Hosts serving different biscuit tastes
Vanilla-filled custard creams, cocoa-flavoured bourbons and chocolate-coated custard creams are distinct choices. Check the biscuit and filling descriptions before deciding what to serve.
Who is choosing?
For a board game night, the first decision is whether to keep the custard-cream filling, switch to a cocoa-flavoured biscuit, or put a different dark-chocolate biscuit on the table.
Shoppers looking for a stated cocoa percentage
Look for a cocoa-solids declaration if that is your deciding factor. A percentage describing how much of the biscuit is chocolate coating measures something different.
Hosts checking food allergies
Read the ingredients and precautionary allergen statements on each current pack. A Free From bourbon and an ordinary custard cream are different recipes, even when both are sandwich biscuits.
What should you check?
Decide on the biscuit type before comparing chocolate descriptions, then check pack quantity and the label details that matter to your guests.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit and filling | Read the biscuit description and filling flavour. Sainsbury's lists a classic custard cream separately from its cocoa-flavoured Bourbon. | I want to serve custard creams, rather than discover that I have picked up chocolate-cream bourbons instead. |
| Chocolate and cocoa | Check whether the coating is milk or dark chocolate, and what any percentage refers to. Tesco and M&S each list milk chocolate as 52% of their coated custard cream; their stated minimum cocoa-solids figures for that chocolate are 27% and 28% respectively. | If a stated cocoa percentage matters to me, I need to know whether it describes cocoa solids in the chocolate, cocoa powder in the biscuit, or the amount of coating. |
| Quantity for sharing | Compare pack weight with a stated biscuit count or per-biscuit weight where available. Asda gives a typical count of 22 for its 300g McVitie's Tasties Bourbon pack; pack weights alone do not establish equivalent counts. | There need to be enough biscuits for the group, and I would rather check the count than rely on pack size alone. |
| Allergen information | Read the current ingredients and ‘may contain’ statements for each exact product. Sainsbury's describes its Free From Bourbon Creams as milk and gluten free, but they are cocoa-filled bourbons, not custard creams. | When a guest has a food restriction, I need to check the pack being served rather than assume a similar-looking biscuit has the same ingredients. |
| Opened packs | Follow the pack's storage instructions. Sainsbury's custard-cream listing recommends a cool, dry place and an airtight container once opened. | If biscuits are left over after the game, I want to put them away as the pack directs. |
Common label mix-ups
-
Reading ‘52% milk chocolate’ as ‘52% cocoa’
For the coated custard creams listed by Tesco and M&S, 52% describes the milk chocolate's share of the biscuit. Their separately stated minimum cocoa-solids percentages in that chocolate are 27% and 28% respectively.
Check both the coating type and the wording beside each percentage before deciding whether a biscuit meets your preference.
-
Picking a bourbon when guests asked for custard creams
The checked bourbon descriptions specify chocolate-flavour cream, whereas the custard-cream options have a vanilla-style filling. A darker-looking biscuit does not preserve the same filling.
Choose which matters more to your guests: the custard-cream format or a cocoa-flavoured sandwich biscuit.
-
Assuming similar biscuits have the same allergens
Ingredients and precautionary statements differ between the checked products; a Free From bourbon is also a separate recipe from an ordinary bourbon.
Check the current physical label of every biscuit you plan to serve to a guest with a food allergy.
Relevant brand and retailer ranges
These examples show how product descriptions distinguish custard creams from cocoa-flavoured or chocolate-coated alternatives; a brand name alone does not identify the biscuit type.
McVitie's
Asda describes McVitie's Tasties Bourbon Creams as sandwich biscuits with chocolate-flavour cream. Its separately listed dark-chocolate digestives are not custard creams.
- Asda gives a typical count of 22 biscuits for the 300g Tasties Bourbon pack.
- The bourbon listing identifies wheat and precautionary milk and sesame statements. The digestive listing's 30% dark chocolate describes its share of the biscuit, not the chocolate's cocoa-solids content.
Crawford's
Iceland Foods describes the 300g Bourbon Creams as sandwich biscuits filled with chocolate-flavour cream.
- The listing identifies fat-reduced cocoa powder in the recipe.
- It also says the biscuits may contain milk and sesame. A cocoa-powder ingredient does not state the cocoa-solids percentage of dark chocolate.
