Do not choose a free-from custard cream as a sugar-free substitute: Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury's and ASDA Groceries list 19.9g, 24.9g and 25g sugars per 100g respectively for their free-from versions. If a sugar-free label matters more than the custard-cream format, consider a labelled sandwich cookie or vanilla wafer instead, and check the current pack for ingredients, total carbohydrate and sweetener information before sharing.
A sugar-free label is the deciding factor here. Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury's and ASDA Groceries list sugars in their free-from custard creams, so check the actual product rather than treating “free-from” as another way of saying sugar-free.
For guests who need those ingredients avoided, a clearly labelled free-from custard cream may keep the familiar biscuit format. Check the current pack for each guest's requirements; the free-from custard creams listed by Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury's and ASDA Groceries still contain sugars.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust advises using total carbohydrate on food labels, rather than just the “of which sugars” figure, when counting carbohydrates. The amount in the portion served matters as well as the per-100g value.
Decide whether the sugar-free label, the custard-cream format or specified ingredient exclusions matter most for your table; one biscuit need not meet all three.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free wording | Read the stated claim and sugars per 100g on the current pack. Check which ingredients a “free-from” claim actually excludes. | I want a biscuit labelled sugar-free, not simply one made without gluten or milk. Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury's and ASDA Groceries list 19.9g, 24.9g and 25g sugars per 100g respectively for their free-from custard creams. |
| Biscuit format | Check whether the product is a custard-cream sandwich biscuit, another sandwich cookie or a wafer. Read the pack size when planning what to put out. | The familiar custard-cream format matters for this game night, or I am happy to serve a different biscuit to get a sugar-free-labelled option. |
| Carbohydrate and sweeteners | For carbohydrate counting, use the total-carbohydrate line and the portion served, as Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust advises. Check polyols and any pack warnings separately. | I need to account for what is in the portion, not rely on a low sugars figure alone. Sainsbury's lists 31g polyols per 100g for Siro Vanilla Sugar Free Wafer Biscuits. |
| Ingredient exclusions | Check the current gluten and milk declarations and ingredients for each biscuit. Do not treat “sugar-free” as an allergen-free claim. | Someone at the table needs to avoid gluten or milk, so I need a product labelled for that particular requirement. |
Free-from custard creams can exclude specified ingredients while still containing sugars. Tesco Groceries lists 19.9g, Sainsbury's 24.9g and ASDA Groceries 25g sugars per 100g for their respective versions.
Check the sugars line when sugar-free wording is your priority; use the stated free-from declarations to assess ingredient exclusions.
Siro Vanilla Sugar Free Wafer Biscuits have a vanilla-flavour cream filling, but their wafer format is different from a custard-cream sandwich biscuit.
If the traditional format matters, tell guests what you are serving and keep different biscuits clearly identifiable.
A sugars value does not give the total carbohydrate in a serving. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust directs people counting carbohydrates to the total-carbohydrate figure instead.
Check that figure on the current pack and use the amount actually served.
Sainsbury's lists 31g polyols per 100g for Siro Vanilla Sugar Free Wafer Biscuits. A sugar-free label does not replace a check of the product's other ingredients and warnings.
Put out a defined portion and leave the packaging available for guests to read.
Tesco Groceries lists both standard and Free From Custard Creams.
Sainsbury's lists Free From Custard Creams and a separate Siro sugar-free vanilla wafer product.
M&S lists Extra Cream Custard Creams in the conventional sandwich-biscuit format.
This option is a sugar-free-labelled sandwich cookie for board game night, rather than a custard cream.
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For a game-night table where a sugar-free-labelled biscuit matters more than a custard cream, this is a sandwich-cookie alternative. The pack is 97g; check its current ingredients, allergen information, total carbohydrate and sweeteners against guests' requirements.
Not on the basis of a free-from label. Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury's and ASDA Groceries list 19.9g, 24.9g and 25g sugars per 100g respectively for their free-from custard creams; check the current pack for the claim you need.
No. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust advises using total carbohydrate, not only “of which sugars”, when counting carbohydrates. Read the current pack and account for the portion served.
Serve a defined portion and keep the pack available so guests can check its ingredients and warnings. Sainsbury's lists 31g polyols per 100g for Siro Vanilla Sugar Free Wafer Biscuits.
Choose a biscuit specifically labelled gluten-free and check its current packaging. Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury's and ASDA Groceries list free-from custard creams, but a sugar-free claim on a different biscuit does not establish gluten-free suitability.