An industry expert has declared that millions of Britons have likely been enjoying their chocolate digestives incorrectly for decades. The revelation comes directly from the bakery that has produced the iconic biscuit for nearly a century.
The Official Verdict from McVitie's
According to Anthony Coulson, general manager at the McVitie's chocolate refinery and bakery in Stockport, the biscuit was originally designed to be eaten with the chocolate-covered side facing down towards the tongue.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Coulson explained his own conversion to the proper method: "It's the world's most incredible debate, whether you have the chocolate on the top or the chocolate on the bottom. One of the very first things I learnt when I got to join McVitie's was chocolate side down to eat the digestive."
He admitted that until his employment at the company, he had always consumed it the other way around. The logic behind the chocolate-down technique is simple: "It starts to melt, you start to get the flavour and away you go." This positioning allows the chocolate to melt directly on the palate, delivering maximum flavour impact.
A Century of Biscuit History
The chocolate digestive boasts a rich heritage. The original digestive biscuit was invented almost 100 years before the chocolate variant, with its name deriving from the historical belief that the sodium bicarbonate in the recipe provided antacid properties.
McVitie's first manufactured the chocolate digestive in 1925, just eight years after their Stockport factory opened. Contrary to popular perception, the chocolate actually coats the underside of the biscuit as it passes through a "chocolate reservoir" during production.
The factory's long-serving staff attest to the biscuit's enduring appeal. Lynn Loftus, who has worked there for 36 years, called the product "timeless," while colleague Craig Leech, with 21 years of service, noted his positive attitude towards the people and products he knows "inside out."
Britain's Undisputed Favourite
The chocolate digestive's place in British culture is firmly established. A YouGov poll from 2018 confirmed that McVitie's milk chocolate digestives are the UK's favourite biscuit, with an impressive 82 percent of surveyed Britons viewing them positively.
This popularity translates into massive production numbers, with approximately 80 million packets manufactured annually to satisfy the nation's appetite.
Despite the expert's recommendation, Coulson was quick to add that ultimately, "You can do it exactly how you want to do it." Whether you follow the official method or stick to your own tradition, the chocolate digestive remains what worker Alix Knagg describes as "still a great product 100 years on."
