Routine breakfast shoppers
A ready-to-eat multipack suits a breakfast that needs little preparation. Check the pack count and whether you have allowed the retailer to substitute a different item.
Who each format suits
The useful starting point is whether the croissants need to be ready when the delivery arrives or can wait for the oven.
Weekend brunch planners with an oven
Frozen ready-to-bake croissants suit a planned meal when you have freezer space and can allow time for baking before serving.
Shoppers checking allergens
Check the current listing and the delivered pack for wheat, milk, egg and relevant precautionary allergen statements. Repeat the check if the retailer supplies a substitute.
What to check before ordering
Everyday ready-to-eat packs
Choose when: You want croissants that can be served without baking.
Bear in mind: Warming a ready-to-eat croissant is different from baking a raw one from frozen.
Premium all-butter packs
Choose when: A particular stated butter recipe or pack format matters to you.
Bear in mind: A premium label or butter percentage does not establish which croissant you will prefer.
Frozen ready-to-bake packs
Choose when: You can plan the serving time around baking.
Bear in mind: The researched M&S frozen pack requires freezer storage and must be baked; it is not ready to eat on delivery.
After choosing a format, compare the exact listing and decide how you want the retailer to handle substitutions.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Serving time | Check whether the pack is ready to eat, intended for warming or raw and ready to bake. Ocado says its M&S frozen eight-pack cooks from frozen in 20 minutes. | For a breakfast straight after delivery, I need a ready-to-eat pack. If I am planning brunch, I can make time to bake. |
| Recipe | Compare the ingredients of the exact variant. Tesco Groceries lists 25% butter for its Finest four-pack; Sainsbury's lists 29% French butter for its Taste the Difference four-pack. Those figures alone do not establish a taste preference. | I want to know what distinguishes a premium recipe before choosing it over an everyday all-butter pack. |
| Pack and storage | Check the number of croissants, the stated product life and storage instructions. Ocado gives its M&S ready-to-eat four-pack a two-day-plus life guarantee excluding delivery day and says it is suitable for freezing. | A four-pack needs to fit my breakfast plans; if I choose frozen croissants, I need room to store them. |
| Substitutions | Check the retailer's substitution setting and inspect any replacement before accepting it. Tesco and Sainsbury's each describe ways to refuse an unwanted substitute at delivery. | I want the intended recipe and pack size, particularly if a replacement could change the allergens. In Which?'s October–November 2024 online survey of 1,062 UK online grocery shoppers responsible for household shopping, 30% reported a replacement in their most recent order. The figures were 26% among Tesco shoppers, 32% among Sainsbury's shoppers, 21% among Waitrose shoppers and 19% among Ocado shoppers. These figures concern whole grocery orders, not croissants specifically. |
| Allergens | Read the current listing and delivered packaging for ingredients and precautionary statements; check any substitute separately. Waitrose & Partners lists wheat, milk and egg for its individual all-butter croissant and notes that recipes can change. | Before eating, I need to check that the croissants actually delivered suit my ingredient and allergen requirements. |
Delivery and preparation pitfalls
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Accepting a substitute without checking the pack
A replacement can have a different recipe, filling, pack size or allergen statement from the croissants ordered.
If the exact product matters, review the retailer's substitution setting. Inspect any replacement at delivery and check its packaging before eating; Tesco and Sainsbury's say unwanted substitutes can be refused at delivery.
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Ordering a frozen pack for an immediate breakfast
Ocado describes its M&S frozen croissants as raw: they must be baked and take 20 minutes to cook from frozen.
Choose a ready-to-eat pack if you cannot wait to bake. For a frozen pack, follow its storage and cooking directions and allow oven time.
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Assuming an in-store listing can be delivered
Lidl GB describes its all-butter croissant as available in store, which does not establish delivery availability for an order.
Confirm that the exact croissant can be delivered to your address and chosen slot before including it in a delivery order.
Brand and retailer references
These listings illustrate different formats and delivery routes; a brand reference does not mean every croissant in its range has the same recipe or availability.
M&S
Ocado lists M&S food online, including a ready-to-eat all-butter four-pack and a frozen ready-to-bake eight-pack.
- Ocado says the ready-to-eat four-pack is suitable for freezing.
- The frozen eight-pack must be stored frozen and baked; it is not ready to eat on arrival.
Tesco Finest
Tesco Groceries lists Finest All Butter Croissants as a ready-to-eat four-pack.
- The listing states a 25% butter recipe.
- That recipe figure does not establish a taste advantage over another croissant.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists both its own-label All Butter Croissants x4 and a Taste the Difference butter croissant four-pack online.
- The Taste the Difference listing states 29% French butter.
- Check the exact variant rather than applying that recipe detail to the own-label pack.
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners lists standard, No.1 and individual all-butter croissant formats for online grocery shopping.
- Its individual all-butter croissant listing states 29% butter.
- Waitrose notes that recipes can change; check the packaging, particularly when allergens matter.
Asda
For an Asda grocery delivery, check the exact croissant listing against your address and chosen slot.
- Confirm the current pack, ingredients and delivery suitability before comparing it with another retailer's product.
Lidl
Lidl GB describes its All Butter Croissant as available in store.
- The product page identifies milk, wheat and egg and gives precautionary allergen information.
- An in-store product page does not establish that the croissant can be added to an online grocery delivery.
Croissants to bake from Joybuy
These Joybuy options are for a planned, bake-at-home breakfast. The butter croissants are the closer match to a plain croissant choice; the chocolate-filled and almond versions change the recipe and need their own allergen checks.
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Pret A Manger Butter Croissants 330g
For a planned breakfast rather than immediate serving, allow time to bake these croissants and check the pack's storage and cooking directions. Check the delivered packaging for current allergen advice.
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Pret A Manger 6 Chocolate Filled Croissants 420G
Choose this filled variant only if chocolate suits the breakfast you are planning; it is not a plain butter croissant. Allow time for baking and check the pack for storage instructions and allergen advice, including its nut and sesame warnings.
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Pret A Manger Almond Croissants 280g
This almond variant is a bake-at-home choice rather than a plain croissant for immediate serving. Plan for frozen storage and baking, and check the delivered pack's almond and other allergen information.
Croissant delivery questions
Should I check allergens again when the croissants arrive?
Yes. Check the current listing when ordering and the delivered packaging before eating, especially if a substitute arrives. Waitrose & Partners identifies wheat, milk and egg for its individual all-butter croissant and notes that recipes can change; a different product needs its own check.
Can I refuse a substituted croissant in a Tesco delivery?
Yes. Tesco says that, if you allowed substitutions and do not want the replacement offered, you can give it back to the driver or Click+Collect colleague for a refund. Check the substitute before accepting it if the recipe or allergens matter.
Can I ask Sainsbury's not to substitute my croissants?
Yes. Sainsbury's says it offers substitutes for unavailable items unless you have asked it not to, and that you may refuse a substitute at delivery. Review your substitution choice when placing the order.
Can frozen ready-to-bake croissants replace ready-to-eat ones?
Only if you can store and bake them before serving. Ocado describes its M&S frozen croissants as raw, requiring freezer storage at -18°C and 20 minutes of cooking from frozen. They will not serve the same immediate-breakfast need as a ready-to-eat pack.
Is Lidl's all-butter croissant a grocery-delivery option?
Lidl GB describes that croissant as available in store. Confirm that the exact item can be delivered to your address before treating it as an option for an online grocery order.