Choose a custard-cream pack by how many people will eat it and whether you plan to portion it across training sessions; pack size alone does not make the biscuits a marathon fuelling plan. If you intend to eat them while running, compare the carbohydrate in your planned portion and try that portion on a long training run, as London Marathon Events advises for testing which carbohydrates agree with you.
If you are considering biscuits during a run, work out the carbohydrate in the portion you plan to carry and practise eating it during training. London Marathon Events recommends using long runs to find out which carbohydrates agree with you.
If the biscuits are for sharing around a group session, compare pack weights with the number of portions you expect to use. Check the storage instructions if the opened pack will last beyond one session.
Check the supplied pack for each person who will eat the biscuits. The Tesco and Asda standard custard creams described here contain wheat and milk, but precautionary allergen statements can differ between products.
Start with the intended portions, then check whether the particular biscuits suit the people eating them and the way they will be used.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Planned portion | Read carbohydrate per biscuit on the exact pack and multiply it by the number you intend to eat. Tesco lists 8.4g per biscuit for its 400g pack; Asda lists 8.1g for its 400g pack. | I want to plan a portion without treating the whole sharing pack as one serving. |
| Eating during a run | Try the intended portion, timing, carrying method and hydration routine on a long training run. London Marathon Events advises testing which carbohydrates agree with you during training. | If I might eat biscuits while running, I need to know whether that routine works for me before relying on it at an event. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the supplied pack’s ingredients and precautionary allergen statements. The checked Tesco and Asda standard recipes contain wheat and milk; do not apply one product’s statement to another. | Everyone sharing the biscuits needs a pack that fits their own allergy or dietary requirements. |
| Pack size and storage | Compare net weights with the portions you expect to use: the identified packs range from 165g to 400g. Tesco and Asda instruct shoppers to keep their biscuits in an airtight container once opened. | For a group, I want enough to share; across several sessions, I need a plan for the opened pack. |
Carbohydrate per biscuit tells you about a portion, not whether you can comfortably eat and carry the biscuits during a long run.
Use the exact pack label to plan a portion, then test your eating and hydration routine during training. London Marathon Events recommends long runs for working out which carbohydrates agree with you.
A 400g pack supplies more biscuits by weight than a 165g pack, but that does not tell you how many portions your group will actually use.
Plan for the expected eaters and sessions, then check the opened-pack storage instructions.
Biscuits left after a group session may need airtight storage until they are used.
The checked Tesco and Asda standard custard creams contain wheat and milk, while additional precautionary statements can differ.
Read the ingredients and precautionary statements on the supplied pack for each person sharing it.
Tesco lists a 400g pack of standard custard cream biscuits.
Asda lists a 400g pack of standard custard creams.
Tesco lists Crawford's standard custard creams in a 300g pack.
Morrisons identifies McVitie's Tasties Custard Creams in a 300g pack.
Sainsbury's lists a 200g standard custard-cream pack, smaller than the 300g and 400g packs described here.
M&S lists Extra Cream Custard Creams in a 165g pack for shoppers seeking that filling style.
This 125g custard-cream pack is a smaller option for portion planning, rather than a 300g or 400g group-sharing pack.
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The 125g pack is smaller than the group-sharing packs discussed above. Check its supplied label for portion and ingredient details, and practise eating your intended portion on a training run if you plan to carry it while running.
Yes. Use the carbohydrate figure for the number of biscuits you plan to eat and check it against the supplied label. Tesco lists 8.4g per biscuit for its 400g custard-cream pack; that figure does not apply to every product.
Yes, if you intend to eat them while running. Practise the portion, timing, carrying method and hydration routine on a long training run; London Marathon Events advises using long runs to discover which carbohydrates agree with you.
Follow the supplied pack’s storage instructions. The checked Tesco and Asda listings instruct shoppers to keep their custard creams in an airtight container once opened.
Read the ingredients and precautionary allergen statements on the actual pack against that person’s requirements. The checked Tesco and Asda standard custard creams contain wheat and milk, but one product’s allergen statement should not be assumed to apply to another.