Choose Schär Gluten Free Custard Creams if you want to hand out enclosed servings: its 125 g pack contains five 25 g portion packs. Tesco Free From Custard Creams are another listed gluten-free 125 g option when you can manage serving from a carton. Whichever you choose, keep the packaging available for ingredient checks and prevent contact with ordinary biscuits and their crumbs.
You need biscuits explicitly sold as gluten-free, with the supplied pack available so guests can inspect its ingredients and allergen information. Enclosed portions can make handout easier at a busy table.
Keep the gluten-free option away from ordinary biscuit crumbs, shared utensils and surfaces. Coeliac UK advises preventing contact between gluten-free food and food containing gluten.
Tesco lists its Free From Custard Creams as milk-free and suitable for vegans. Asda lists Schär Custard Creams as lactose-free and suitable for vegans; lactose-free is not the same claim as milk-free. Check the pack supplied for the ingredients and allergens that matter to each guest.
Start with the gluten-free claim on the product you will actually serve. Then choose a serving format you can keep separate from ordinary biscuits throughout the event.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the supplied pack. Check its current ingredients and allergen information rather than relying on a familiar custard-cream name. The Food Standards Agency states that a gluten-free label applies to food containing no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten as sold. | I need a biscuit clearly identified as gluten-free, not an ordinary custard cream assumed to be suitable. |
| Separation while serving | Keep gluten-free biscuits apart from ordinary biscuits and crumbs. Use clean hands, surfaces and serving equipment; keep the original packaging available for guests to inspect. | At a mixed refreshment table, I want guests to be able to choose without the gluten-free biscuits touching shared tongs or loose crumbs. |
| Handout format | Asda lists the 125 g Schär pack as five 25 g portion packs. If serving from an opened carton instead, plan how to keep the biscuits protected and identifiable. | Enclosed portions would help me hand out biscuits without opening a shared pack for every guest. |
| Other dietary requirements | Check each claim separately: Tesco lists its product as milk-free and suitable for vegans; Asda lists Schär as lactose-free and suitable for vegans. Confirm the details on the pack you receive. | If someone also avoids milk, I need to check for a milk-free claim rather than treating a lactose-free claim as equivalent. |
A familiar biscuit name does not establish gluten-free suitability. The Food Standards Agency gives the gluten-free label a defined meaning for the food as sold.
Choose a product explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the supplied pack before putting it out.
Gluten-free biscuits can come into contact with crumbs or shared equipment after opening. Coeliac UK advises keeping gluten-free food from being contaminated by food containing gluten.
Keep enclosed portions separate where practical. If you open a carton, use clean serving equipment and retain the packaging for ingredient checks.
GOV.UK says selling or supplying food, including handling or distributing it, may make an activity a food business that needs local-authority registration. The answer depends on the activity.
If you plan to sell or supply biscuits and are unsure what applies, ask the relevant local authority before trading.
These references concern the specified custard-cream products, not every biscuit sold under either name.
Schär describes its Custard Creams as gluten- and wheat-free biscuits with vanilla cream, supplied in portion packs.
Tesco lists its 125 g Free From Custard Creams as gluten-free, milk-free rice-flour biscuits suitable for vegans.
This option is a portion-packed gluten-free custard cream for handing out at a car boot sale. Its enclosed servings do not replace the need to keep packaging information available and the biscuits separate from foods containing gluten.
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For handing out enclosed servings at a mixed biscuit table. The 125 g product is listed as five 25 g portion packs; keep the packaging available for ingredient checks and the portions away from ordinary biscuit crumbs.
Keep them separate from ordinary biscuits, especially once opened. Coeliac UK advises preventing gluten-free food from coming into contact with food containing gluten; clean serving equipment and enclosed portions help you manage that risk.
Asda lists the 125 g Schär Custard Creams as five 25 g portion packs, so you can hand out enclosed servings without opening one shared pack. Keep the outer packaging available for anyone checking ingredients.
Yes, keep the original packaging accessible so guests can check the ingredients and allergen information for the biscuits being served. This is useful even when you hand out individually enclosed portions.
Registration depends on the nature of your activity; a car boot sale is not automatically exempt. GOV.UK says people who sell, store, handle or distribute food may be considered food businesses and may need to register with their local authority. Ask the relevant authority if you are unsure what applies before trading.