If you need both a custard-cream sandwich biscuit and dark chocolate, check the exact product description before ordering: the inspected Ocado listings identify standard and milk-chocolate-coated custard creams, while Sainsbury's lists dark chocolate digestives as a different biscuit. A dark digestive suits a preference for dark chocolate only if you are willing to give up the custard-cream format. For delivery, check substitution settings and the label on the pack you receive, particularly when the chocolate type or allergens matter.
You want a cream-filled sandwich biscuit with dark chocolate, rather than a standard custard cream, a milk-chocolate-coated version or a dark digestive. Ocado's M&S listing and Sainsbury's biscuit catalogue show why those product descriptions need to be read separately.
The exact biscuit variant matters to you. Tesco and Sainsbury's say substitutes may be offered under their respective ordering arrangements, so set your preference before checkout and examine any replacement at handover.
You need to assess the pack that arrives. The custard creams listed by Ocado and Tesco Groceries have differing allergen information, including declarations for wheat and milk and, on some products, soya or a precautionary sesame statement.
Choose when: The cream-filled sandwich format matters more than chocolate.
Trade-off: The M&S and Crawford's examples listed by Ocado and Tesco Groceries are not dark-chocolate options.
Choose when: You want the custard-cream format with a chocolate coating, but dark chocolate is not essential.
Trade-off: Ocado identifies the M&S coating as milk chocolate, with 28% minimum cocoa solids in that chocolate.
Choose when: Dark chocolate matters more than a vanilla-cream sandwich filling.
Trade-off: Sainsbury's lists dark chocolate digestives separately from custard creams; they are a different biscuit type.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Exact biscuit | Read the full name and description for both the biscuit format and chocolate type. Check whether any cocoa figure describes the coating rather than the whole biscuit. | I want dark chocolate on a custard cream, not a milk-chocolate coating or a dark digestive offered in its place. |
| Substitutions | Set the retailer's substitution preference before checkout. Where notes are available, state which changes you would accept; inspect any substitute at handover. | If the ordered variant changes, I need to decide whether the replacement still meets my requirements. |
| Ingredients | Read the ingredients and highlighted allergens on the delivered pack, including any precautionary statements. Recheck a substitute as a separate product. | The biscuit must suit the person eating it, even if its online name looks similar to the one I selected. |
Ocado describes M&S Milk Chocolate Coated Custard Creams as milk-chocolate-coated; the chocolate contains 28% minimum cocoa solids. That description does not make them a dark-chocolate option.
Check the stated chocolate type on the exact listing, and accept a milk-chocolate version only if that change suits you.
A replacement can change the biscuit format, chocolate type or ingredients. Tesco and Sainsbury's describe circumstances in which they may offer substitutes.
Set your substitution preference before ordering. Tesco also permits shopper notes, although it says a preferred substitute may not always be possible; check any replacement at handover.
Sainsbury's lists dark chocolate digestives separately from custard creams. Choosing one changes the biscuit format, not just the chocolate.
Choose a dark digestive if you are happy to forgo the cream-filled sandwich; otherwise check for a listing that explicitly meets both requirements.
Ocado's M&S listings and Tesco Groceries' Crawford's listing show different allergen declarations and precautionary information.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the delivered pack before eating, particularly if a different product arrives.
Ocado lists both an Extra Cream custard cream and a milk-chocolate-coated custard cream, allowing a comparison of those two formats.
Tesco Groceries describes Crawford's Custard Creams 300g as sandwich biscuits with vanilla-flavour cream filling.
Sainsbury's lists McVitie's Dark Chocolate Digestive Biscuits 266g as a dark-chocolate biscuit option.
Tesco Groceries lists Tesco Custard Cream Biscuits 400G as suitable for vegetarians.
Sainsbury's biscuit listings show its custard creams and dark chocolate digestives as separate products.
These options include a custard cream without dark chocolate and dark-chocolate biscuits in other formats. Check the format and the delivered pack before treating any of them as a substitute for a dark custard cream.
No image availableA custard-cream option if the sandwich-biscuit format matters more than dark chocolate. The name identifies it as gluten free; check the delivered pack for its full ingredients and allergen information.
No image availableA twin pack of dark chocolate digestives for someone willing to change biscuit format. These are not cream-filled custard creams; check the delivered pack if a particular cocoa percentage or allergen declaration matters.
No image availableAn option for considering a product labelled Cacao 72% rather than a custard cream. KitKat is a different biscuit format; read the delivered pack for the precise chocolate and ingredient details.
No image availableA dark chocolate oat-and-ginger biscuit rather than a custard cream. If cocoa percentage, ingredients or sweeteners affect your choice, check the details on the delivered pack.
No image availableA 400g dark chocolate digestive option if chocolate type matters more than the cream-filled format. It is not a custard cream; check the pack for any cocoa percentage you require.
No: Ocado identifies M&S Milk Chocolate Coated Custard Creams as milk-chocolate-coated, with 28% minimum cocoa solids in the chocolate. If dark chocolate is essential, check that the exact custard-cream listing explicitly identifies it rather than relying on the words “chocolate-coated”.
Set your substitution preference before checkout and check any replacement at handover. Tesco says it may offer an alternative if you allow substitutions and permits shopper notes, though a preferred alternative may not be possible. Sainsbury's says it may offer substitutes unless you have asked it not to, and says you may refuse an item on delivery.
No. Sainsbury's lists dark chocolate digestives separately from custard creams. Choose a digestive only if you are willing to change from a cream-filled sandwich biscuit to a different format.
Use it to assess the product before ordering, then read the ingredients and highlighted allergens on the delivered pack before eating, especially if it is a substitute. The Food Standards Agency says prepacked food must have an ingredients list with allergens present emphasised; the inspected Ocado and Tesco Groceries custard-cream listings show that declarations differ between products.