Organisers serving a crowd
If custard creams are one part of a wedding buffet, plan their quantity separately. A mixed biscuit pack’s total weight includes varieties that guests may choose instead.
Who is choosing the biscuits?
Organisers accommodating dietary needs
Keep ingredient information with each biscuit variety and make any separately offered option easy to identify. Crawford’s conventional custard creams and Schär’s gluten-free product have different stated ingredients and dietary descriptions; neither label can stand in for the other.
What should you check before ordering?
Work out which varieties you intend to serve, then use each product’s own pack details to plan quantities and serving arrangements.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit quantity | Tesco lists a custard-cream-only 750g format containing five 150g packs. Ocado lists an M&S 530g triple pack containing custard creams, malted milk biscuits and bourbon creams; its full weight is not the custard-cream weight. | I want enough custard creams for the guests who will choose them, without counting other biscuit varieties towards that quantity. |
| Ingredients and serving | Check the delivered label for each variety. Tesco’s Crawford’s listing names wheat and milk ingredients and says the biscuits may contain sesame. Schär describes its 125g custard creams as gluten- and wheat-free and portion packed. | Guests need to tell the conventional biscuits apart from a separately offered gluten-free option and find the ingredient information for each. |
| Opening and storage | Consider how many packs to open at a time. Tesco and Crawford’s instruct customers to store their listed biscuits in a cool, dry place and use an airtight container once opened. | I would rather put out biscuits in batches than open every pack before they are needed. |
| Availability | Confirm that the required number of packs can be ordered before fixing the buffet quantity. A suitable format alone does not establish that a particular listing can fulfil the order. | The serving plan needs to match the packs I can actually obtain for the event. |
What can disrupt the buffet plan?
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Counting a mixed pack’s full weight as custard creams
Ocado’s M&S 530g triple pack also contains malted milk biscuits and bourbon creams, so its stated weight cannot tell you how many custard creams it provides.
Plan the custard-cream quantity separately, particularly if guests may leave the other varieties.
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Assuming similarly named biscuits have the same ingredients
Tesco’s Crawford’s listing identifies wheat and milk ingredients and a possible sesame presence; Schär describes a different, gluten- and wheat-free product. A guest may need information beyond a gluten-free description.
Check the delivered packaging and keep each variety’s ingredient information identifiable at the buffet. Handle the separately offered biscuits so they do not come into contact with the other varieties.
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Planning around a pack before confirming availability
A pack format may suit the buffet without being available for the quantity you need. Tesco listed its 750g pack and Crawford’s 300g pack as out of stock, while Joybuy described its McVitie’s 300g listing as no longer available.
Confirm availability before finalising the biscuit count, and recalculate if you choose a different pack format.
Which product lines are relevant?
Tesco
A custard-cream-only multipack format for serving one variety.
- Tesco lists a 750g product containing five 150g packs.
- Confirm availability before including this pack in the event order.
Crawford’s
A conventional 300g pack for organisers considering a single biscuit variety.
- Tesco’s listing gives an approximate count of 26 biscuits per pack.
- The listing identifies wheat and milk ingredients, says the biscuits may contain sesame, and requires an availability check.
M&S
Separate mixed-pack and custard-cream-only formats.
- Ocado lists a 530g triple pack with custard creams, malted milk biscuits and bourbon creams; its separate 165g custard-cream listing identifies 12 biscuits.
- Do not treat the triple pack’s full weight as custard creams. The 165g listing identifies milk, soya and wheat allergens.
Schär
Portion-packed custard creams for a distinct gluten-free buffet option.
- Schär describes its 125g product as gluten- and wheat-free; Sainsbury’s lists five individual packs of two biscuits.
- Check the delivered label against each guest’s requirements and keep these servings identifiable.
Sainsbury’s
An own-label 200g pack to compare with larger custard-cream formats.
- Its listing gives approximately 16 servings per pack.
- Confirm availability and the pack’s biscuit count if planning portions; servings are not necessarily individual biscuits.
McVitie’s
A branded 300g custard-cream listing.
- Joybuy’s product information for McVitie’s Tasties Custard Creams Biscuits 300g identifies milk and wheat allergens and a possible sesame presence.
- Joybuy describes that product as no longer available, so do not count it towards an order without confirming its status.
Portion-packed custard creams on Joybuy
This Schär pack represents the separately portioned, gluten-free option for the wedding buffet. Plan its quantity independently of conventional or mixed biscuit packs.
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Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
For a separately identified biscuit option at the buffet, Schär describes these custard creams as gluten- and wheat-free and portion packed. Sainsbury’s lists five individual packs of two biscuits for this 125g product. Check the delivered label for other ingredients relevant to guests, and use the pack count rather than its weight alone to plan servings.
Frequently asked questions
How many custard creams should I order for a wedding buffet?
Start with the guests you intend to serve and the number of biscuits you plan to offer each, then use the count for the specific product. Tesco lists approximately 26 biscuits in a Crawford’s 300g pack; Sainsbury’s lists five packs of two in the Schär 125g product. Neither count applies to other custard-cream packs.
Can a mixed biscuit multipack replace a custard-cream-only pack?
It can suit a buffet where guests will also want the other varieties, but do not count its full weight as custard creams. Ocado’s M&S 530g triple pack contains malted milk biscuits and bourbon creams as well as custard creams; plan each variety accordingly.
Will every guest seeking gluten-free biscuits be able to eat Schär custard creams?
Do not assume so. Schär describes this product as gluten- and wheat-free, but guests may have other ingredient restrictions. Check the delivered packaging and keep its information with the separately offered biscuits.
What allergen-information rules apply to a wedding buffet?
If a food business supplies the food in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, Food Standards Agency guidance says it must provide allergen information for prepacked and non-prepacked food. The agency separately recommends written information supported by a conversation as best practice. This guidance does not establish that a private organiser serving bought biscuits is a food business, or establish the position in Scotland.
How should I store packs before and during the buffet?
Follow the instructions on each pack. Tesco and Crawford’s instruct customers to store their listed biscuits in a cool, dry place and use an airtight container once opened. Opening packs in batches also lets you put out more biscuits as they are needed.