health

The food filter: ‘Don’t be fooled by fancy packaging’ – the best (and worst) supermarket shortbread, tasted and rated

Dunk, nibble or wolf them down: this classic biscuit is at its best when it’s just sugar, butter and flour, so be wary of those that stray from the rules

The food filter: ‘Don’t be fooled by fancy packaging’ – the best (and worst) supermarket shortbread, tasted and rated

TL;DR

  • Classic shortbread traditionally uses a 1:2:3 ratio of sugar, butter, and flour.
  • Many supermarket shortbreads include additional ingredients like cornflour and raising agents.
  • Some brands compromise on quality by using rapeseed oil or margarine instead of butter.
  • Look for "all-butter" on labels to ensure a genuine buttery flavor.
  • Price and fancy packaging are not reliable indicators of shortbread quality.
  • Walker's shortbread Highlanders and Lidl Deluxe Scottish all-butter shortbread fingers are highlighted as top choices.
  • Rodda's Cornish clotted cream shortbread, M&S Collection Scottish all-butter shortbread fingers, and Co-op Irresistible all-butter shortbread rounds are also reviewed positively.