You've been eating choc Digestives all WRONG – McVitie's boss divides opinion by saying how you should consume snack
MCVITIE'S boss has divided opinion by saying people have always eaten chocolate digestives incorrectly.
About 80 million packets are made every year, with all of the chocolate made in Greater Manchester.
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Anthony Coulson, general manager in Stockport, said the teatime staple was originally meant to be eaten with the chocolate-covered side facing down.
"It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom," explained Mr Coulson, who admitted he was a chocolate-on-top man.
The factory opened in 1917, with the chocolate digestive launched eight years later, about a quarter of a century after the plain variety.
The name was inspired by the belief that the baking powder in the recipe would help with digestion.
And although people might think of the chocolate digestive as being topped with chocolate, the company has said that as the plain biscuits pass through a "chocolate reservoir", the chocolate actually coats the underside of it.
Lynn Loftus, who has worked at the factory for 36 years, called the biscuit "timeless", adding that she thought it would be around for many years to come.
Craig Leech, who has worked at McVitie's for 21 years, started off in the factory by putting the chocolate on top of the biscuits.
"I just come in with a positive attitude. I know the people and the products inside out," said Mr Leech, who is now a planning manager for the refinery.
Alix Knagg, who has been working there for six months, said the chocolate digestive was "still a great product 100 years on".
Consumers have been quick to respond to the news and one exclaimed: "I've got to 55 years of age without ever thinking about whether the chocolate should be on top or at the bottom.
'So excited' say Cadbury Ireland fans as new chocolate bar flavour to hit shelves TODAY
"Not happy though that I've missed out on the 'world's most incredible debate'."
Another added: "But the image on the packet has chocolate side up. Even in the adverts.
"They'll be saying pizza is being eaten upside down soon."
"I solve the problem by never eating one at a time and "sandwiching" 2 together, either chocolate to chocolate or biscuit to biscuit.
"Go on, do it, you know you want to!" joked a third.
Meanwhile, London's most famous landmarks were lit up with dazzling light projections to mark 100 years of McVitie's Chocolate Digestives.
The London Eye became a towering tribute with a jaw-dropping 360-degree rotating projection of the beloved biccie.
Tower Bridge joined the biscuit birthday bash with a rolling showreel of fireworks, balloons and confetti. While County Hall followed suit, stopping the passers-by in their tracks.
The ambitious projections took eight weeks of meticulous planning and precision mapping to perfectly align the visuals onto each landmark using cutting-edge hologauze and projection wizardry.
Next up in the celebrations – The McVitie's Chocolate Digestives Experience – will open in London this May.
Set in Piccadilly Circus, the immersive concept store promises to be a biscuit-lovers' dream with bonkers bakes, must-have merch and Digestives-themed art.
Entry is free, and it's open for one weekend only – from Friday 2 May to Monday 5 May at Below the Lights, Piccadilly Circus.
Other Choccy News
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An iconic chocolate biscuit branded "Aussie gold" launched in UK supermarkets for the first time.
Chocolate fans were rejoicing because Tim Tams were finally available to buy across the country.
Originally inspired by British Penguin biscuits, Tim Tams were launched by Australian biscuit manufacturer Arnott's in 1964.
They're comprised of two chocolate biscuits sandwiched together with chocolate cream, coated in chocolate.
Three different flavours are now available including Original, Dark and Chewy Caramel and you can get them for £2.50 at Waitrose and Ocado.
Earlier this year, others yelled "it's a party in my mouth" as B&M rolled out a new M&M flavour also only seen in the land down under.
The retailer is stocking a Mocha Mudcake version of the classic snack after launching it down under in July last year.
Now the quirky flavour has landed in B&M, with shoppers keen to snap it up.
Cadbury Twirl Bites in Caramilk and also strawberry also launched last year.
Eagle-eyed foodies spotted the treats, titled "Aus Twirl" in B&M.
Retro food fans are back on the shelves.
Most people have a favourite chocolate bar or crisp flavour they would love to see return - and we can now reveal some that have.
Cadbury's iconic gold coins made a return to the supermarket shelves last September.
The Hazelnut KitKat Chunky has made a return to the shelves after three years and shoppers can't get enough of it.
Plus, Morrisons started stocking Marmite crisps in February this year after Walkers announced it would be discontinuing the flavour.
