What’s the healthiest retro biscuit? From Bourbons to Hobnobs – and even Jammy Dodgers – nutritionists reveal the surprisingly healthy details in the nation’s favourite teatime treats

They’re the latest supermarket craze – with crowds gathering around bakery counters and queues snaking down the aisles. 

The M&S cornflake chocolate cookies (£3.25 for five) went viral even before they were released last week, and are already in short supply. 

And it’s no surprise they’re so popular. Biscuits – crunchy, crumbly, and moreish – are a perennial British favourite, whether served with coffee, or eaten as a snack.

In the 14th century, gingerbread emerged and was a treat for the rich. Today, these sweet treats, usually made from a base of flour, fat, and sugar, can be found in any supermarket for the budget-friendly price of under £1.50, however.

From Hobnobs to Digestives, Jammy Dodgers to Pink Wafers; there’s a range of classic biscuits that we’ve been eating for decades.

Due to their high sugar and saturated fats content, they’re usually avoided by those seeking to shrink their waistlines – but are they really all that bad?

We asked registered nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Family Life Rob Hobson to compare a range of Britain’s favourite biscuits. 

Read on for his top options to reach for the next time you want a sweet treat with your tea or coffee…

Garibaldi biscuits

Per biscuit: 38 calories, 0.4g saturated fat, 3.4g sugar, 0.6g fibre, 0.6g protein, traces of salt

The Garibaldi biscuit – a mixture of currants, raising agents, sugar and flour – is one of the most nutritious biscuits you can eat, says nutritionist Rob Hobson.

‘Currants make up 40 per cent of the ingredients, which gives the biscuit a small boost of fibre. 

‘Much of the sugar here comes from the fruit, which means it doesn’t count as the ‘free sugars’ you should limit to seven teaspoons a day.’

Compared to many other favourites, the saturated fat, calories and salt are all low. There’s less than a teaspoon of sugar, making it roughly on par with a Bourbon or Custard Cream.

Verdict: 4/5 

Hobnobs 

Per biscuit: 72 calories, 2.2g saturated fat, 6.1g sugar, 1g fibre, 1.3g protein, traces of salt

Despite containing the highest sugar count of all the biscuits analysed, Hobson says a Hobnob is, in fact, perhaps the most nutritionally sound choice. 

‘Unlike all the other biscuits these are made with oats and wholemeal wheat flour, which gives you a gram of fibre with every treat.’ He adds that, while it’s only a small amount of fibre, every little helps as ‘most of us aren’t getting enough’. 

Verdict: 4/5

Digestive Biscuits

Per biscuit: 71 calories, 1.3g saturated fat, 2.4g sugar, 0.5g fibre, 1g protein, traces of salt

Often seen as one of the healthier biscuit options, digestives certainly have a few things in their favour, says Mr Hobson.

‘They contain 15 per cent wholemeal wheat flour alongside refined wheat flour, which provides a little fibre but at just 0.5g per biscuit it’s not a particularly significant amount,’ he says.

‘Their sugar content is relatively modest compared with many of the other biscuits in the list, at 2.2g each, although they do contain 1.5g of saturated fat.’

Overall, he says, they’re a reasonable middle-ground option, with less sugar than many of the sweeter varieties but not enough wholegrain or fibre to make them stand out nutritionally.

Verdict: 3/5

Rich Tea Biscuits 

Per biscuit: 38 calories, 0.6 g saturated fat, 5.9g sugar, 0.2g fibre, 0.6g protein, traces of salt

‘Rich Tea biscuits are one of the simpler varieties, made predominantly from refined wheat flour, sugar and palm oil,’ says Rob Hobson. 

‘Each biscuit contains 38 calories and 1.5g of sugar, although their relatively small size partly explains these figures. 

‘They contain very little fibre, at just 0.2g per biscuit, so there’s not much nutritional benefit to be gained from eating them. 

‘Their total fat content is lower than most of the other biscuits reviewed, although they still contain 7.4g of saturated fat per 100g. 

‘Overall, they’re a fairly basic biscuit with little to offer nutritionally, despite being one of the lighter options in the comparison.’