Tesco
Tesco's 162g coated custard creams retain a vanilla-flavour filling beneath milk chocolate.
- Tesco states that milk chocolate makes up 52% of the biscuit and contains at least 27% cocoa solids.
- This is a milk-chocolate-coated biscuit, not a dark-chocolate variety; check its wheat, milk and soya ingredients against guests' needs.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists classic custard creams, cocoa-flavoured bourbons and a separate Free From bourbon recipe.
- Its ordinary 200g Bourbon listing specifies 5% fat-reduced cocoa powder; its 150g Free From Bourbon is described as milk and gluten free.
- Neither bourbon is a vanilla-filled custard cream. Check the current allergy information for the exact pack chosen.
Asda
Asda's own-label 300g Bourbon Biscuits are another cocoa-style sandwich-biscuit option.
- The listing identifies the pack size and names wheat in its allergen information.
- It also lists precautionary allergens, including milk and sesame. The product description does not make it a dark-chocolate custard cream.
M&S
M&S lists a 191g vanilla-filled custard cream coated in milk chocolate.
- M&S states that milk chocolate accounts for 52% of the biscuit and contains at least 28% cocoa solids.
- The coating is milk chocolate, not dark chocolate; the coating percentage and cocoa-solids percentage measure different things.
Biscuit options on Joybuy
These options include custard creams for keeping the familiar biscuit format and other biscuits for a dark-chocolate or cocoa-labelled alternative. The alternatives are not interchangeable with custard creams: check the filling, pack quantity and any cocoa declaration against what you intend to serve.
No image available
McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Twin Pack, 2 x 266g
A dark-chocolate digestive option for sharing when the custard-cream filling is not essential. The twin pack contains 2 x 266g; these are digestives, not cream-filled custard creams. Check the exact cocoa-solids declaration on the pack if you require a particular percentage.
No image available
McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate 400g
A 400g dark-chocolate digestive pack for those choosing a chocolate-covered biscuit rather than a custard cream. It has no custard-cream filling; check the chocolate's cocoa-solids declaration if a specific percentage matters.
No image available
Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
A 125g gluten-free custard-cream option when the biscuit type matters more than a dark-chocolate coating. Check the current pack's full ingredients and allergen statements for each guest, and consider how many packs the group needs.
No image available
Nestle KitKat Cacao 72% Cookies
The name gives a Cacao 72% figure for shoppers comparing cocoa-labelled alternatives, but this is not a custard cream. Check the pack to establish exactly what the percentage describes and how much is included for sharing.
No image available
Gullon Zero Dark Chocolate Ginger Oaties 285g
A 285g dark-chocolate, ginger and oat-biscuit option if guests want that flavour combination instead of a custard cream. Its name does not establish a cocoa-solids percentage; check the pack if you have a particular figure in mind.
Questions about choosing and serving
Is a bourbon cream a dark-chocolate custard cream?
No. The checked bourbon descriptions identify chocolate-flavour cream, while the checked custard creams have a vanilla-style filling. Cocoa powder in a bourbon does not by itself establish the cocoa-solids content of dark chocolate.
Does ‘52% milk chocolate’ mean 52% cocoa solids?
No. On the coated custard creams listed by Tesco and M&S, 52% is the milk chocolate's proportion of the biscuit. Tesco separately specifies at least 27% cocoa solids in its milk chocolate, and M&S specifies at least 28% in its milk chocolate.
Can pack weight tell me how many biscuits to serve?
Not on its own. Look for a stated count or per-biscuit weight alongside the pack weight: Asda, for example, gives a typical count of 22 for its 300g McVitie's Tasties Bourbon pack. Biscuits of different sizes will not yield the same count from the same pack weight.
Is a milk-and-gluten-free bourbon a custard cream substitute?
It is a different biscuit. Sainsbury's describes its Free From Bourbon Creams as milk and gluten free, but they have a cocoa filling rather than a custard-cream filling. Check the current label against the guest's specific restrictions before serving.
How should I keep biscuits left over after game night?
Follow the instructions on the pack you opened. Sainsbury's custard-cream listing advises storing opened biscuits in an airtight container and keeping them in a cool, dry place.