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Belfast Telegraph
25-04-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
McVitie's boss says we're not eating our chocolate digestives the right way
Anthony Coulson is general manager at McVitie's chocolate refinery and bakery in Stockport, Greater Manchester, which opened in 1917 and has produced chocolate digestives ever since they were invented eight years later. But despite more than 70 million packs being sold every year, Mr Coulson believes fans of the biscuit – including himself – have been eating them incorrectly. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Coulson said the biscuit was originally supposed to be eaten with the chocolate side facing down. 'It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom,' said Mr Coulson, who eats them with the chocolate on top. McVitie's, which first began as a small shop on Edinburgh's Rose Street in 1839, first developed the recipe for its digestive biscuits in 1892. It is credited to an employee named Alexander Grant. The biscuits go through a reservoir of chocolate which enrobes them so the chocolate is actually on the bottom of the biscuits and not on the top Named in reference to the belief that the inclusion of baking powder could aid digestion – as touted in an 1851 issue of The Lancet medical journal – the chocolate variety of the biscuit was then introduced by McVitie's more than a quarter-of-a-century later, two years before the creation of Jaffa Cakes in 1927. It is not the first time McVitie's has sought to flip the narrative around the method in which its prize product is consumed. In 2014, an email purportedly sent by a United Biscuits spokesperson, which was then circulated on social media, said: 'For your information, the biscuits go through a reservoir of chocolate which enrobes them so the chocolate is actually on the bottom of the biscuits and not on the top.' Contacted by the media at the time of that assertion, a McVitie's spokesperson was quoted as saying: 'The McVitie's stamp is on the other side, which is the top of the biscuit.' As they mark the biscuit's 100th year, employees at the Stockport factory were reported to have expressed their belief in the biscuit's enduring popularity. Lynn Loftus, who has worked there for 36 years, described it as 'just timeless', while Alix Knagg, who has spent six months at the factory, said the chocolate digestive was 'still a great product even after 100 years'.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Daily Mail
You're eating chocolate digestives all wrong: McVitie's factory boss reveals 'proper' way to enjoy your biscuits
With their more-ish chocolate topping and crunchy base, Chocolate Digestives have for years been ranked among the nation's favourite biscuits. But Britain's biscuit enthusiasts have likely been enjoying their favourite teatime treat incorrectly for years, a McVities factory boss has revealed. For decades, legions of tea-dunkers have savoured Chocolate Digestives with the biscuit side facing down. But in the latest twist in the fraught, years-long debate, Anthony Coulson, general manager at McVitie's chocolate factory in Stockport, has declared the beloved biscuit should be eaten with the chocolate side facing down. The astonishing revelation looks set to split generations of fans of the Chocolate Digestive, which was first rolled out in 1925, eight years after the the Stockport factory opened its doors. 'It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom,' the factory boss told BBC Radio Manchester. Mr Coulson, who said he preferred chocolate-on-top, added: 'One of the very first things I learnt when I got to join McVitie's was chocolate side down to eat the digestive. 'Now up until then I'd always eaten it the other way round.' But in an apparent bid to pacify thousands of flabbergasted biscuit eaters, he added: 'You can do it exactly how you want to do it.' The genesis of the Chocolate Digestive happened roughly 25 years after the plain biscuit and two years before McVities launched the Jaffa cake An astonishing 80 million packets of the humble teatime staple are produced every year, with the chocolate made in Greater Manchester. The genesis of the Chocolate Digestive happened roughly 25 years after the plain biscuit and two years before McVities launched the Jaffa cake. Despite the biscuits often being referred to as chocolate-topped, McVities has disclosed the plain variety actually go through a 'chocolate reservoir' and the chocolate is slavered on its underside. McVitie's marketing director Kerry Owens previously said: 'When we make our McVitie's chocolate biscuits – whether that be Chocolate Hobnobs, Chocolate Digestives, or even Jaffa Cakes – they go through a reservoir of chocolate on the production line. 'This essentially "enrobes" the bottom in chocolate - so we can confirm that the chocolate is officially on the bottom of the biscuits.' In 2021, a study by the University of Oxford sought to settle the controversial debate, finding that people should pick up the biscuits with the chocolate side up, but flip them over before eating them. Researchers said this technique helped the brain register the chocolate layer and then turning thm over before indulging boosts the 'oral-somatosensory experience' of the chocolate melting on the tongue.
