Families comparing salt labels
Parents and carers choosing ready-to-serve custard for a bake with children who want to compare salt per 100g before working out the amount in a portion.
Who is this for?
Small-batch bakers
Households using only part of a tin for a cake, tart or dessert and planning when to use the refrigerated remainder.
Families checking milk ingredients
Anyone who needs to check ingredients before children handle or eat the bake. The Tesco and ASDA ready-to-serve custards compared here list milk.
What matters when choosing?
For a bake involving children, check the current pack for milk ingredients before choosing by salt. Compare salt on a per-100g basis, then plan the portion and what to do with any custard left in the tin.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Salt in the portion | Read salt per 100g on the current label, then use the amount of custard in each portion to assess its contribution. | If keeping the custard's salt contribution down is my main concern, I need a comparable label figure rather than a claim based on the tin's name. About 46% of consumers put that comparison first. |
| Serving and heating | Check whether the recipe calls for custard cold or heated, and follow the tin's heating directions; never microwave the metal tin. | When children are helping with a quick dessert, I want a ready-to-serve format and an adult-led heating step I can manage. That is the primary need for about 36% of consumers. |
| Leftovers | Match the tin size to the recipe and check its instructions for transferring, refrigerating and using opened custard. | If a small bake leaves custard behind, I need time to use the remainder within the tin's stated storage period. Around 18% of consumers put leftover planning first. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming Light, low-fat or Deluxe means less salt
Those names describe other characteristics of a custard, not a comparison of its salt content.
Use the current pack's salt-per-100g figure before choosing a variant on that basis.
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Comparing different serving sizes
Salt per serving can reflect different suggested portions, while these tins also come in different sizes.
Compare per 100g first, then account for the custard each child will eat in the finished recipe.
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Heating custard in the tin or reheating it without checking
The metal tin is not a microwave container. ASDA Creamy Custard's instructions also say not to reheat it.
Transfer custard to the container specified on its pack and keep heating and handling hot custard as adult-led steps.
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Opening a tin without a plan for the rest
Opened-custard instructions differ: Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries list a three-day period for the compared 400g tins, while ASDA Groceries lists two days for Just Essentials Custard 385g.
Choose the quantity with a second use in mind, and follow that tin's transfer and refrigeration instructions.
Unused custard may have to be discarded if it is not used within the stated period.
Brands and formats to consider
Tesco
Tesco Ready To Serve Custard is an own-label 400g tin that can be served hot or cold.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.10g salt per 100g and says to use refrigerated leftovers within three days.
- It contains milk. Check the physical pack for current ingredients and instructions.
ASDA
ASDA Groceries lists both Creamy Custard 400g and Just Essentials Custard 385g as ready-to-serve options.
- The listed salt figures are 0.11g and 0.10g per 100g respectively.
- Both list milk. Their opened-storage periods differ, so check the instructions for the tin you choose.
Ambrosia
Ambrosia has ready-to-serve Devon Custard variants, including a standard 400g tin and a cream-containing Deluxe version listed by Tesco Groceries.
- The standard custard is ready to serve and can be heated.
- Do not infer a lower salt figure from a standard, Light or Deluxe name; compare the current nutrition panels.
Bird’s
Bird’s Original Custard Powder, listed by Tesco Groceries, is an option for making custard rather than buying it ready to serve in a tin.
- The amount of prepared custard can be planned around the recipe.
- Its prepared nutrition depends on the ingredients and quantities used; an as-sold powder figure is not directly comparable with an as-sold tin.
Tinned custard on Joybuy
These Ambrosia 400g custards are ready-to-serve tin options to consider for a bake with children. If salt is your deciding factor, compare the current packs per 100g rather than treating the variants' names as a salt ranking.
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Ambrosia Strawberry Flavour Devon Custard 400g
Consider the strawberry-flavour variant when its flavour fits the bake. The tin is 400g; check its current salt-per-100g figure, milk information and opened-storage instructions before use.
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Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g
This ready-to-serve 400g custard can be used without making custard from powder. For a salt-led choice, read the current pack's per-100g figure and check its milk and leftover-storage information.
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Ambrosia Low Fat Custard 400g
Consider this 400g variant if the recipe calls for a low-fat custard, but do not use that description as a guide to salt content. Compare the current salt-per-100g label and check milk ingredients and storage directions.
Questions about baking with tinned custard
Which of the compared tins lists less salt?
Tesco Groceries lists 0.10g salt per 100g for Tesco Ready To Serve Custard, and ASDA Groceries lists the same figure for Just Essentials Custard; ASDA Creamy Custard lists 0.11g per 100g. Use the current pack and the amount served in the finished bake to make the comparison relevant to each portion.
Is the salt figure on the tin a daily allowance for a child?
No. Salt per 100g describes the custard, not everything eaten during the day. Food Standards Scotland gives a maximum of 2g salt a day for children aged 1–3; the custard's contribution depends on the portion, other recipe ingredients and other foods eaten that day.
Can children heat tinned custard themselves?
Heating and handling hot custard should be adult-led. Do not microwave the metal tin: Tesco and ASDA instructions call for transferring custard to a suitable container. ASDA Creamy Custard also says not to boil or reheat it.
How long can opened custard be kept?
Follow the instructions on the particular tin. Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries list three days for the compared Tesco Ready To Serve and ASDA Creamy 400g custards after transfer and refrigeration; ASDA Groceries lists two days for Just Essentials Custard 385g.
Are these custards suitable for a child with a milk allergy?
Do not assume they are suitable: the compared Tesco and ASDA ready-to-serve custards list milk. Check the physical pack's current ingredients and allergen information before a child handles or eats the bake.