Refreshment-break organisers
If guests will help themselves alongside tea or coffee, work out how many biscuit portions to provide and how guests will see the relevant allergen information.
Who is choosing the catering?
The purpose of the order changes the useful pack format: biscuits for a refreshment station call for a different serving plan from chocolates handed out as gifts.
Conference gift buyers
If the treat is intended for guests to take away, consider a boxed chocolate selection rather than treating an ordinary biscuit packet as a gift box. Check the chosen assortment against dietary requests.
Organisers handling dietary requests
A gluten-free or vegan description answers only part of a guest’s question. Check the exact product, its allergen information and the arrangements for keeping portions separate.
What should you decide before ordering?
Decide whether the food is for a shared break, a gift or both. Then compare the actual packs for portioning, dietary suitability and storage.
Custard creams for the break
Choose when: guests will select biscuits at a tea or coffee station.
Plan for: portions from a shared pack and accessible allergen information; an ordinary custard cream is not suitable for every dietary request.
Boxed chocolates for guests
Choose when: presentation or a chocolate assortment matters more than providing a tea-break biscuit.
Plan for: checking every relevant ingredient and allergy warning in the chosen selection, not just its front-of-pack description.
Chocolate-coated custard creams
Consider when: you want a chocolate-covered biscuit rather than an ordinary custard cream or an assortment of chocolates.
Plan for: biscuit portions and the exact coated product’s allergen information; the coating does not establish dietary suitability.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Serving purpose | Decide whether guests will take food from a refreshment station or receive a gift. Identify biscuit packets, chocolate selections and chocolate-coated biscuits as different formats. | I’m putting out biscuits with tea and coffee, rather than handing each guest a chocolate gift. |
| Allergens | Read the exact pack’s ingredients and allergy warnings. Match them to guests’ stated requirements and consider how the food will be handled when served. | A dietary label alone won’t answer a guest’s specific allergy question; I need the information for the product I’ll actually serve. |
| Portions | Compare the planned servings with the pack weight, biscuit count or individually packed portions where stated. Do not assume one chocolate box serves a particular number of guests. | I need enough portions for the break and a way to distribute them that suits the event. |
| Storage and timing | Follow the selected pack’s storage instructions and inspect its best-before information when it arrives. Marks & Spencer specifies cool, dry storage away from sunlight for its examined chocolate selection. | If I’m ordering ahead, I need somewhere suitable to keep the chocolates and time to check the delivered packs. |
What mistakes should you avoid?
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Treating every chocolate-and-biscuit product as the same order
An ordinary custard cream, a chocolate-coated biscuit and a chocolate selection box serve different purposes at a conference. Their pack descriptions and allergen information also differ.
Decide what belongs at the shared break and what, if anything, will be given as a gift. Check each exact product before finalising the serving plan.
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Assuming vegan also means suitable for nut allergies
Marks & Spencer labels its examined Made Without Dairy chocolate selection vegan but warns that it is unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergies.
Match each guest’s requirements to the chosen pack’s allergen information, and consider separation and handling when the food is served.
Which brands illustrate the options?
These product examples show why the exact pack matters. A description for one biscuit or chocolate selection should not be applied to every product from its brand.
McVitie’s
Iceland Foods describes the examined McVitie’s Tasties product as a 300 g packet of cream-filled custard cream biscuits.
- The listed biscuit format fits a shared tea or coffee break.
- The examined product lists wheat and milk; check the delivered pack for the information relevant to your guests.
M&S
Marks & Spencer lists both boxed chocolate selections and a separate 191 g white-chocolate-coated custard cream product.
- Its examined 624 g milk, dark and white chocolate selection illustrates the boxed-assortment route.
- That selection carries a nut-allergy warning. Its separate vegan Made Without Dairy selection warns against use by people with nut or peanut allergies.
Schär
Sainsbury’s lists the examined 125 g gluten-free custard creams as five individual packs of two biscuits.
- The stated pack format gives organisers a way to plan separate biscuit portions.
- A gluten-free or vegan description does not settle every allergy request; check the exact pack and serving arrangements.
Waitrose
The examined Essential Custard Creams are a 150 g packet described by Waitrose & Partners as containing approximately 12 biscuits.
- The approximate biscuit count can help with a shared-break portion plan.
- Its ingredient list includes wheat, milk whey and soya lecithin; use the delivered pack when answering dietary questions.
Joybuy options for breaks and gifts
These options include a custard cream for a conference break and boxed chocolates for gifts or a separate treat. Choose the format first, then check the delivered product and the number of portions you need.
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Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
A custard cream option for the refreshment break, labelled gluten-free in its 125 g product name. Check the delivered pack against any guest’s specific allergy requirements and confirm its portions before setting up the station.
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Tony’s Chocolonely Tiny Tony’s Mix Gift Chocolate Box 180g
This 180 g chocolate mix comes in a gift-box format rather than a biscuit packet for the tea station. Check the delivered assortment and its allergen statement before giving boxes to guests.
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Maltesers Chocolate Box Gift 310g
A 310 g boxed chocolate option when the conference order includes gifts or a separate chocolate treat. Work out how the box will be distributed, and check its label for guests’ dietary requirements.
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Lindt Lindor Assorted Cornet 200g
This 200 g assorted chocolate cornet fits the chocolate-treat route rather than the custard-cream break. If you intend to share it among guests, check the delivered pack for a piece count and its allergen information.
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Lindt Lindor Cornet Strawberries & Cream 200g
The 200 g Strawberries & Cream cornet is a distinct flavour choice for a chocolate gift or separate treat. Confirm portions and read the delivered pack’s allergen information before serving it.
Conference catering questions
Can a vegan or gluten-free label settle a guest’s allergy request?
No. Match the request to the exact product’s allergen information: the examined M&S vegan chocolate selection warns that it is unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergies, while the Schär biscuit description addresses gluten-free suitability. Food Standards Scotland also advises separation and careful handling to reduce allergen cross-contact.
How should boxed chocolates be stored before the conference?
Follow the chosen pack’s instructions. Marks & Spencer specifies a cool, dry place away from sunlight for its examined chocolate selection and directs buyers to the pack for its best-before date.
Does serving biscuits loose affect allergen information?
Yes, how a food business presents the biscuits matters. Food Standards Scotland says allergen information must be provided for non-prepacked food in Scotland and describes options including a menu, sign, shelf label or verbal information. Establish how the caterer will present the food and make that information accessible to guests.
What if a food business packs conference portions itself?
Establish how the portions are packaged and supplied before choosing a labelling approach. For food sold prepacked for direct sale in Scotland, Food Standards Scotland says a full label is required, with regulated allergens emphasised in the ingredients list; it distinguishes this from non-prepacked food. The caterer should identify which arrangement applies rather than treating every serving method alike.