Verdict: 3/5

Jammy Dodgers 

Per biscuit: 77 calories, 1.2g saturated fat, 5.2g sugar, 0.4g fibre, 1g protein, traces of salt

Jammy Dodgers may have a fruit filling, but their jammy centres are a sugar bomb, says Mr Hobson.  

‘Jammy Dodgers are made mainly from refined wheat flour, with a raspberry-flavoured apple jam filling that makes up 27 per cent of the biscuit,’ he says. 

‘Despite the name, the filling is mostly made from glucose-fructose syrup, apples and sugar, rather than raspberries. 

‘Each biscuit contains 5.2g of sugar, making it one of the sweeter options in this comparison, alongside 1.2g of saturated fat. 

‘They contain just 0.4g of fibre per biscuit, so there’s little nutritional benefit to be gained from the fruit-based filling. 

‘Their saturated fat content is lower than some of the chocolate and cream-filled biscuits, but overall they’re still predominantly a combination of refined flour, sugar and fat’.

Verdict: 2/5

Bourbon Creams (Tesco’s) 

Per biscuit: 63 calories, 1.8g saturated fat, 3.3g sugar, 0.4g fibre, 0.8g protein, traces of salt. 

At just 63 calories each, bourbon creams are on the lower end of the calorific scale, says nutritionist Rob Hobson – but that’s partially just because they’re smaller. 

As a result, he says, you may find yourself eating more of them in one sitting.

Says Mr Hobson: ‘Bourbon creams are made mainly from refined wheat flour, sugar and palm oil, with cocoa providing their chocolate flavour. 

‘They contain 3.3g of sugar and 1.6g of saturated fat per biscuit, while providing just 0.4g of fibre. 

‘The combination of refined flour and very little fibre means they have limited nutritional value, particularly when compared with biscuits containing more wholegrains. 

‘They’re firmly in the treat category rather than offering anything particularly beneficial nutritionally.’

Verdict: 2/5

Worst Offenders

Pink Wafers 

Per wafer: 47 calories, 1.6g saturated fat, 2.8g sugar, <0.5g fibre, <0.6g protein, traces of salt

Pink wafers might seem like a lighter option because of their delicate texture and small size, but nutritionally they’re one of the least healthy biscuits in this comparison, says Mr Hobson. 

‘Vegetable oils are the first ingredient, followed by sugar, with each wafer containing 1.6g of saturated fat despite weighing just 7.7g,’ he says.

‘At 17g per 100g, they have the highest saturated fat content of all the biscuits reviewed, alongside 30g of total fat. 

‘They also contain 24.5g of sugar per 100g. Although each wafer contains just 41 calories, their small size disguises how high they are in fat, particularly saturated fat’.

Verdict: 1/5

Custard Creams (Tesco’s) 

Per biscuit: 54 calories, 1.4g saturated fat, 3.1g sugar, 0.1g fibre, 0.6g protein, traces of salt

Custard creams might look like a relatively modest choice at 54 calories each, but calories don’t tell you everything about the nutritional quality of a food, says Rob Hobson. 

‘They’re made mainly from refined wheat flour, sugar and palm oil, with very little fibre at just 0.1g per biscuit,’ he says. 

‘In fact, they have the lowest fibre content per 100g of all the biscuits reviewed. They also contain 3.1g of sugar and 1.4g of saturated fat each. 

‘While their smaller size helps keep the calories down, they offer very little in terms of useful nutrients, which is why looking at calories alone isn’t always the best way to judge how healthy a food is.’

Verdict: 1.5/5

Milk Chocolate Digestives 

Per biscuit: 83 calories, 2.1g saturated fat, 4.8g sugar, 0.5g fibre, 1.1g protein, traces of salt

They may be more delicious. But adding chocolate changes the nutritional profile of a digestive quite a lot, says Mr Hobson. 

‘Milk chocolate makes up 30 per cent of this biscuit, which helps explain why the sugar content rises to 4.8g per biscuit, more than double that of a plain digestive,’ he explains. 

‘Saturated fat also increases to 2.1g, while the fibre content remains relatively low at 0.5g. 

‘Although they still contain some wholemeal flour, there’s less of it than in the plain version. 

‘If you enjoy chocolate digestives, there’s no reason to avoid them occasionally, but nutritionally they offer little advantage over other chocolate biscuits and are better viewed as a sweet treat.’

Verdict: 1.5/5