Tesco Free From and Sainsbury’s Free From custard creams are both listed as gluten free and milk free, making them options when a baking recipe needs both claims. Schär’s 125g pack is listed with five smaller packs, which may suit a decorating activity; it is described as lactose free, not explicitly milk free. For a child who needs gluten-free food, check the current pack and keep gluten-containing crumbs away from the ingredients and equipment.
For a crushed biscuit base, whole-biscuit decoration or no-bake treat, choose a pack labelled gluten free. If gluten-containing flour or biscuits are also being used, keep their crumbs away from the preparation area.
Check for both claims on the exact biscuit pack rather than treating “gluten free” as a milk-free claim. Tesco and Sainsbury’s each list a Free From custard cream described as gluten free and milk free; the filling and decorations need checking separately.
Smaller packs may be useful when children are given a few biscuits at a time. Asda lists Schär’s 125g custard creams as five individual packs containing two biscuits each.
Start with the claims needed for the whole recipe, then choose a pack format that fits what the children will make.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Look for a gluten-free claim on the exact pack, not just a retailer search result or an ingredient list that appears wheat free. The Food Standards Agency describes the UK gluten-free labelling condition as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold. | I need the biscuits for someone who requires gluten-free food, so the pack claim and protection from stray crumbs both matter. |
| Other ingredients | Check milk-free or vegan wording separately where needed, and read the allergen information for the biscuit, filling and decorations. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list milk-free custard creams; Asda describes Schär’s as lactose free and vegan. | Our recipe also avoids milk, so a gluten-free claim alone will not settle which biscuits or toppings to use. |
| Pack format | Compare the recipe’s required biscuit weight with the pack size. Asda lists Schär’s 125g pack as five smaller packs of two biscuits; the Tesco and Sainsbury’s products are also listed as 125g packs. | For decorating, I may want to hand out a few biscuits at a time. For a crushed base, the total weight matters more than the number of packets. |
| Recipe portions | If comparing nutrition information, use the same basis, such as per 100g, rather than assuming that one biscuit from each product weighs the same. Include any filling or topping when working out the finished recipe. | I want to know how much biscuit the activity uses before adding icing, chocolate or other decorations. |
A biscuit can meet a gluten-free requirement without meeting a separate milk-free requirement. Fillings, chocolate and decorations also affect the finished recipe.
Read the current pack for each required claim and check every ingredient used alongside the biscuits. Do not apply one product’s claims to another variant.
Gluten-containing flour, biscuits or crumbs on utensils and shared spreads can get into a gluten-free baking activity.
Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water and using clean cutlery for shared spreads. Set up the gluten-free ingredients away from gluten-containing ones.
A per-biscuit figure is not a like-for-like comparison when the biscuits have different weights. Toppings will also change what is in each finished portion.
Compare figures on the same basis, such as per 100g, or weigh the biscuits the recipe uses.
Ingredients and allergen information can change, so a previously suitable pack may not have the same details when you next make the recipe.
Before the activity, check the physical pack’s gluten-free claim, ingredients, allergen information, best-before date and weight against the recipe.
These references describe particular custard-cream listings, not every product sold under each name.
Sainsbury’s lists a 125g Free From custard cream made with rice flour and maize flour.
Tesco lists a 125g Free From custard cream for recipes requiring its stated gluten-free and milk-free claims.
Schär describes its 125g custard creams as gluten and wheat free and portion packed.
Asda lists the 125g Schär pack, including its portion-pack format and product claims.
This Joybuy option is a portion-packed gluten-free custard cream to consider for decorating or other biscuit-based baking activities with children.
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The smaller packs can be opened as needed when children are decorating biscuits. The 125g product is described by Schär and Asda as portion packed; Asda specifies five packs of two biscuits. Joybuy describes it as gluten free and lactose free. Check the physical pack’s claims and ingredients for your recipe, particularly if milk free is a separate requirement.
The Food Standards Agency describes the UK labelling condition as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold to the final consumer. Check for the claim on the exact pack rather than relying on a wheat-free-looking ingredient list.
Not necessarily: the two claims need separate checks. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list their Free From custard creams as both gluten free and milk free. Asda describes the Schär product as lactose free and vegan, which should not be treated as an explicit milk-free declaration.
Clean the surfaces and utensils before starting and keep gluten-containing ingredients away from the gluten-free station. Coeliac UK advises hot soapy water for surfaces and utensils, plus clean cutlery or separate containers for shared spreads that could contain crumbs.
Schär’s portion-pack format may help when handing out biscuits in small groups: Asda lists five individual packs of two biscuits. If the plan is to crush biscuits for a base, compare the recipe’s required weight with the 125g pack instead.
Use the listing to narrow your choices, then read the physical pack before baking. Tesco and Asda caution that product information can change, so check the current ingredients, allergen statement and required claims for every part of the recipe.