Who is choosing the biscuits?

Hosts looking for a sugar-free biscuit

A filled sandwich biscuit may meet the sugar-free requirement without being a traditional custard cream. Check the sugars figure and describe its actual flavour to guests.

Hosts catering for different dietary needs

A sugar-free label and a gluten- or milk-free label answer different questions. Keep the packs identifiable so guests can check the ingredients relevant to them.

Hosts serving classic custard creams

If guests want the familiar vanilla-filled biscuit, offer it as a distinct choice rather than placing it with biscuits labelled sugar-free. Check the pack’s ingredients and storage directions.

What should you check?

Start with the condition the biscuit needs to meet, then compare the exact pack’s sugars per 100 g, ingredients and flavour. My Diabetes My Way, from NHS Scotland, gives no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g as the sugar-free threshold.

Priority What to check Your needs
Sugar-free claim Read sugars per 100 g on the exact variant. Diablo lists 0.4 g per 100 g for each of its checked 176 g sandwich biscuits; Tesco’s classic custard creams list 28.3 g per 100 g. I need a biscuit that meets the sugar-free criterion, rather than one that merely sits alongside sugar-free products.
Flavour and format Compare the biscuit and filling descriptions. Diablo describes vanilla biscuits with cocoa cream and cocoa biscuits with vanilla cream; Tesco describes its classic custard creams as biscuits with a vanilla-flavour filling. Will guests expecting custard creams recognise that the sugar-free sandwich biscuits are a different choice?
Other dietary needs Check each pack’s declared ingredients and exclusions. Diablo’s two checked variants declare wheat, milk and soya; the checked Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda free-from custard creams have separate gluten- and milk-free labelling, not sugar-free labelling. I may need to set out separately identified choices for guests avoiding particular ingredients.
Beyond sugars Read carbohydrate and sweetener information as well as sugars. Diablo lists 66 g carbohydrate and 17 g polyols per 100 g for each checked variant, which contains maltitol. If carbohydrate or sweetener information matters to a guest, I want the current pack available for them to read.

Party-table mix-ups to avoid

  • Putting ‘free from’ custard creams on a sugar-free plate

    ‘Free from’ identifies the stated ingredient exclusions, not the sugars figure. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda list between 19.9 g and 25 g sugars per 100 g for the specific free-from custard creams compared here.

    Label each plate for the condition its biscuits actually meet, and check sugars per 100 g separately.

  • Calling a sugar-free sandwich biscuit a custard cream

    Diablo’s checked biscuits have cocoa-and-vanilla combinations rather than the conventional custard-cream format. Both also declare wheat, milk and soya.

    Use the flavour printed on the pack when labelling the biscuits, and keep ingredient information accessible.

  • Reading ‘sugar-free’ as the whole nutrition description

    Diablo lists 66 g carbohydrate and 17 g polyols per 100 g for each checked sandwich-biscuit variant. The sugar-free claim does not describe those other figures.

    Check the current pack’s nutrition, ingredients, portion information and any sweetener warnings before serving.

Brands and product lines to compare

These examples show why the exact product label matters: a classic custard cream, a free-from custard cream and a sugar-free filled biscuit are not interchangeable descriptions.

Diablo

The manufacturer offers sugar-free filled sandwich biscuits for shoppers willing to choose a different biscuit from a custard cream.

  • Diablo lists 0.4 g sugars per 100 g for its checked 176 g vanilla-and-cocoa and cocoa-and-vanilla variants.
  • Neither variant is a custard cream; both declare wheat, milk and soya and contain maltitol.

Tesco

Its checked own-label range includes classic and gluten- and milk-free custard creams.

  • The 400 g classic pack and 125 g free-from pack offer distinct formats for a party selection.
  • Tesco lists 28.3 g sugars per 100 g for the classic pack and 19.9 g for the free-from pack; neither figure meets the sugar-free threshold.

Sainsbury’s

Its checked 125 g Free From Custard Creams are labelled milk- and gluten-free.

  • The product’s stated exclusions help identify which dietary question its label addresses.
  • Sainsbury’s lists 24.9 g sugars per 100 g for this product, so the free-from label does not make it sugar-free.

Asda

Its checked products include classic and free-from custard creams.

  • The separate packs allow hosts to identify a classic biscuit and a product with stated gluten and milk exclusions.
  • Asda lists 29 g sugars per 100 g for the checked classic product and 25 g for the checked free-from product; neither is a sugar-free choice.

Crawford’s

The checked 300 g product is a conventional custard cream with a vanilla-flavour filling.

  • It provides a clearly identified classic format to serve separately from a sugar-free alternative.
  • Its Tesco product listing gives 30.7 g sugars per 100 g, so it does not meet the sugar-free criterion.

M&S

Its checked 165 g Extra Cream Custard Creams are presented as a classic biscuit with extra vanilla cream.

  • The product description makes the biscuit and filling format clear.
  • M&S lists 40.2 g sugars per 100 g for this product, so it does not meet the sugar-free criterion.

Joybuy product option

The Joybuy option shown here is an Oreo Zero Sugar sandwich-biscuit pack for a party table with an alternative to traditional custard creams. Check the current pack’s sugars figure and ingredients against your guests’ needs before serving it.

Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies, 97g pack

Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies, 97g

This 97g sandwich-biscuit pack is an alternative to serving classic custard creams. If sugar-free labelling or ingredient exclusions matter to guests, check the sugars per 100 g and allergen information on the current pack.

View on Joybuy

Questions before serving

Does ‘free from’ mean a custard cream is sugar-free?

No. ‘Free from’ refers to the exclusions stated on that pack, so check sugars separately. Tesco lists 19.9 g sugars per 100 g for its checked gluten- and milk-free custard creams, above the sugar-free threshold given by My Diabetes My Way, from NHS Scotland.

Do sugar-free sandwich biscuits contain no carbohydrate?

No. Diablo lists 66 g carbohydrate per 100 g for each of its checked 176 g sugar-free sandwich-biscuit variants. Read the carbohydrate and portion information on the exact pack if those figures matter to a guest.

What should I check when guests need to avoid ingredients?

Read the current ingredients and allergen information for every biscuit you serve; a sugar-free label does not answer an allergen question. Diablo declares wheat, milk and soya for both of its checked sugar-free sandwich-biscuit variants.

How should opened custard creams be kept for the party?

Follow the directions on the pack you buy. Tesco instructs buyers of its checked classic custard creams to keep them in a cool, dry place and, once opened, in an airtight container.