Hosts serving small portions
Separate two-biscuit packs let you open a portion for one guest while leaving the others wrapped. Schär sells five such portions together, rather than one pack on its own.
Who is each format for?
Hosts sharing a packet
A conventional packet gives several guests biscuits alongside tea. Check its storage instructions if you expect leftovers; the Crawford’s and ASDA listings say to keep biscuits airtight after opening.
Guests with dietary restrictions
Check the exact biscuit’s ingredients and allergen label. The conventional Crawford’s and ASDA examples list wheat and milk, while separately labelled alternatives have different recipes.
What should you check before choosing?
Start with the serving format, then check whether the flavour, ingredients and total pack suit your cream-tea plans.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portions and leftovers | Compare the number of inner packs, biscuits per pack and total weight. Schär’s 125g pack contains five two-biscuit portions; conventional examples come in 300g and 400g packets. | I want to open just a couple of biscuits at a time, or I have enough guests to share a larger packet. |
| Place on the menu | Decide between a conventional custard cream, M&S’s 165g Extra Cream packet or its single 270g chocolate-coated biscuit, which M&S describes as made for sharing. The National Trust describes a classic Cornish cream tea with a scone, jam and clotted cream. | Are biscuits a small extra with tea, or do I want a larger treat for guests to divide? |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the exact pack label. The conventional Crawford’s and ASDA products list wheat and milk; Schär’s portion packs and ASDA’s separate Free From variant carry different dietary labelling. | A guest needs me to check particular ingredients, so I cannot assume two custard-cream recipes are interchangeable. |
| Purchase and storage | Distinguish one wrapped portion from a portion sold on its own. Confirm availability for your delivery area and follow the chosen packet’s storage instructions after opening. | If I am serving just one guest, I need to know how much I must buy and what I can keep unopened. |
Common buying mistakes
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Confusing a portion pack with a single bar
Schär’s separate two-biscuit portions are sold together in a 125g multipack. M&S’s single 270g biscuit is intended for sharing, not as one ordinary portion.
Read the total weight, inner-pack count and biscuits per pack before ordering.
Either choice could leave you with more biscuit than you meant to serve to one person.
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Assuming all custard creams have the same ingredients
The checked conventional Crawford’s and ASDA recipes list wheat and milk; dietary-labelled variants have different formulations.
Check the delivered pack’s ingredients and allergen information against each guest’s requirements, rather than applying one variant’s label to another.
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Planning around a product listing without checking availability
The referenced Tesco Crawford’s, Sainsbury’s own-label and Joybuy McVitie’s listings reported those products unavailable when checked.
Confirm availability for your delivery area before relying on a particular packet for the cream tea.
Brand and product-line references
Crawford’s
Tesco lists Crawford’s conventional custard creams in a 300g packet. A separate catering retailer lists Crawford’s custard-cream mini packs within a mixed-variety box.
- The conventional packet can be shared.
- The catering box contains 100 packs across six biscuit varieties; it is not a purchase of one custard-cream portion.
M&S
M&S lists Extra Cream Custard Creams in a 165g packet and a separate 270g chocolate-coated giant biscuit.
- The two listings offer different filling and coating choices.
- M&S describes the giant biscuit as made for sharing; neither format establishes an individually sold ordinary-sized bar.
ASDA
ASDA lists conventional custard creams in a 400g packet and a distinct 125g Free From product.
- The separate listings make it possible to compare their stated ingredients and labels.
- The conventional packet lists wheat and milk; do not apply the Free From variant’s labelling to it.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists its own-label custard creams in a 200g packet.
- The listing includes per-biscuit nutrition and storage instructions.
- A 200g packet is not a separately wrapped single portion; the referenced listing was out of stock when checked.
McVitie’s
A Joybuy listing identifies McVitie’s Tasties Custard Creams Biscuits in a 300g packet.
- The listed format is a packet of cream-filled biscuits.
- The referenced listing said the product was no longer available and does not establish a single-bar format.
Schär
ASDA lists Schär custard creams as five 25g portion packs, each containing two biscuits.
- The listing labels the product gluten-free, lactose-free and suitable for vegans.
- You buy all five portions together; check the delivered label for a guest’s particular requirements.
Custard-cream portions on Joybuy
This Schär option is relevant if you want to open a small portion with a cream tea while keeping the remaining portions wrapped. It is a multipack, not one separately sold bar.
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Schär Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
For opening biscuits a portion at a time: the 125g pack contains five separate two-biscuit portions, according to ASDA’s listing for this format. It is a multipack rather than one individually sold portion. Check the delivered ingredients and allergen label if serving guests with dietary restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
Does a custard cream replace the scone in a traditional cream tea?
Not if you want the classic Cornish combination described by the National Trust: a scone, jam and clotted cream. A custard cream can be an additional biscuit alongside tea.
Is a separately wrapped portion just one biscuit?
Not in the Schär 125g format listed by ASDA. It contains five portion packs with two biscuits in each, and the five packs are bought together.
How should I store biscuits left in an opened packet?
Follow the chosen packet’s instructions. The Crawford’s and ASDA conventional custard-cream listings say to put biscuits in an airtight container once opened.
Does “custard cream” mean the biscuit is milk-free?
No. The checked conventional Crawford’s and ASDA products list milk ingredients, while ASDA’s separately labelled Free From custard creams have a different recipe. Check the exact pack against the guest’s requirements.