Hotel breakfast buyers
Choose between filled custard creams and unfilled digestives, then consider pack formats for the number of biscuits you plan to serve.
Who is choosing?
Buffet managers
Keep allergen information available for each biscuit and consider cross-contact when arranging and replenishing the display. The Food Standards Agency calls for item-specific allergen information at buffets.
Buyers serving guests with dietary restrictions
Check the delivered pack’s ingredients and precautionary statements, as well as how a specifically labelled alternative will be handled during service.
What matters when choosing?
Decide which biscuit choices the buffet should offer, then compare the exact packs and plan how each will be served.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit type | Check whether the biscuit is an unfilled digestive or a custard cream with a vanilla-flavour filling. Treat chocolate-coated digestives and extra-cream versions as further variations, not identical substitutes. | I want guests to be able to choose between a plain biscuit and a filled one, rather than finding two versions of much the same option. |
| Allergens | Read the delivered pack’s ingredient and precautionary statements. The Food Standards Agency says buffet allergen information must cover each food item separately; Food Standards Scotland also identifies separation during preparation and service as an allergen-control measure. | Guests need to identify the biscuit they can ask about, and I need a serving arrangement that takes cross-contact into account. |
| Pack and storage | Compare pack weights and the amount needed for replenishment. Follow each pack’s storage directions: Morrisons says to keep its standard custard creams in an airtight container once opened. | A pack should fit how often the buffet is replenished, without leaving opened biscuits unidentified between services. |
| Sugars | Compare labels on the same basis. Tesco lists 28.3 g of sugars per 100 g for its Custard Creams; McVitie’s lists 15.1 g per 100 g for Original Digestives. Their per-biscuit figures refer to biscuits of different sizes. | If I compare these two recipes, the per-100 g figures give me a consistent weight basis; I will still check the portion actually served. |
What should you avoid?
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Treating custard creams and digestives as the same biscuit
A custard cream has a filling, whereas McVitie’s Original Digestive is unfilled. The recipes and nutrition labels differ.
Decide what choice each type adds to the buffet before comparing individual packs.
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Assuming a free-from pack settles buffet allergen handling
A packaged biscuit’s label does not describe what happens when it is served alongside other foods. Food Standards Scotland identifies separation during preparation and service as part of managing allergens.
Check the delivered label, keep item-specific information available and plan how to manage cross-contact at the display.
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Assuming every assorted packet contains the biscuit you want
Bestway Wholesale lists Crawford’s minipacks as an assortment of six biscuit varieties, including vanilla-cream sandwich biscuits and wheatmeal biscuits.
Confirm the variety mix with the supplier if guests need a dependable choice of custard creams or digestives.
Relevant brand references
McVitie’s
The documented range includes Original Digestives and Tasties Custard Creams, which are different biscuit recipes.
- McVitie’s provides ingredients, nutrition and pack-size choices for Original Digestives; Iceland Foods lists a 300 g Tasties Custard Creams pack.
- Original Digestives contain wheat and carry a “may also contain Milk” statement; check the separate label for Tasties Custard Creams.
Tesco
Tesco lists standard Custard Cream Biscuits in a 400 g pack.
- Its product information includes ingredients and sugars per 100 g and per biscuit.
- The listed ingredients include wheat and milk.
M&S
M&S lists Extra Cream Custard Creams in a 165 g pack as a filled-biscuit variation.
- M&S describes a vanilla-cream filling and publishes an ingredient list.
- The listed ingredients include wheat, milk and soya; “Extra Cream” is the product name, not a comparison with every standard custard cream.
Morrisons
Morrisons lists standard Custard Creams in a 400 g pack and separately labelled Free From Custard Creams in a 125 g pack.
- Morrisons labels the Free From product gluten-free and milk-free.
- The standard product contains wheat and milk. The Free From label does not establish how either product will be handled at a buffet.
Crawford’s
Bestway Wholesale lists a Crawford’s assortment of 100 minipackets, each containing three biscuits, across six varieties.
- The listed assortment includes vanilla-cream sandwich biscuits and wheatmeal biscuits in packet form.
- It does not establish that every packet contains custard creams or digestives; confirm the mix before choosing it for either specific option.
Joybuy biscuit options
These options cover a gluten-free custard cream and a sugar-free digestive. They are different variants, so check their delivered labels rather than treating them as standard versions of either biscuit.
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Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
This 125 g pack offers a gluten-free custard-cream option. Check the delivered label against guests’ requirements and plan how to manage cross-contact during buffet service.
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Gullon Zero Sugar Free Original Digestives 400g
This 400 g digestive is a sugar-free variant, not a standard Original Digestive. Check the supplied pack’s milk and soya precautionary statements and any sweetener information before serving it.
Questions about buffet service
Is one allergen notice enough for the whole breakfast buffet?
No. Food Standards Agency guidance says allergen information must be provided for each buffet item separately, not for the buffet as a whole. It describes item labels or a sign directing guests to staff as ways to provide that information.
Does an unfilled Original Digestive suit a guest with a milk allergy?
Do not assume so. McVitie’s says its Original Digestives may also contain milk. Check the supplied pack and ask how the biscuits are handled at the hotel.
Does packing biscuits into portions change the allergen-labelling requirements?
It can, depending on how the portions are packed and offered. Food Standards Scotland says food sold prepacked for direct sale needs a full ingredients list with regulated allergens emphasised, while allergen information for loose food must be available before purchase. Establish how the hotel prepares and presents the portions before applying a particular rule.
How should opened custard creams be kept between breakfast services?
Follow the supplied pack’s directions. Tesco and Morrisons direct buyers to keep their standard custard creams in a cool, dry place and an airtight container once opened. Keep the biscuits’ identity and allergen information clear if they are transferred to another container.