Scottish Sun
24-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
You've been eating choc Digestives all WRONG – McVitie's boss divides opinion by saying how you should consume snack
Answer our poll and let us know how you eat yours CHOC DEBATE You've been eating choc Digestives all WRONG – McVitie's boss divides opinion by saying how you should consume snack Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MCVITIE'S boss has divided opinion by saying people have always eaten chocolate digestives incorrectly. About 80 million packets are made every year, with all of the chocolate made in Greater Manchester. 5 McVitie's boss has divided opinion by saying people have always eaten chocolate digestives incorrectly Credit: Getty 5 McVitie's lit up a series of London landmarks to celebrate the 100th birthday of the nation's favourite biscuit Credit: Joe Pepler/PinPep Anthony Coulson, general manager in Stockport, said the teatime staple was originally meant to be eaten with the chocolate-covered side facing down. "It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom," explained Mr Coulson, who admitted he was a chocolate-on-top man. The factory opened in 1917, with the chocolate digestive launched eight years later, about a quarter of a century after the plain variety. The name was inspired by the belief that the baking powder in the recipe would help with digestion. And although people might think of the chocolate digestive as being topped with chocolate, the company has said that as the plain biscuits pass through a "chocolate reservoir", the chocolate actually coats the underside of it. Lynn Loftus, who has worked at the factory for 36 years, called the biscuit "timeless", adding that she thought it would be around for many years to come. Craig Leech, who has worked at McVitie's for 21 years, started off in the factory by putting the chocolate on top of the biscuits. "I just come in with a positive attitude. I know the people and the products inside out," said Mr Leech, who is now a planning manager for the refinery. Alix Knagg, who has been working there for six months, said the chocolate digestive was "still a great product 100 years on". Consumers have been quick to respond to the news and one exclaimed: "I've got to 55 years of age without ever thinking about whether the chocolate should be on top or at the bottom. 'So excited' say Cadbury Ireland fans as new chocolate bar flavour to hit shelves TODAY "Not happy though that I've missed out on the 'world's most incredible debate'." Another added: "But the image on the packet has chocolate side up. Even in the adverts. "They'll be saying pizza is being eaten upside down soon." "I solve the problem by never eating one at a time and "sandwiching" 2 together, either chocolate to chocolate or biscuit to biscuit. "Go on, do it, you know you want to!" joked a third. Meanwhile, London's most famous landmarks were lit up with dazzling light projections to mark 100 years of McVitie's Chocolate Digestives. The London Eye became a towering tribute with a jaw-dropping 360-degree rotating projection of the beloved biccie. Tower Bridge joined the biscuit birthday bash with a rolling showreel of fireworks, balloons and confetti. While County Hall followed suit, stopping the passers-by in their tracks. The ambitious projections took eight weeks of meticulous planning and precision mapping to perfectly align the visuals onto each landmark using cutting-edge hologauze and projection wizardry. Next up in the celebrations – The McVitie's Chocolate Digestives Experience – will open in London this May. Set in Piccadilly Circus, the immersive concept store promises to be a biscuit-lovers' dream with bonkers bakes, must-have merch and Digestives-themed art. Entry is free, and it's open for one weekend only – from Friday 2 May to Monday 5 May at Below the Lights, Piccadilly Circus. Other Choccy News 5 Cadbury Twirl Bites in Caramilk and also strawberry also launched last year An iconic chocolate biscuit branded "Aussie gold" launched in UK supermarkets for the first time. Chocolate fans were rejoicing because Tim Tams were finally available to buy across the country. Originally inspired by British Penguin biscuits, Tim Tams were launched by Australian biscuit manufacturer Arnott's in 1964. They're comprised of two chocolate biscuits sandwiched together with chocolate cream, coated in chocolate. Three different flavours are now available including Original, Dark and Chewy Caramel and you can get them for £2.50 at Waitrose and Ocado. Earlier this year, others yelled "it's a party in my mouth" as B&M rolled out a new M&M flavour also only seen in the land down under. The retailer is stocking a Mocha Mudcake version of the classic snack after launching it down under in July last year. Now the quirky flavour has landed in B&M, with shoppers keen to snap it up. Instagram page Newfoodfindsuk posted a photo of the 130g bag of sweet online with almost 150 giving the post a like. Cadbury Twirl Bites in Caramilk and also strawberry also launched last year. Eagle-eyed foodies spotted the treats, titled "Aus Twirl" in B&M. Retro food fans will also be pleased to know that some of their favourite "nostalgic" snacks are back on the shelves. Most people have a favourite chocolate bar or crisp flavour they would love to see return - and we can now reveal some that have. Aldi made biscuit lovers' dreams come true when it revealed it was bringing back the beloved Elkes Sports Shortcake biscuits. Cadbury's iconic gold coins made a return to the supermarket shelves last September. Nestle brought back the Quality Street fan favourite for Christmas last year. The Hazelnut KitKat Chunky has made a return to the shelves after three years and shoppers can't get enough of it. Plus, Morrisons started stocking Marmite crisps in February this year after Walkers announced it would be discontinuing the flavour. 5 Fans were rejoicing when Aussie favourite Tim Tam landed in the UK
