McVitie's
McVitie's: Britain's Tea-Time Biscuit, from Digestives to Jaffa Cakes
Ask anyone in Britain what goes with a cup of tea and the answer is usually a McVitie's. This is the range that gave the world the Digestive, the Chocolate Digestive, the oaty Hobnob, and the endlessly argued-over Jaffa Cake — the biscuits people grow up dunking. We carry the classics as genuine UK imports, so you can stock the tea tray properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are they called "digestive" biscuits?
The name dates to the 1890s, when the baking soda in the recipe was believed to have antacid, digestion-aiding properties. That claim doesn't really hold up nutritionally, but the name stuck — a British digestive is simply a semi-sweet wheatmeal biscuit, not a health food.
Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?
Legally, a cake. In a famous 1991 UK tax case, McVitie's argued Jaffa Cakes were cakes (VAT-free) rather than chocolate-covered biscuits (which are taxed). To prove it, they showed the sponge goes hard when stale, the way a cake does, while a biscuit goes soft. They won.
Is the chocolate on the top or the bottom of a Chocolate Digestive?
According to McVitie's, the chocolate side is technically the bottom — it's the last part coated during manufacturing. Most people eat them chocolate-side up anyway, which has fuelled a good-natured national argument for years.
What's the difference between a Digestive and a Hobnob?
A Digestive is smooth and fine-textured, made from wheatmeal. A Hobnob is coarser and knobbly, built around rolled oats, which makes it sturdier and better at surviving a long dunk. Both come plain or chocolate-topped.
Ingredients & nutritional facts
Information about ingredients and nutritional values are displayed here to reflect our current products. We recommend you to compare this information with the information on the packaging of the orders that you receive. Any variations will be due to potential transition periods, as a result of new information by the manufacturers.
