The Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's and M&S custard creams checked for this article do not provide a sugar-free choice; a Free From label describes other dietary exclusions, not an absence of sugar. If a different biscuit will work for your cream tea, Tesco Groceries lists 0.40 g sugars per 100 g for its OREO No Added Sugar Vanilla Cookie Sandwich Biscuits 176g, while Morrisons describes Gullón Zero Original Digestives 400g as sugar-free. Neither is a custard cream, so choose between a filled cocoa biscuit and a plain digestive, then check the supplied pack.
If the sugar condition matters more than the custard-cream flavour, compare the sugars figure per 100 g and be prepared to serve a different biscuit. Tesco Groceries lists 0.40 g per 100 g for the OREO 176g vanilla-filled cocoa biscuits; they are not custard creams.
Check sugar and allergens separately for each biscuit you plan to serve. The Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury's Free From custard creams checked exclude gluten and milk but still list sugar; a sugar-free alternative needs its own ingredient and allergen check.
A low sugars figure does not tell you the total carbohydrate content. Tesco Groceries lists 63 g available carbohydrate per 100 g for the OREO 176g alternative, so read both lines of the nutrition panel if both matter to your choice.
Decide whether the biscuit must be a custard cream, must meet the sugar-free condition, or should keep a filling; the checked options do not satisfy all three preferences at once.
Choose when: The familiar vanilla-filled biscuit matters more than a sugar-free choice.
Trade-off: The Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's and M&S examples checked list sugars above the sugar-free condition.
Choose when: A vanilla filling still matters, but cocoa biscuits can replace custard-cream biscuits.
Trade-off: Tesco Groceries' OREO 176g alternative contains wheat and soya ingredients and lists 63 g available carbohydrate per 100 g.
Choose when: A biscuit to serve with tea matters more than keeping a cream filling.
Trade-off: Morrisons' Gullón Zero Original Digestives are unfilled and carry an excessive-consumption laxative warning.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claim | Read sugars per 100 g, not just Free From, Zero or no-added-sugar wording. The original annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 states a condition of no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g for a sugar-free claim on biscuits. | If sugar-free is essential for my cream tea, I need the figure for the exact biscuit and pack I am serving. |
| Biscuit style | Check whether the biscuit is a custard cream, a filled cocoa sandwich biscuit or an unfilled digestive. A vanilla filling alone does not make a biscuit a custard cream. | I would rather change biscuit style than give up the sugar requirement — or I may prefer a traditional custard cream and accept its listed sugars. |
| Carbohydrate and sweeteners | Read carbohydrate alongside sugars and identify any sweeteners. Tesco Groceries lists 63 g available carbohydrate per 100 g for its OREO 176g alternative; Morrisons lists sweeteners and an excessive-consumption warning for Gullón Zero Original Digestives. | Sugars are not my only label check, so I want to know what else is in the biscuit before choosing a portion to serve. |
| Allergens | Read the supplied pack's ingredients and may-contain statements. Check gluten and milk exclusions separately from sugar claims, and check wheat, soya and milk information on alternatives. | When guests have different requirements, I need a biscuit that meets each relevant requirement, rather than relying on one front-of-pack phrase. |
The Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury's gluten- and milk-free custard creams checked still list sugars. Free From does not identify which nutrient or ingredient is absent without reading the label.
Check what each pack says it is free from, then read its sugars figure per 100 g if sugar-free is your requirement.
The Joybuy listing for Gullón Zero No Added Sugar Cookies and Cream 210g states 2.4 g sugars per 100 g. That figure does not meet the 0.5 g per 100 g sugar-free condition stated in the original annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
Check the nutrition panel for the exact variant instead of applying another biscuit's sugar-free description to the whole range.
Tesco Groceries lists 0.40 g sugars and 63 g available carbohydrate per 100 g for its OREO No Added Sugar Vanilla Cookie Sandwich Biscuits 176g. Those figures answer different label questions.
Read both figures if carbohydrate matters to your selection.
The checked filled OREO alternative contains wheat and soya ingredients. The Morrisons listing for Gullón Zero Original Digestives identifies wheat and says the biscuits may contain milk or soya.
Check ingredients and may-contain information on the supplied pack before serving guests with allergies.
These references concern the named products, not every biscuit made by each brand or what is available on Joybuy.
A filled cocoa-and-vanilla alternative if the sugar-free condition matters more than serving an actual custard cream.
Zero Original Digestives offer a plain biscuit for tea rather than a custard cream.
Free From custard creams retain the biscuit style for shoppers checking gluten and milk exclusions.
Its Free From custard creams address gluten and milk exclusions, rather than a sugar-free requirement.
Free From custard creams offer the familiar biscuit format for a different dietary requirement from sugar avoidance.
Extra Cream Custard Creams retain a vanilla-filled custard-cream format for shoppers who prioritise biscuit style.
These two Joybuy options are for serving a filled sandwich biscuit or an unfilled digestive instead of a custard cream. Check the supplied pack against your sugar, ingredient and allergen requirements before serving.
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A filled sandwich biscuit to consider if you are willing to replace custard creams. Check the sugars-per-100-g panel and allergen information on the supplied 97 g pack; the figures for the separately listed OREO 176g product should not be applied to this pack.
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An unfilled digestive for a cream tea when a custard-cream filling is optional. Morrisons describes the 400 g Zero Original Digestives as sugar-free biscuits with sweeteners and gives an excessive-consumption laxative warning. Check the supplied pack's sugars panel and allergen information before serving.
Not the Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury's products checked here. Tesco Groceries lists 2.8 g sugars per biscuit for its Free From custard creams; ASDA and Sainsbury's list 25 g and 24.9 g per 100 g respectively. Read what each pack is free from rather than treating Free From as a sugar claim.
No: the phrases describe different things. The Joybuy listing for Gullón Zero No Added Sugar Cookies and Cream 210g states 2.4 g sugars per 100 g. For a strict sugar-free selection, compare the exact pack's sugars figure with the 0.5 g per 100 g condition stated in the original annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
No. Sugar and carbohydrate are different figures on a nutrition panel. Diabetes UK notes that polyols contain carbohydrate and calories, and advises people adjusting insulin around polyols to seek individual guidance from their healthcare team.
Check the supplied pack for each guest's relevant allergens first. Tesco Groceries lists wheat and soya ingredients for its OREO 176g filled alternative; the Morrisons listing for Gullón Zero Original Digestives identifies wheat and says the biscuits may contain milk or soya. A sugar claim does not establish allergen suitability.