Choose a plain custard cream for a vanilla-filled biscuit without a chocolate coating, or a chocolate-coated version if chocolate is part of what you want to serve. Cocoa in an ingredients list does not establish Fairtrade certification: check the exact pack for a Fairtrade Mark and the ingredient it covers. Pack format, portion information and allergens also matter when several people are sharing.
If cocoa sourcing affects your choice, look for a claim on the particular pack rather than assuming its chocolate coating is certified. The Fairtrade Foundation says its Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark names the ingredient it covers.
Decide whether the group wants plain or chocolate-coated biscuits, then compare pack sizes and serving information. A separately packed option may also be useful when you want to put out a few biscuits at a time.
Check the current pack against each guest’s requirements. Tesco lists wheat and milk ingredients in its plain custard creams, while Schär’s separately listed 125 g custard creams are described as gluten-free.
Settle the chocolate and Fairtrade question first; then check portions, ingredients and pack format for the people joining you.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade claim | Look for a Fairtrade Mark on the exact pack and read which ingredient it names. The Fairtrade Foundation says its Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark identifies one Fairtrade-sourced ingredient. | If cocoa sourcing guides my choice, I need a claim that identifies cocoa; a chocolate coating alone does not do that. |
| Biscuit style | Check whether the biscuit is plain or coated. Tesco describes its 400 g custard creams as vanilla-filled sandwich biscuits and its 162 g variant as milk-chocolate-coated. | For a familiar plain biscuit, I would choose an uncoated version. If chocolate is part of the TV-night treat, I would look at a coated one without treating it as proof of Fairtrade cocoa. |
| Portions | Read the biscuit weight, per-biscuit nutrition and per-100 g label before comparing products. Tesco lists 59 kcal and 3.4 g sugars per plain biscuit, versus 139 kcal and 12.8 g sugars per 27 g chocolate-coated biscuit; the per-biscuit figures are not equal-weight comparisons. | I want to know what one biscuit represents before deciding how many to put out. |
| Ingredients | Check the exact pack’s ingredients and allergen declaration. Tesco’s plain custard creams list wheat and milk ingredients; Schär’s separately listed 125 g product is described as gluten-free. | When a guest needs gluten-free biscuits, I cannot rely on the words “custard creams” alone to establish suitability. |
| Pack format | Compare net weight and how the biscuits are packed. The listed Tesco plain pack is 400 g, M&S Extra Cream Custard Creams are 165 g, and Schär’s 125 g pack contains five individual packs of two. | A larger pack may suit a group, while separate pairs let me open only some of the biscuits for this viewing. |
Tesco lists cocoa ingredients in its chocolate-coated custard creams, but ingredients alone do not establish certification. A Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark can refer to a named ingredient rather than every ingredient in the biscuit.
Check the mark and its ingredient designation on the specific pack before using Fairtrade cocoa as a reason to choose it.
Tesco lists its chocolate-coated biscuit as 27 g with 139 kcal, while its plain biscuit is listed at 59 kcal per biscuit. Those figures should not be treated as an equal-weight comparison.
Use the serving weights and per-100 g information on both labels when comparing them.
Availability is specific to the seller and can change before you shop.
Check the seller’s current listing when planning what to serve.
These product lines illustrate different styles and pack formats; a brand name by itself does not establish Fairtrade certification or current availability.
Tesco lists both plain custard creams and a separate milk-chocolate-coated version.
Morrisons lists McVitie’s Tasties Custard Creams as a 300 g plain-biscuit option.
Tesco lists Crawford’s 300 g vanilla-cream-filled custard creams.
Sainsbury’s lists own-brand plain custard creams in a 200 g pack.
Asda lists own-brand plain custard creams in a 400 g pack.
M&S lists Extra Cream Custard Creams in a 165 g pack.
This Joybuy option is a separately packed, gluten-free custard cream for a TV night where a guest needs that type of biscuit. It is not a chocolate-coated option, and its product style does not establish a Fairtrade cocoa claim.
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The listed gluten-free biscuits come in five individual packs of two, so you can open a pair for a guest without opening every portion. Check the current pack against that guest’s full ingredient requirements; these are not chocolate-coated biscuits.
No. An ingredients list showing cocoa does not establish certification. Check the particular pack for a Fairtrade Mark and read which ingredient it covers; the Fairtrade Foundation says its Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark identifies the named Fairtrade-sourced ingredient.
No general suitability follows from the biscuit’s name. Tesco’s listed plain custard creams contain wheat flour, whereas Schär’s listed 125 g custard creams are described as gluten-free. Check the current pack against the guest’s requirements before serving.
Follow the instructions on that pack. Tesco’s listing for Crawford’s Custard Creams says to keep them in a cool, dry place and transfer them to an airtight container once opened.