I picked up packets of digestives from seven supermarket shelves to see if any could rival the original and save some money.
Digestives are a mainstay in our biscuit tin. Ideal for post-school snacking or an 11am tea break dunk, we’re partial to McVities in our home, but they do come with a heftier price tag than supermarket own brands.
So, in an effort to save some pennies, I embarked on a mission to find a more affordable alternative, testing biscuits from seven different supermarkets. For reports Birmingham Live, I sampled digestives from Asda, Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, comparing their price, appearance, taste, texture and dunkability.
I also ranked each brand with a score out of five. Here’s what I discovered.
Supermarket digestives taste test
McVities Digestives
A 360g packet of 24 McVities Digestives will set you back £1.90 at Morrisons, equating to 53p per 100g.
These biscuits were smaller and darker than most of the others, proudly bearing ‘McVities The Original!’ on top.
They boasted a shelf life of seven months. Composed of wheat flour, palm oil, wholemeal wheat flour, sugar, partially inverted sugar syrup, raising agents and salt, each biscuit packs 71 calories, 1.5g saturated fat, 2.2g sugar and 0.2g salt.
Their taste was delightful without being overly sweet. They paired perfectly with Cheddar cheese and held up well when dunked.
I awarded them 4 out of 5 stars.
Tesco Digestives
At Tesco, a 400g packet of 28 digestives costs just 60p, working out to a mere 15p per 100g.
These were the lightest and smallest of all the biscuits tested, with ‘Sweetmeal Digestive Sweetmeal’ inscribed on top.
They had a shelf life of eight months. Composed of wheat flour, palm oil, wholemeal wheat flour, sugar, rapeseed oil, partially inverted sugar syrup, raising agents and salt, each biscuit packs 68 calories, 1.2g saturated fat, 2g sugar and 0.09g salt.
I found them to be quite dry and utterly tasteless, lacking any real flavour. They were rather unpleasant and I wouldn’t bother with them again.
I rated them a mere 1 out of 5 stars.
Asda Digestives
Priced at 60p for a 400g packet containing 25 biscuits, Asda Digestives come in at 15p per 100g – matching Tesco’s price point.
These are one of the larger biscuits, labelled as ‘Sweetmeal Digestive Biscuits’ on the top.
The packaging indicates they have a seven-month shelf life. Crafted from fortified wheat flour, palm oil, wholemeal wheat flour, sugar, invert sugar syrup, raising agents and salt, each biscuit delivers 76 calories, 1.5g saturated fat, 2.5g sugar and 0.14g salt.
I found them to be sweet and crumbly, perfect for a good dunking.
I awarded them 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Aldi Belmont Digestives
Aldi Belmont Digestives are priced at 59p for a 400g packet containing 26 biscuits, which equates to 15p per 100g.
These biscuits feature an image of a grain of wheat on the top, giving them a McVities-like appearance, with the words ‘Digestive Biscuits’. However, they are paler in colour and slightly larger in size.
They boast an impressive 11-month shelf life. Made from wheat flour, palm oil, wholemeal wheat flour, sugar, invert sugar syrup, raising agents and salt (not fortified), each biscuit contains 73 calories, 1.5g saturated fat, 2.6g sugar and 0.10g salt.
These biscuits were rather dry and tasteless, more akin to rich tea than digestive. They held up well when dunked but didn’t improve in flavour with a cuppa.
A letdown, I rated them 1 out of 5 stars.
M&S Digestives
Priced at 90p for a 400g packet of 25 biscuits from Ocado, M&S Digestives come in at 23p per 100g.
These biscuits bore the closest resemblance to McVities in terms of size and colour, with ‘Digestive M&S Biscuits’ emblazoned on the top.
They boasted a six-month shelf life. Composed of wheat flour, palm oil, sugar, wholemeal wheat flour, demerara sugar, invert sugar syrup, raising agents, barley malt extract and salt, each biscuit packs 78 calories, 1.6g saturated fat, 2.9g sugar and 0.21g salt.
Sweeter than most of the competition but utterly irresistible. The ingredients differed slightly from the others, something I only noticed after tucking in, but had already detected the difference in taste.
I appreciated the inclusion of barley malt and demerara sugar.
Despite being quite crumbly (a few broke in the packet), they held their shape when dunked.
I awarded them a full 5 out of 5 stars.
Sainsbury’s Digestives
Sainsbury’s Digestives are priced at 59p for a 400g packet of 27 biscuits, equating to 15p per 100g.
They appeared somewhat lighter in colour compared to McVities, and were labelled ‘Sweetmeal Digestive Biscuits’ on the top.
With a best before date just five months away, their shelf life was shorter than most of the others. Each biscuit is made with fortified wheat flour, palm oil, wholemeal wheat flour, sugar, raising agents, partially inverted sugar syrup and salt, packing in 70 calories, 1.3g of saturated fat, 2.4g of sugar and 0.13g of salt.
In terms of taste and texture, these biscuits were quite similar to McVities, and I reckon they’d go down a treat with some cheese. They held up well when dunked and weren’t overly sweet.
They earned a solid score of 4 out of 5 stars from me.
Lidl’s Digestives
Next up, Lidl’s Tower Gate Digestives. Priced at just 59p for a 400g packet of 27 biscuits, they offer great value at only 15p per 100g.
Visually, they’re quite similar to the Aldi version, featuring a wheat pic on top along with the words ‘Digestive Biscuits’, making them comparable to McVities in appearance. Plus, they come with an impressive 11-month shelf life.
These biscuits are made with wheat flour, palm oil, wholemeal wheat flour, sugar, invert sugar syrup, raising agents and salt. Each one contains 72 calories, 1.5g of saturated fat, 2.3g of sugar and 0.12g of salt.
They performed well in the dunk test, holding their shape without crumbling thanks to their excellent texture. However, they fell short in the flavour department.
I give them a score of 3 out of 5 stars.
Overall verdict
I had a clear winner in this taste test. The M&S Digestives, perhaps because they tasted distinctively different from the rest and not quite like the original, really stood out for me.
They were incredibly moreish and I’d certainly purchase them again, despite their higher price tag compared to other supermarket own brands.
Surprisingly, I found them even more enjoyable than the original McVities, and they were £1 cheaper. A win-win situation indeed.