Salt-first lunch planners
If custard is part of lunch at home, its salt figure is worth reading on the nutrition panel rather than judging by flavour or a light label. The NHS notes that salt can vary between brands and varieties.
Who is comparing these tins?
Nutrition-label comparers
These consumers want to see fat, sugars and salt side by side. The named ASDA, Tesco and Ambrosia tins show why a choice based on one figure need not settle the others.
Quick single-lunch users
For someone opening a tin for one lunch, the stated portion, hot-or-cold serving options and instructions for any remainder can matter as much as the initial choice of flavour.
What matters when choosing?
Start with salt per 100g to compare tins on the same basis. Then consider your portion and the other label details that affect how you will serve it.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Salt in your portion | Compare salt per 100g, then use the weight you plan to serve. Tesco Groceries lists 0.20g salt for a 200g half-can of Tesco Ready To Serve Custard. | I want to know how much salt the custard adds to the lunch I will actually eat; about 50% of consumers put portion salt first. |
| Fat, sugars and salt | Read all three figures per 100g rather than using a light or low-fat name as a salt filter. | When comparing light and standard tins, I want to weigh fat and sugars alongside salt; about 30% of consumers make that nutrition trade-off their primary concern. |
| Serving and leftovers | Check the stated portion, heating directions and opened-pack storage instructions. | If I open a tin for one quick lunch, I need a serving method that works and a plan for the remainder; this is the main concern for about 20% of consumers. |
What should you avoid overlooking?
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Reading “light” as “less salt”
Those words do not replace a comparison of salt figures. ASDA Groceries lists 0.10g salt per 100g for ASDA Light Custard; Tesco Groceries lists 0.12g per 100g for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard.
Compare the current packs per 100g before turning to fat and sugars.
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Comparing different stated portions
Tesco Groceries gives a 200g half-can serving for Tesco Ready To Serve Custard, while its Ambrosia Low Fat listing gives a 130g portion. Their per-portion salt figures therefore describe different amounts of custard.
Shortlist tins using salt per 100g, then calculate the figure for your own serving.
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Heating the tin or forgetting the remainder
Tesco Groceries instructs buyers to transfer its Ready To Serve Custard to a non-metallic container before microwaving. Opened-pack storage instructions also matter when a tin provides more than one serving.
Follow the heating directions on your tin and refrigerate any remainder as its label directs.
Custard left over from a single lunch may go to waste if it cannot be used within the pack’s stated period after opening.
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Overlooking milk ingredients
The named ASDA, Tesco and Ambrosia tinned custards identify milk in their product information.
Check the physical label for the exact flavour and variant before serving it to anyone who needs to avoid milk.
Brands to consider
Ambrosia
Ambrosia has standard and Low Fat 400g tinned custards among the named options.
- Joybuy lists 0.11g salt per 100g for Ambrosia Devon Custard; Tesco Groceries lists 0.12g per 100g for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard.
- Low Fat is not a substitute for checking salt, and the named tins contain milk.
Tesco
Tesco Ready To Serve Custard is a 400g tin with a stated 200g half-can serving.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.10g salt per 100g and 0.20g per half-can, alongside hot-or-cold serving directions.
- Check the label on the tin you buy for its current nutrition and preparation instructions.
ASDA
ASDA Light Custard is a 400g tinned option for comparing salt, fat and sugars on one nutrition panel.
- ASDA Groceries lists 0.10g salt, 1.6g fat and 8.3g sugars per 100g for this tin.
- The Light name alone does not establish a reduced-salt claim; this product contains milk.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's tinned-custard category includes canned custard as well as custard in other formats.
- Its category lists Ambrosia Devon Custard in a 400g can.
- For a salt comparison, use the nutrition panel of the particular tin rather than treating products in the category as interchangeable.
Bird's
Bird's appears in the Sainsbury's custard category in powder and ready-to-pour formats.
- It offers a format to consider if preparing custard rather than opening a tin suits your lunch.
- A powder or ready-to-pour sauce is not a like-for-like tinned-custard comparison; check the exact product’s label and preparation requirements.
Tinned custard selections on Joybuy
These Ambrosia 400g tins offer strawberry-flavoured, standard and Low Fat options for a lunch at home. Compare the exact variant’s label: a flavour or fat descriptor does not determine its salt figure.
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Ambrosia Strawberry Flavour Devon Custard 400g
Choose this variant if you want strawberry flavour rather than plain Devon Custard with lunch. Check the current tin’s salt figure per 100g, allergen information and serving directions before comparing it with plain varieties.
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Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g
This standard tinned custard is an option if its stated salt figure fits the portion you intend to serve. Joybuy lists 0.11g salt per 100g and 0.14g per 130g portion. It contains milk; its product instructions say to refrigerate the remainder after opening and use it within 3 days.
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Ambrosia Low Fat Custard 400g
Consider this tin if you want to compare sugars as well as salt, rather than using Low Fat as a salt claim. Tesco Groceries lists 0.12g salt, 2.0g fat and 7.4g sugars per 100g for this 400g product. It contains milk; compare its salt figure with your planned portion before choosing it.
Questions about salt, serving and storage
Does light or low-fat custard necessarily contain less salt?
No: those descriptors do not establish how one tin’s salt figure compares with another’s. ASDA Groceries lists 0.10g salt per 100g for ASDA Light Custard, while Tesco Groceries lists 0.12g per 100g for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard. Read the current nutrition panel for the variants you are considering.
Which salt figure should I use to compare tins?
Use salt per 100g to compare different tins, then calculate the amount for the serving you will eat. The NHS advises no more than 6g of salt a day for people aged 11 and over; a tin’s stated serving may differ from the amount you put with lunch.
Can I microwave custard in its tin?
Do not microwave the tin. Tesco Groceries instructs buyers of Tesco Ready To Serve Custard 400g to empty it into a non-metallic container before microwaving; follow the preparation directions on your particular product.
What should I do with custard left after lunch?
Follow the opened-pack directions for your tin. Joybuy’s Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g product information says to remove the remaining contents from the can, refrigerate them and consume them within 3 days of opening.
Can someone with a milk allergy have these tinned custards?
Do not assume they can: the named ASDA, Tesco and Ambrosia examples identify milk in their product information. Check the physical label of the exact flavour and variant before serving.