There’s nothing quite like settling down with a cup of tea and a fresh packet of chocolate digestives.
McVitie’s has long been the default choice for most of us, but a full blind taste test comparing branded and supermarket own label showed which biscuits truly come out on top. Working from the very bottom of the rankings up to the eventual winner, here’s exactly how 11 different chocolate digestives actually performed.
Waitrose finished dead last, despite a premium price tag.
Waitrose Essential Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits, priced at £1.30 for 300g, scored just 46 out of 100, landing firmly at the bottom of the entire ranking. The texture was compared to a brick by several testers, with others describing it as far too grainy.
Its overall flavour score was particularly poor, managing just four points out of a possible 20. One especially blunt review described it as hard, almost stale tasting, and questioned whether it should even be allowed to call itself a chocolate digestive at all.
Morrisons landed second from bottom.
Morrisons’ own version scored 53 out of 100, struggling particularly with appearance, where it only managed eight points out of 20. Dunkability didn’t fare much better either, coming in at just 10 out of 20.
While the texture held up reasonably well compared to some of the other lower ranking biscuits, the overall package simply didn’t come together strongly enough to lift it out of the bottom few places. It remained a fairly forgettable option throughout the test.
Aldi came in just above Morrisons.
Aldi’s chocolate digestives scored 55.5 out of a hundred, held back mainly by a disappointing texture score of just eight out of 20. Appearance fared considerably better though, scoring 16 out of 20, giving the biscuit an appealing look despite its texture letting it down.
This mismatch between how the biscuit looked and how it actually held up when eaten seemed to be the main issue holding Aldi back from a stronger overall finish. Looks alone clearly weren’t enough to secure a higher ranking.
Co-op sat right in the lower half.
Co-op’s own version scored 59 out of 100, dragged down significantly by a particularly weak chocolate to biscuit ratio, managing only seven points out of 20 in that category. Appearance was similarly underwhelming, scoring just 10 out of 20.
Dunkability held up reasonably well by comparison, scoring 14 out of 20, suggesting the biscuit itself performed better in practice than its visual presentation might have suggested. Still, it wasn’t enough to push Co-op into the stronger half of the table.
McVitie’s, the nation’s favourite, only managed a middling result.
Despite being the most expensive option in the entire test at £2.25 for 266g, McVitie’s could only manage 61 out of 100 overall. Testers described the flavour as slightly stale, with a noticeably uneven appearance and a disappointing lack of chocolate on top.
The texture came in for particular criticism too, described as overly crumbly to the point of almost disintegrating in the mouth. On the plus side, McVitie’s did score respectably for dunkability, managing 16 out of 20, proving there’s still at least one thing it does reliably well.
Sainsbury’s landed just above the halfway mark.
Sainsbury’s own version scored 64 out of 100, boosted by a strong chocolate to biscuit ratio of 18 out of 20, one of the better results in that particular category across the whole test. Dunkability let it down considerably, though, managing just nine points out of 20.
The overall flavour and texture scores sat in fairly unremarkable territory too, both landing at 11 and 13 out of 20 respectively. It was a solidly average performance overall, neither particularly impressive nor especially disappointing.
Lidl impressed with a near perfect chocolate ratio.
Lidl’s Tower Gate biscuits scored 69 out of 100, standing out immediately for an outstanding chocolate to biscuit ratio, achieving a perfect 20 out of 20 in that category alone. Unfortunately, dunkability let the side down badly, scoring just eight out of 20.
Appearance held up well too, scoring 17 out of 20, suggesting Lidl’s biscuit looked impressive, even if it didn’t hold together quite as well once dunked into a cup of tea. It’s a biscuit clearly built more for eating straight from the packet than dunking.
Galaxy proved a surprising contender.
Galaxy’s branded chocolate digestives, priced at £1.50 for 300g, scored 70.5 out of 100, edging just ahead of Lidl. A generous chocolate to biscuit ratio of 15 out of 20 helped its case considerably.
Despite looking particularly appealing on the shelf, appearance actually scored its lowest mark of all categories at just 11 out of 20, suggesting the biscuit didn’t quite photograph as well as it tasted. Overall flavour landed in respectable territory too, coming in at 13.5 out of 20
Asda earned praise for having the crunchiest texture.
Asda’s own version scored 71 out of 100, with testers specifically praising it as the crunchiest biscuit in the entire line up, reflected in a strong texture score of 16 out of 20. Overall flavour performed well too, matching the same score.
Appearance held it back slightly though, with the chocolate lacking a glossy shine and some visible gaps where the biscuit underneath showed through. Even so, the strong texture and flavour scores were enough to push Asda comfortably into the top half of the rankings.
Tesco claimed a strong second place finish.
Tesco’s Milk Chocolate Digestives, priced at £1.10 for 300g, scored an impressive 77 out of 100, landing just behind the eventual winner. Dunkability proved to be its standout strength, scoring 19 out of 20 and earning praise as the perfect dunking biscuit.
A thick, generous layer of chocolate helped its chocolate to biscuit ratio score highly too, complementing the digestive’s naturally oaty flavour underneath. Appearance let it down slightly, with the chocolate layer described as a little messy, but this clearly didn’t stop it from performing brilliantly everywhere else.
M&S took the overall top spot.
Marks & Spencer’s Milk Chocolate Digestives, priced at £1.25 for 300g, topped the entire ranking with an impressive score of 86 out of 100. The biscuit’s demerara sugar content gave it a satisfying crunch that testers praised repeatedly throughout scoring.
It performed exceptionally well for dunkability too, scoring 18 out of 20, with testers noting the chocolate melted nicely while the biscuit softened just enough without losing its bite entirely. Sweet without tipping over into overly sugary, it struck a well-balanced note that pushed it clearly ahead of every other biscuit tested, McVitie’s included.
