Who are these biscuits for?

Hosts sharing biscuits with tea

A packet lets you serve several guests. Check its weight and filling style against the size of your table and what you plan to offer.

Hosts catering for milk or gluten avoidance

Look for a biscuit explicitly labelled for the relevant requirement rather than substituting an ordinary custard cream. Check the current pack for other ingredients that matter to your guests.

Shoppers wanting just one treat

Check whether a listing means one biscuit, a small packet or an individually wrapped item. A packet of custard creams does not meet a request for a single bar.

What should you check before choosing?

Settle the serving format first, then compare filling, dietary labelling and portion information on the packs you are considering.

Priority What to check Your needs
Serving format Check whether the listing is for an individual item or a packet, and read the pack weight. The named packet options range from 125g to 300g. I want enough biscuits for the guests, or one item that is genuinely sold as a single serving.
Filling style Compare a conventional cream-filled sandwich biscuit with an extra-cream version. M&S describes its 165g biscuits as having extra vanilla cream and real custard powder. A familiar custard cream suits my table, or I would prefer the extra-cream style described by M&S.
Dietary labelling Read the exact product’s current ingredients and allergen information. Sainsbury's describes its 125g Free From custard creams as milk and gluten free. If a guest avoids milk or gluten, I need a biscuit labelled for that requirement, not an assumed substitute.
Portion information Compare figures using the same serving basis. Sainsbury's lists 59 kcal and 3.3g sugars per biscuit for its standard 200g pack. Per-biscuit information helps me understand what a serving contains before I put biscuits out.

Common buying mistakes

  • Assuming “single bar” means one custard cream

    A search result for custard creams can lead to a multi-biscuit packet instead of the individually sold item you intended.

    Decide whether you mean one biscuit, a small packet, an individually wrapped snack or a chocolate bar, then check the listing’s format.

  • Treating “free from” as a general nutrition description

    A milk- and gluten-free label identifies particular dietary properties; it does not tell you the biscuit’s sugar or saturated-fat content.

    Choose against the guest’s dietary requirements, then read the current nutrition information if you want to compare portions.

  • Assuming a listed biscuit is available to serve

    Iceland’s listing marked Crawford's 300g custard creams as unavailable, so that packet should not be the sole basis for a planned menu.

    Check current availability before the cream tea. If you choose another product, check its ingredients and allergens separately.

Custard-cream brand options

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's lists a standard 200g custard-cream packet and a 125g Free From version.

  • Its Free From biscuits are described as milk and gluten free.
  • Both named options are packets rather than individually sold bars.

M&S

M&S offers Extra Cream Custard Creams in a 165g packet.

  • M&S describes extra vanilla cream and real custard powder for shoppers seeking that filling style.
  • The 165g packet does not meet a request for an individually sold biscuit.

McVitie's

McVitie's Tasties Custard Creams come in a 300g packet listed by Morrisons.

  • Morrisons describes a custard-flavoured filling between two crunchy biscuits.
  • Check whether a 300g packet suits the number of people you are serving.

Crawford's

Iceland lists Crawford's vanilla-cream sandwich biscuits in a 300g packet.

  • The listing identifies wheat and milk among its allergens.
  • Iceland marked the packet unavailable; check current availability before planning to serve it.

Tesco

Tesco lists a 162g milk-chocolate-coated custard-cream variation.

  • The chocolate coating gives shoppers a distinct style to consider alongside plain custard creams.
  • It is a packet of chocolate-coated biscuits, not a plain single bar.

A Joybuy custard-cream option

This option is a 125g gluten-free custard-cream packet for serving with tea, rather than an individual bar.

Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g packet

Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g

For a cream tea where gluten-free biscuits are needed, this 125g custard-cream packet is an option rather than a single bar.

Check the current ingredients and allergen information if guests have other dietary requirements.

View on Joybuy

Questions about custard creams

Can I buy a custard cream as a single bar?

Check the exact format before ordering: the named custard creams here are multi-biscuit packets, including a 162g chocolate-coated variation, not confirmed single bars. If you want one individually sold treat, do not assume a packet listing meets that need.

Should I choose classic or extra-cream custard creams for tea?

Choose by the filling you want and the packet size that suits your guests. Morrisons describes McVitie's 300g packet as crunchy biscuits with custard-flavoured filling; M&S describes its 165g version as having extra vanilla cream and real custard powder. Those descriptions do not establish which guests will prefer.

Are ordinary custard creams suitable for guests avoiding milk or gluten?

Do not assume they are. Iceland identifies wheat and milk in Crawford's custard creams, while Sainsbury's describes its separate Free From packet as milk and gluten free. Check the exact current pack against each guest’s requirements before serving.

Where should I check allergen information on packaged biscuits?

Read the current packet’s ingredients list and allergen information. GOV.UK guidance for pre-packed foods explains that declarable allergens are emphasised in the ingredients list; checking the particular packet matters when serving guests with dietary restrictions.