Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies: A Chai-Time Guide

Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies: India's chai-time biscuit

Good Day works because so little is going on in it: dough, butter, sugar and heat, with no chocolate, filling or fruit. That plainness is exactly what lets it sit beside a loud, spiced, milky chai without a fight.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies: India's chai-time biscuit, in summary: A plain, pale butter cookie from Britannia, the Indian biscuit maker that began in Kolkata in 1892. No filling and no coating, just a short, buttery crumb that stays out of the way of a strong, milky chai.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Good Day works because so little is going on in it: dough, butter, sugar and heat, with no chocolate, filling or fruit. That plainness is exactly what lets it sit beside a loud, spiced, milky chai without a fight.

Britannia's story starts in 1892 with a small biscuit business run from a house in Calcutta, today's Kolkata, on 295 rupees. Incorporation followed in 1918, the Britannia Industries name in 1979, and control passed to the Wadia Group, one of India's oldest conglomerates, in 1993. Biscuits remain the heart of a business that now reaches more than 80 countries.

Britannia calls Good Day India's original cookie and says it has been a favourite since 1986. The line comes in butter and cashew versions: the butter cookie is the easier all-rounder for a family tin, while the cashew is richer and suits a quieter mid-morning cup. Britannia marks Good Day as 100 per cent vegetarian.

A short crumb, not a snap

The published ingredients are wheat flour, sugar, palm fat, butter at 2 per cent, invert sugar and whole milk powder, with raising agents, salt, emulsifiers including soya lecithin, and flavourings. The label lists wheat, milk and soya as allergens. It is a pale bake, and what reaches you when the pack opens is dairy fat and vanilla rather than toast or caramel.

Unlike a digestive, it does not crack in half. The fat in the dough makes the crumb short, so it gives way and falls into fine, dry crumbs almost at once. That makes it easy to eat two or three without noticing, and it also sets the dunking rule: about three seconds, because a short crumb lets go all at once with no softening first to warn you.

Built for a loud cup

Indian tea-time biscuits are made to go with chai, which is black leaf simmered with milk and sugar and frequently spiced. A biscuit beside that can try to match it and end up as a dessert, or it can keep out of the way. Good Day keeps out of the way, which is why it suits a strong, milky masala chai or a long-brewed Assam with a generous pour of milk.

Subtle teas turn the relationship upside down: a light Darjeeling or a green tea ends up with more to say than the cookie. A black coffee is a fair third choice after chai and Assam. As for the bag, once it is open it is best eaten within a week or so, while the crispness lasts, which makes 216g a sensible size for most households.

The packs we stock

Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies, 216g (barcode 6291007907896)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies, 216g says it contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Wheat Flour, Sugar, Vegetable Fat (Palm), Butter (2%) (Milk), Invert Sugar, Whole Milk Powder, Raising Agents: (Ammonium Bicarbonate & Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt, Emulsifiers: [Soya Lecithin, Mono & Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (Palm), Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono and Diglycerides (Palm)], Flavourings.

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	474 kcal
Fat	22g
of which saturates	11g
Carbohydrate	62g
of which sugars	22g
Protein	7g
Salt	0.6g

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Paper Refill, 150g: a smooth black instant for when there is no chai on the go; the plain butter round has nothing in it to clash.
L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g: a short, strong coffee that the plain crumb sits beside without competing.
Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea Bags 30g: a black Earl Grey that can be brewed strong and taken with milk, giving a plain cookie a scent to sit against.

Elsewhere in the Britannia range

Britannia Good Day Cashew Cookies, 216g

The full range is on the Britannia brand page.

FAQ

What are Good Day biscuits? Britannia's cookie line, which the company calls India's original cookie. This one is a plain, crisp butter round with no filling or coating.

Are Good Day Butter Cookies vegetarian? Britannia marks the Good Day line as 100 per cent vegetarian. The label lists wheat, milk and soya.

How long can you dunk a Good Day cookie? About three seconds. The short crumb gives way suddenly, so do not push your luck.

What should I drink with Good Day? Chai made strong and milky is the first choice; after that, a long-brewed Assam or a black coffee.

How is the butter cookie different from the cashew one? The butter cookie is the plainer all-rounder. The cashew version adds cashew pieces and is richer.

Curator's note: Make a pan of chai, strong and milky, and put the Good Day on the side. It is the plain biscuit that knows its job. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies: India's chai-time biscuit

Field	Detail
Brand	Britannia
Packs we stock	216g
Category	Cookies
Allergens (as published)	It contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya.
Dunkable	Briefly, about three seconds
Best with	Masala chai or a milky Assam
Occasion	Chai time and the family tin