer wheat flavour would have been a welcome balance. While we enjoyed its satisfying snap breaking down into a pleasingly soft crunch, the aroma was slightly lacking.
Overall Score: 62/100
Giving a mild, wholemeal aroma akin to a homemade baking recipe we enjoyed the golden, rustic design of this digestive.
The pleasant taste offers a very light sweetness with an overall wholesome wheat flavour and though a real depth of salt or sweetness is missing, testers loved the crunch from the grainy bite.
Overall Score: 58/100
Pairing a gentle creamy and buttery flavour with a malty back note, testers detected a lightly honeyed, sugary aroma.
They commended the satisfying snap of the digestive with its good crunch but a deeper wheat-y taste with a good balance of sweetness was missed.
Overall Score: 56/100
A sweet, baked aroma is coupled with earthy undertones in this golden biscuit.
The wholemeal essence of the robust wheat-y flavour is paired with a hint of sweetness, making this a mostly savoury choice that several found somewhat synthetic and lacking real depth.
The good crumble is initially pleasant but becomes quite claggy in the mouth.
Overall Score: 53/100
The initial gently sweet flavour of this digestive develops to an overall wheat-y, wholemeal taste but misses the mark on quality.
Testers loved the strong and earthy aroma with a hint of sweetness coming through and felt the grain had a decent crunch and a good crumble but became claggy in the mouth as it developed.
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