For a Christmas bake or biscuit table that includes a guest with coeliac disease, choose custard creams explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the packet before serving. Tesco and Sainsbury’s Free From packs are also listed as milk-free and suitable for vegans; Schär’s 125g pack has five portions if separate serving is useful. Whichever biscuit you choose, keep it away from gluten-containing crumbs and shared utensils during preparation.
Look for an explicitly gluten-free biscuit, then protect it from gluten-containing crumbs on worktops, utensils and serving plates. Coeliac UK advises cleaning preparation equipment and avoiding contaminated shared condiments.
The biscuit needs to fit the rest of the recipe, not just its gluten-free requirement. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list their Free From custard creams as milk-free and suitable for vegans; check the other ingredients separately.
If biscuits will be served individually or packed for guests, consider the serving format as well as the total quantity. ASDA lists Schär’s 125g custard creams as five 25g portion packs.
Start with the biscuit’s gluten-free label and the needs of everyone eating the bake. Then check how many biscuits the recipe or serving plan calls for.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status | Look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the current packet. Read its ingredients and allergen declaration rather than relying on the words “custard creams”. The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in food as sold to the final consumer. | I’m serving someone who needs a gluten-free biscuit, so a conventional custard cream is not a substitute without that label. |
| Preparation | Clean worktops and utensils before crushing or plating biscuits. Coeliac UK also advises keeping breadcrumbs out of shared condiments. | My gluten-free biscuits will be handled alongside other Christmas baking, so I need to keep them separate from gluten-containing crumbs. |
| Other ingredients | If the recipe must also be milk-free or vegan, check those claims on the biscuit packet and check every other recipe ingredient. Lactose-free is a different claim from milk-free. | For a vegan or milk-free recipe, a gluten-free label alone does not answer whether the whole bake meets that requirement. |
| Pack format | Work out the biscuit quantity needed before buying 125g packs. If separate portions matter, ASDA lists the Schär 125g pack as five 25g portions. | I may need several packs for a larger bake, or separate portions for a biscuit table or guest bags. |
Similar-looking biscuits can have different ingredients. Listings for conventional custard creams from Sainsbury’s, M&S, ASDA and Crawford’s include wheat or wheat flour.
Choose a biscuit explicitly labelled gluten-free and read the ingredients and allergen declaration on the packet you receive.
A labelled biscuit can come into contact with gluten-containing crumbs when it is crushed, decorated or served in a mixed kitchen.
Follow Coeliac UK’s advice to clean surfaces and utensils with hot soapy water, and avoid shared spreads or utensils contaminated with breadcrumbs.
The listed Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Schär options are 125g packs. Schär’s quantity is divided into five 25g portions, which may affect how you plan to use it.
Check the quantity your recipe or biscuit table requires, then work out the number of packs.
Product ingredients and allergen information can change between a listing and the packet supplied.
Use listings to narrow your choice, but read the current packet before adding biscuits to a bake or serving them to guests.
These references concern the named custard-cream products, not every biscuit sold under each brand or retailer name.
Tesco lists its 125g Free From Custard Creams as gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans.
Sainsbury’s lists its 125g Free From Custard Creams as gluten-free, milk-free, suitable for vegans and suitable for coeliacs.
Morrisons lists its 125g Free From Custard Creams as free from cereals containing gluten and free from milk.
ASDA lists Schär Gluten-Free Custard Creams as a 125g pack containing five 25g portions, and describes them as wheat-free and lactose-free.
This Schär custard-cream option is relevant if you need a gluten-free biscuit for Christmas baking or separate festive portions. Check the current packet and the quantity your recipe requires before use.
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A gluten-free custard cream to consider for a festive biscuit plate or recipe. The 125g product is listed in five portion packs; check how many packs your plans require. Its product information describes it as lactose-free and suitable for vegans, but lactose-free does not mean milk-free. The product description warns that it is not suitable for young children because of choking risk. Check the supplied packet before serving.
Use them only if the specific packet is labelled gluten-free. Conventional examples listed by Sainsbury’s, M&S, ASDA and Crawford’s contain wheat or wheat flour, so do not assume a familiar-looking custard cream meets the requirement.
The Food Standards Agency defines gluten-free as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in food as sold to the final consumer. Look for the claim on the biscuit’s current packet rather than judging by its appearance.
Clean worktops and utensils with hot soapy water before preparing the gluten-free component. Coeliac UK also advises avoiding breadcrumbs in shared condiments; keep gluten-containing crumbs and utensils away when crushing, decorating or serving the biscuits.
Not automatically. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list their named Free From custard creams as milk-free and suitable for vegans, but check the current biscuit packet and every other ingredient in the recipe. A lactose-free claim alone is not a milk-free claim.
No. Ingredient and allergen information can change, so read the declaration on the packet supplied before using the biscuits or serving them to a guest.