One-biscuit snackers
If you plan to eat one biscuit, per-biscuit nutrition is more useful than treating the whole pack as a serving. Tesco and Sainsbury's both publish figures for their standard custard creams.
Who is this decision for?
Shoppers choosing a pre-training snack
If you have missed a meal, decide whether you want a small treat or a snack chosen for a more substantial need. A biscuit's carbohydrate figure does not, by itself, answer that question.
Shoppers checking allergens
Standard and free-from custard creams can have different recipes. Check the declaration on the exact pack rather than assuming that all custard creams have the same ingredients.
What should you check?
Start with the portion you expect to eat, then decide whether a small treat meets your purpose and whether the particular recipe suits your ingredient requirements.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| One-biscuit portion | Tesco lists 8.4 g carbohydrate and 2.5 g fat per biscuit; Sainsbury's lists 8.6 g and 2.4 g. Check whether the product is a multipack rather than an individually wrapped portion. | I only want one biscuit, so I need figures for one biscuit—not the whole packet. |
| Purpose of the snack | Compare carbohydrate and fat for the amount you will eat. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes a different snack composition in its exercise guidance for people managing diabetes; that advice is not a universal pre-workout prescription. | If I have missed a meal, I want to distinguish a small treat from a snack chosen to meet a more substantial pre-training need. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current label for the exact recipe. ASDA lists wheat and milk in its standard custard creams and labels its separate 125 g free-from variant gluten-free and milk-free. | A standard biscuit may not suit my ingredient requirements, but a free-from label does not tell me how the biscuit compares as a training snack. |
| Opened-pack storage | Check the pack instructions if you will eat one biscuit at a time. Tesco, Sainsbury's and ASDA advise storing their opened standard-biscuit packs in an airtight container. | I plan to keep the remaining biscuits, so the pack format and storage instructions matter. |
Common buying mistakes
-
Assuming ‘single bar’ describes the packaging
The Tesco, Sainsbury's and ASDA standard custard creams described here are biscuits in multipacks, not individually wrapped bars.
Check the pack format and use per-biscuit nutrition if you intend to eat just one. Follow the pack's storage instructions for the rest.
-
Reading carbohydrate as proof of training suitability
Carbohydrate figures describe the biscuit, not an exercise-performance effect. The exercise-snack guidance from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust concerns people managing diabetes and describes a snack containing carbohydrate and protein with minimal fat in its specified circumstances.
Decide whether you want a small treat or need to assess a more substantial snack; do not treat one biscuit as an established substitute for the snack described in that guidance.
-
Assuming ‘free from’ means low in sugar
ASDA's free-from custard cream is a distinct recipe, and its listing gives 3.5 g sugars and 1.8 g saturates per biscuit. Its free-from declaration is not a comparison of exercise performance.
Match the stated exclusions to your requirements, then read the current ingredient, allergen and nutrition information for that product.
Brand and recipe references
These product listings illustrate differences in portion information and recipes; the figures apply to the named products, not every biscuit from each brand.
Tesco
Tesco Custard Cream Biscuits 400G is a standard recipe with nutrition listed per biscuit.
- Tesco lists 8.4 g carbohydrate and 2.5 g fat per biscuit.
- The ingredients include milk, and the 400 g product is a multipack rather than a single bar.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Custard Creams 200g also provides per-biscuit figures for a standard recipe.
- Sainsbury's lists 8.6 g carbohydrate and 2.4 g fat per biscuit.
- The recipe includes milk ingredients; check the current pack for ingredient and allergen details.
ASDA
ASDA lists both standard custard creams and a separate free-from recipe.
- Its 125 g free-from variant is labelled gluten-free and milk-free.
- The standard 400 g recipe contains wheat and milk. The free-from label does not establish an exercise benefit.
Crawford's
A Tesco listing for Crawford's Custard Creams 300G provides nutrition per biscuit.
- The listing states 8.1 g carbohydrate and 2.6 g fat per biscuit.
- These are retailer listing figures, not evidence of exercise performance.
M&S
M&S Extra Cream Custard Creams 165 g is an extra-filling variant rather than a standard-recipe portion comparison.
- Marks & Spencer lists 23.4 g fat and 40.2 g sugars per 100 g.
- Those per-100 g figures should not be read as the values for one biscuit.
A Joybuy custard cream option
This gluten-free custard cream comes in a 125 g pack. It is an option to examine if you are comparing biscuit portions and need a gluten-free recipe, rather than an individually wrapped bar.
Image unavailable
Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
For a one-biscuit snack, check the portion information on the pack rather than treating the 125 g pack as one serving. The product name identifies a gluten-free recipe; read the current label for any other ingredient or allergen requirements.
Questions about custard creams before exercise
Is one custard cream an individually wrapped pre-workout bar?
The Tesco, Sainsbury's and ASDA standard products described here are biscuits in multipacks. If you intend to eat one, compare their per-biscuit figures and check the packaging before buying.
Is one biscuit enough after missing a meal?
A biscuit's nutrition label cannot determine whether it meets your particular pre-training snack need. If you want more than a small treat, compare the portion and composition of the snacks you are considering rather than relying on carbohydrate alone.
Does a free-from custard cream offer better workout fuel?
A free-from declaration does not establish an exercise-performance advantage. ASDA labels its separate 125 g recipe gluten-free and milk-free; check its current nutrition and allergen information against the standard recipe relevant to you.
How should I keep biscuits left in an opened pack?
Follow the instructions on the particular pack. Tesco, Sainsbury's and ASDA advise an airtight container after opening their listed standard custard creams.