For repeated lunchboxes, check the internal pack count: Tesco Groceries lists its 750g custard creams as five 150g packs, which lets you open them in stages rather than opening one large pack. For a 5k, do not treat custard creams as essential running fuel; Tesco lists 2.6g fat alongside 8.8g carbohydrate per biscuit, while the British Dietetic Association suggests a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise.
The useful distinction is whether you need packs to open across several days, an occasional familiar snack, or a biscuit with a specific allergen label.
If biscuits will go into several lunchboxes, look at the packs inside the outer wrapper, not just its total weight. Tesco Groceries specifies five 150g packs for its 750g custard creams; a large single pack does not offer the same staged opening.
If custard creams are already part of your routine, consider when you would eat them and how they fit alongside your usual food. The British Dietetic Association suggests a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise; a biscuit containing carbohydrate is not automatically a match for that advice.
Choose by the current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement, rather than by the words “custard creams”. ASDA labels its 125g Free From Custard Creams as free from cereals containing gluten and milk. A gluten-free label alone does not establish that a different product is milk-free.
Start with pack construction and allergen needs, then compare the exact biscuit and serving information if it may also be eaten around a run.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Pack format | Check the number and weight of packs inside. Tesco Groceries specifies 5 × 150g for its 750g custard creams; ASDA’s standard 400g custard creams are a single pack. | I want to open biscuits gradually for several lunchboxes, rather than open one larger pack at once. |
| Snacking around a run | Compare carbohydrate and fat per biscuit, keeping the serving size in mind. Tesco Groceries lists 8.8g carbohydrate and 2.6g fat per biscuit; ASDA lists 8.1g and 2.6g respectively for its standard 400g pack. The British Dietetic Association suggests a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise. | For a 5k, I would rather plan around food I already know and tolerate than assume a sweet biscuit is necessary during the run. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen statement for the exact variant. ASDA lists wheat and milk in its standard 400g custard creams, while its separate 125g Free From product is labelled free from cereals containing gluten and milk. | Someone eating these biscuits needs to avoid particular ingredients, so the label on the pack I buy matters more than the product style. |
| Biscuit selection | Check whether every pack contains custard creams. Marks & Spencer describes its Triple Pack as containing custard creams, malted milk biscuits and bourbon creams; its separate Extra Cream Custard Creams list 23.4g fat and 40.2g sugars per 100g. | I want plain custard creams for lunchboxes, not an assortment or a different custard-cream variant. |
A single large pack and several smaller packs give you different options for opening biscuits over multiple lunchbox days.
Read the internal pack count and weights. Tesco Groceries lists its 750g custard creams as 5 × 150g; ASDA’s standard 400g product is one pack. Follow the storage instructions once a pack is open.
Carbohydrate is only part of the pre-run question. Tesco Groceries lists 8.8g carbohydrate and 2.6g fat per biscuit, while the British Dietetic Association’s pre-exercise suggestion specifies a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal.
If you plan to eat before a run, consider the BDA’s two-to-three-hour timing and stick with foods you already know you tolerate rather than trying a new routine on an important run.
The standard and Free From ASDA products have different allergen declarations. The name or appearance of a biscuit cannot settle whether it meets someone’s dietary requirements.
Check the ingredients and allergen statement on the current pack, including any stated possible allergens. If both gluten and milk must be avoided, check both requirements explicitly.
Marks & Spencer’s Triple Pack includes malted milk and bourbon biscuits alongside custard creams. Its separate Extra Cream Custard Creams have their own nutrition declaration, so neither name describes a plain, custard-creams-only multi-pack.
Check the biscuits included and compare nutrition for the exact variant you intend to buy.
These product examples illustrate different pack formats and variants; a brand name alone does not tell you what is inside a particular pack.
Tesco Groceries describes its 750g Custard Creams Biscuits as five 150g packs.
ASDA lists a standard 400g single pack and a separate 125g Free From Custard Creams pack.
Sainsbury’s lists its own-label custard creams as a 200g pack with approximately 16 servings.
Tesco Groceries lists Crawford’s Custard Creams as a 300g pack with a typical count of 26 biscuits.
Marks & Spencer lists Extra Cream Custard Creams and a separate mixed Triple Pack.
This Joybuy option is a 125g gluten-free single pack of custard creams, suited to checking a gluten-free choice rather than planning around separately wrapped lunchbox packs.
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This 125g gluten-free single pack may suit an occasional custard-cream snack, but it is not a multi-pack for opening in stages. If milk must also be avoided, check the current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement: gluten-free does not mean milk-free.
Do not assume they fit a pre-run snack plan simply because they contain carbohydrate. Tesco Groceries lists 8.8g carbohydrate and 2.6g fat per biscuit; the British Dietetic Association suggests a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise. Consider your usual eating routine and whether the food is familiar to you.
Look for the count and weight of the packs inside the outer packaging. Tesco Groceries specifies 5 × 150g for its 750g custard creams, whereas ASDA’s standard 400g custard creams are a single pack. Smaller internal packs let you leave the others unopened until needed.
Not necessarily: check each requirement on the exact product’s current label. ASDA labels its 125g Free From Custard Creams as free from cereals containing gluten and milk, but a gluten-free description on another pack does not establish that it is milk-free.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack you buy. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and ASDA give cool, dry storage guidance for their relevant custard cream listings, with airtight storage after opening where instructed. Separately packed portions also let you leave unopened packs sealed until later.