Schär Gluten Free Custard Creams are worth considering when you want a biscuit the manufacturer specifically describes as suitable for baking, particularly if five 25 g portions would help you measure a base or reserve biscuits for decoration. Tesco Free From and Sainsbury’s Free From offer 125 g gluten-free, milk-free and vegan alternatives for the same kind of recipe; whichever you choose, check the current pack and every other ingredient in the bake.
If you are crushing custard creams for a cheesecake base, fridge-set dessert or topping, start with a biscuit labelled gluten-free. Check the other ingredients and preparation area too: the biscuit alone does not determine whether the finished dessert is suitable.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s list their free-from custard creams as milk-free and vegan as well as gluten-free. Schär describes its biscuits as lactose-free and vegan. If milk allergy is the concern, check the current pack’s allergy information rather than treating lactose-free as a milk-free claim.
Schär’s 125 g pack contains five 25 g portions, which may help when measuring biscuit crumbs or setting some biscuits aside. The quantity needed for a base or topping still depends on the recipe.
Choose a biscuit that meets the recipe’s ingredient requirements, then check its format and the amount you need for the base or topping.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status | Check the gluten-free claim on the exact pack you receive. The Food Standards Agency states that, in the UK, this claim means no more than 20 mg/kg gluten in the food as sold. Read the ingredients and emphasised cereal allergens as well. | I need the biscuit ingredient to be labelled gluten-free, and I will check the other ingredients and preparation area before making the finished dessert. |
| Biscuit-base method | Check how your recipe makes its base and how many biscuits it requires. A Mummy Too describes crushing custard creams to a fine crumb for a cheesecake base; Schär separately describes its own custard creams as suitable for baking. | For a crumb base, I want to measure the biscuits against my recipe rather than assume one pack is enough. |
| Portion format | Compare the recipe quantity with the pack format. Schär’s 125 g pack is divided into five 25 g portions, according to its product information and the Asda listing. | It would help to measure crumbs and keep some biscuits back for decoration. |
| Other ingredient requirements | Check milk-free, lactose-free and vegan statements separately on the current pack. For milk allergy, read the allergy information; a lactose-free claim is not a substitute for it. | My bake may need to meet another ingredient requirement as well as being gluten-free. |
| Nutrition information | Compare current pack values per 100 g when assessing different biscuits, then use your recipe quantity to understand how much biscuit goes into the dessert. | For a larger base or a generous topping, I want to know how much biscuit the recipe uses and compare the labels on the same basis. |
A familiar name or similar-looking biscuit does not establish gluten-free status. Coeliac UK advises reading ingredients for emphasised cereals containing gluten.
Choose the exact variant labelled gluten-free and recheck the claim and ingredients on the pack you receive.
A gluten-free biscuit base does not establish the status of a dessert made with other ingredients or prepared on shared surfaces.
Check packaged fillings, flavourings and decorations, and use clean equipment and surfaces when preparing a bake that needs to be gluten-free.
Schär describes its custard creams as lactose-free and vegan; Tesco and Sainsbury’s list their products as milk-free and vegan. Those statements should not be treated as interchangeable for someone with a milk allergy.
Read the current pack’s allergy information for the person who will eat the bake and contact the manufacturer if the information is unclear.
These references concern the named custard cream products, not every biscuit made by each brand.
Schär Gluten Free Custard Creams are a 125 g sandwich-biscuit option that Schär specifically describes as suitable for baking.
Tesco Free From Custard Creams are a 125 g own-label option listed by Tesco as gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans.
Sainsbury’s Free From Custard Creams are 125 g vanilla-flavoured biscuits made with rice and maize flour and listed as gluten-free and milk-free.
This Schär option is relevant if you want gluten-free custard creams for a biscuit base or topping and would find separate portions useful when measuring the recipe.
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For a biscuit base or topping, Schär describes these gluten-free custard creams as suitable for baking. The 125 g pack contains five 25 g portions; check the current pack’s allergy information if the bake must also meet a milk-related requirement.
No. The Food Standards Agency states that a food labelled gluten-free in the UK must contain no more than 20 mg/kg gluten in the food as sold. Check that the exact custard cream pack carries the claim rather than relying on the biscuit’s name or appearance.
Custard creams can be crushed into a fine crumb for a cheesecake-style base, as described in a recipe by A Mummy Too. Follow a method suited to your chosen biscuits, and check the filling, flavourings and decorations if the finished dessert needs to be gluten-free.
Schär says its Gluten Free Custard Creams are suitable for baking. That is Schär’s own product description, not an independent comparison of texture or results in a finished recipe.
No. Schär describes its product as lactose-free and vegan, while Tesco and Sainsbury’s list their free-from custard creams as milk-free and vegan. For a milk allergy, check the current pack’s ingredients and allergy information for the particular biscuit you plan to use.