If dark chocolate is essential, check the chocolate type rather than judging a custard cream by its coating: Tesco Groceries and M&S describe their checked chocolate-coated versions as milk chocolate. A plain custard cream is an alternative if you want the filled biscuit without a chocolate coating; compare the nutrition for the portion you plan to eat and check the current pack for ingredients.
Check whether the coating is actually described as dark chocolate. The chocolate-coated custard creams listed by Tesco Groceries and M&S in this comparison are labelled milk chocolate, despite their cocoa-solids declarations.
A per-biscuit label is more useful than pack size when deciding how many to have. Tesco Groceries lists 3.4 g sugars and 1.5 g saturates for one plain custard cream, compared with 12.8 g sugars and 4.0 g saturates for one 27 g chocolate-coated biscuit. These figures describe two different products and portion sizes.
A snack bought for revision at home is a different decision from food supplied to pupils by a school. Under the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014, biscuits must not be provided as part of food supplied otherwise than at lunch in the covered English school setting.
Decide whether dark chocolate is a requirement first, then compare the stated portion and read the current ingredients label.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate type | Read the exact chocolate description and cocoa-solids declaration. Tesco Groceries describes its coated custard cream as milk chocolate with at least 27% cocoa solids; M&S also says milk chocolate, with at least 28% cocoa solids. | If I specifically want dark chocolate, a cocoa percentage on a milk-chocolate product does not make it a match. I would check another biscuit or snack category if the custard creams I am considering are labelled milk chocolate. |
| Portion nutrition | Compare figures per biscuit or per stated serving, noting biscuit weight. Tesco Groceries lists 3.4 g sugars and 1.5 g saturates per plain custard cream, versus 12.8 g sugars and 4.0 g saturates per 27 g coated biscuit. | For a revision break, I want to compare the amount in the biscuits I might actually eat, rather than assume these differently sized Tesco products have the same per-biscuit values. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack’s ingredients and emphasised allergens. The checked Tesco plain and coated products contain wheat and milk; the coated product also lists soya lecithins. | If an ingredient matters to me, I need the label on the pack I am buying, not just an earlier product description. |
| School setting | Check the applicable nation’s rules and whether the food is supplied by a covered school. In England, the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 prohibit biscuits in food provided otherwise than as part of lunch in the covered setting. | When I am selecting a school-provided break-time snack in England, I cannot treat a custard cream suitable for personal shopping as a permitted school snack. |
The checked coated custard creams from Tesco Groceries and M&S are described as milk chocolate products, so appearance alone cannot establish the chocolate type.
Read the chocolate description on the product and current pack. If it says milk chocolate, keep looking when dark chocolate is essential.
Per-100 g values do not show the amount in one biscuit unless you also know its weight. Tesco Groceries gives different per-biscuit sugar and saturates figures for its plain and 27 g coated custard creams.
Use the per-biscuit or stated-serving panel when comparing the portions you might eat, and note when biscuit sizes differ.
The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 place restrictions on food provided in the covered English school setting, including biscuits supplied outside lunch. They do not, by themselves, settle what a pupil may bring from home.
For school-provided food, check the rules for the relevant UK nation and whether the food is being supplied at lunch or at another time.
An earlier listing may not reflect the pack in hand. The checked Tesco custard creams contain wheat and milk ingredients, while its coated version also lists soya lecithins.
Read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen information before eating or serving the biscuits.
These products illustrate distinctions to check; a brand name alone does not establish that a custard cream contains dark chocolate.
Tesco Groceries lists a plain 400 g custard cream and a 162 g milk-chocolate-coated version.
M&S lists Extra Cream Custard Creams and an Outrageously Chocolatey custard cream coated in milk chocolate.
Tesco Groceries lists McVitie's Hobnobs Dark Chocolate Biscuits as a different biscuit type for someone willing to look beyond custard creams.
This plain custard cream is an option for a revision snack when the filled-biscuit format matters more than a dark-chocolate coating.
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Consider this custard cream for a revision snack if you want the filled-biscuit format rather than a chocolate-coated biscuit. The product name identifies a 125g gluten-free pack; check the current ingredients and allergen label before eating.
No. Tesco Groceries describes its coated custard creams as milk chocolate containing at least 27% cocoa solids, and M&S describes its checked coated custard cream as milk chocolate containing at least 28% cocoa solids. Those declarations do not identify either product as dark chocolate.
Tesco Groceries lists 3.4 g sugars per plain custard cream, compared with 12.8 g per 27 g milk-chocolate-coated custard cream. The comparison is limited to those two Tesco products and their stated biscuit portions.
Not as a school-provided break-time biscuit in the setting covered by the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. The English rules restrict snacks and state that biscuits must not be provided in food supplied otherwise than as part of lunch; this does not establish a general ban on food a pupil brings from home.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current pack. The checked Tesco plain and coated custard creams contain wheat and milk ingredients, and the coated product also lists soya lecithins; do not assume another recipe or pack has the same ingredients.