During a preview for the next episode of The Great British Bake Off, host Noel Fielding asked a contestant if he eats biscuits. The baker, 21-year-old Mo, replied: 'Not really, they're an old person thing.' The response left Fielding doubled over and prompted a debate about whether biscuits are truly a generational snack.
At Metro HQ, the consensus was that 'biscuits are for everyone', and even the lifestyle desk's resident Gen Z was surprised by the comment. 'That's silly. I love biscuits with a cuppa or just as a snack,' the 23-year-old said.
Which biscuits are off-limits?
It turns out, not every biscuit offends Gen Z, but some are firmly in the 'old person' column. Shannon, a 29-year-old from Plymouth, told Metro: 'Certain biscuits are for old people. I'm not touching a malted milk, but give me a packet of custard creams, and you won't get it back.'
An A-Level student from South London, who did not want to be named, said she would not be caught dead eating a rich tea biscuit. 'I've only ever seen them being consumed by people over 50,' she shared. Rich tea biscuits are also a no-no for 23-year-old Amiya, who said her generation views them as 'an old person choice' because they're 'too bland and plain'.
Shortbread, ginger nuts, and Jaffa Cakes have also been placed in the 'old person snack' column by Gen Z.
What Gen Z will eat
Anything with chocolate is deemed acceptable. 'Chocolate digestives are the obvious choice, and I LOVE the white chocolate ones too,' Amiya added. Sam, a 19-year-old from Norfolk, said he was also partial to a chocolate digestive and 'loved' an Oreo, while Chelcie, 29, declared chocolate chip cookies her biscuit of choice, especially if they're from M&S.
Food industry experts say biscuits are about to have a 'big comeback', and one of the places fuelling this is Marks & Spencer. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, M&S has made cookies a cult foodie item that shoppers of all ages – including Gen Z – rush to buy whenever a new flavour drops. The retailer is also beloved for its custard cream selection, which includes extra creamy custard creams, chocolate-covered ones, a custard cream doughnut, and a new custard cream spread. It's so popular, they've even created a custard cream ornament for Christmas trees.
The high street favourite has just launched a new biscuit product: The Big Six. St Michael's Big Six dates back to the 1950s and was a biscuit assortment box featuring teacakes, chocolate sandwich biscuits, and jaffa eclairs. The M&S product development team has revisited the heritage product and reimagined it for shoppers today, taking the original concept and design and giving the contents a shake-up.
The biscuits inside the box are different from the original, as it's now filled with 21 biscuits across six customer-favourite varieties. The new line-up goes hard on chocolate, with Milk Chocolate Fudge Creams, Milk Chocolate Sandwich Fingers, Outrageously Chocolatey Marbled Whirls, All Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and Outrageously Chocolatey Milk Chocolate Shortcakes.
