Salt-label comparers
If salt guides your dessert choice, compare ready-to-serve custards per 100g before looking at the amount in your planned portion. A low-fat label answers a different question.
Who is choosing custard?
Quick dessert hosts
If custard is going alongside a fakeaway-night pudding, fruit or crumble, consider whether the pack will serve everyone and what you will do with any leftovers.
Lower-fat recipe shoppers
If fat is your main comparison, check its per-100g figure. Read salt and sugar separately rather than treating one claim as a verdict on the whole nutrition label.
What matters when buying?
Start with the nutrient you want to compare, using the same per-100g unit across products. Then choose a pack and serving amount that suit your fakeaway-night plans.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Salt per 100g | Compare salt on the current packs using the same per-100g unit, then account for the amount you intend to serve. | I want to compare tins by salt without mistaking a small label difference for a reduced-salt claim. About 33% of consumers put that salt comparison first. |
| Serving plan | Check net weight, the stated serving size and the pack instructions for serving or heating. | When dessert needs to be ready quickly, I want enough custard for the table without opening more than I need. That is the primary concern for about 27% of consumers. |
| Fat and salt separately | Read fat, saturates, sugar and salt individually per 100g; do not use a low-fat label as a salt figure. | I am looking for a lower-fat recipe, but I still want to know its salt content. About 20% of consumers prioritise the fat profile. |
| Quantity and leftovers | Match pack size to the number of diners and check how long opened custard can be kept refrigerated. | For a larger group, I need enough custard without leaving a pack I cannot use within its storage period. Quantity and avoiding waste come first for about 20% of consumers. |
What is easy to overlook?
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Reading “low fat” as “lower salt”
Joybuy lists 0.12g salt per 100g for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard 400g, compared with 0.11g for standard Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g.
Decide which nutrient matters to you, then compare each relevant per-100g figure on the current packs.
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Mixing serving and per-100g figures
Joybuy lists 0.14g salt for a 130g portion of Ambrosia Devon Custard. That portion figure is not directly comparable with another custard's per-100g figure.
Use per-100g figures to compare tins, then work out the amount for the portion you plan to serve.
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Opening more custard than you can use
Marks & Spencer says to refrigerate opened M&S Silky Smooth Custard and eat it within 2 days. Joybuy gives 3 days for the reviewed Ambrosia tins.
Choose the pack size with leftovers in mind and follow its current storage instructions.
Custard left beyond its stated post-opening period may go to waste.
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Using an online ingredient list for an allergy decision
The reviewed M&S and Ambrosia custards contain milk ingredients. Ingredient information can change.
Check the physical pack before serving, particularly if anyone has a milk allergy.
Brands to consider
These brands offer different custard formats or pack sizes to consider; their presence here does not mean every product is a comparable tin.
Ambrosia
Its Devon and Low Fat custards provide two ready-to-serve 400g tins to compare.
- Joybuy lists 0.11g salt per 100g for Devon and 0.12g for Low Fat; the Low Fat tin lists 2.0g fat per 100g.
- Both reviewed listings contain milk ingredients and say to refrigerate opened contents and consume them within 3 days.
M&S
Silky Smooth Custard is a 400g ambient tin for a like-for-like salt-label comparison with the reviewed Ambrosia tins.
- Marks & Spencer lists 0.10g salt per 100g for this specific custard.
- It contains milk and cream; Marks & Spencer says to refrigerate it after opening and eat it within 2 days.
Tesco
Tesco lists a 400g Ready To Serve Custard for shoppers considering an own-label tin.
- Check the can's current salt figure before comparing it with the M&S or Ambrosia figures.
Sainsbury's
Its 1kg ready-to-eat custard is a larger-pack reference for a meal with more diners, not a like-for-like 400g tin.
- Sainsbury's lists 0.15g salt per 100g and 0.19g per 125g serving for this 1kg product.
- Sainsbury's says to refrigerate it after opening and consume it within 3 days.
Bird's
Tesco lists Bird's powder and instant custard products, which require a different preparation decision from a ready-to-serve tin.
- A mix may suit you if preparing the custard is part of the dessert plan.
- Compare nutrition for the prepared product and any ingredients added, rather than treating the dry mix as directly comparable with tinned custard.
Joybuy tinned custards
These Ambrosia 400g tins offer ready-to-serve options for a fakeaway-night dessert. Compare the current labels if salt is your deciding factor; the strawberry flavour is a distinct variant, not a stated salt-reduction claim.
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Ambrosia Strawberry Flavour Devon Custard 400g
Consider this strawberry-flavour variant if it suits your dessert. It is a 400g ready-to-serve custard that the listing says can be served hot or cold. Check the current can for its salt figure and milk-allergen information before serving.
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Ambrosia Low Fat Custard 400g
Consider this tin when the lower-fat recipe is your priority, rather than assuming it has less salt. Joybuy lists 2.0g fat and 0.12g salt per 100g for the 400g tin. The listing says it can be served hot or cold and that opened contents should be refrigerated and consumed within 3 days. Its ingredients include milk.
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Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g
Consider this ready-to-serve tin if you want a labelled portion figure for planning dessert. Joybuy lists 0.11g salt per 100g and 0.14g per 130g portion for the 400g tin. It can be served hot or cold; the listing says to refrigerate remaining contents after opening and consume them within 3 days. Its ingredients include milk.
Questions about tinned custard
Does low-fat tinned custard have less salt?
Not necessarily. Joybuy lists 0.12g salt per 100g for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard 400g and 0.11g for standard Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g. Compare the salt figures separately from the fat figures on the current packs.
How should I compare small differences in salt?
Compare the same per-100g measure first, then consider the portion you will actually serve. The M&S and Ambrosia 400g tins discussed here list 0.10g, 0.11g and 0.12g salt per 100g respectively, according to Marks & Spencer and Joybuy. Those are label-level differences, not evidence that any of the tins carries a reduced-salt claim.
Can I heat tinned custard for dessert?
Follow the instructions on the particular pack. Marks & Spencer says its Silky Smooth Custard can be heated on the hob or emptied into a microwaveable bowl for microwave heating; its instructions also say not to reheat it. Do not microwave the can.
How long can I keep an opened tin?
Check the product's own instructions. Marks & Spencer says to refrigerate opened Silky Smooth Custard and eat it within 2 days; Joybuy says to refrigerate remaining Ambrosia Devon or Low Fat custard and consume it within 3 days. Transfer contents out of the can where the pack instructs you to do so.
Are these custards suitable for someone with a milk allergy?
The reviewed M&S and Ambrosia custards contain milk ingredients, so do not treat them as milk-free options. Check the physical pack's current ingredient and allergen information before serving.