TODAY is National Biscuit Day – and if there is one thing we do well, it is dunking a biccie in a brew.
While tastes vary depending on your drink, time of day, and type of tea-break, one thing most of us agree on is that you can’t go wrong with a Custard Cream.
In fact, they consistently rank around the top five in polls of the nation’s favourite biscuits.
Laura Stott crunched through eight brands and gave a mark out of five for each.
Golden Oreo
154g, £1.30, Sainsbury’s
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THIS is about as poshed-up as you will find for what is really a basic biscuit.
While it does not come in the traditional square sandwich shape, in essence this packet of round golden Oreos is a version of a custard cream.
They also have a slightly shorter texture to the biscuit.
The filling was delicious – extremely creamy without being too sweet.
I did find the sections separated easily but they were just as tasty consumed in three parts as two biscuits and the middle.
Very strong vanilla flavour, which might divide the crowd, but I enjoyed it – and they are substantial enough for one to be plenty.
It’s just a pity the price is so steep.
RATING: 3/5
Custard Creams
400g, 75p, Morrisons
YOU get lots of biccies for your buck from Morrisons with 400g, although they are slightly pricier than Asda and Tesco, who also offer the larger-sized packs.
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These were decent enough, but I found them rather crumbly.
Although they looked quite dark and firm, they went soft very quickly and fell apart when dunked into a hot drink.
There was a nice, creamy filling in the middle of the sandwich but rather a mean amount.
The biscuit-to- filling ratio could definitely have been increased to make the flavour less dry.
Not bad, but a bit of a “could do better” biscuit.
RATING: 2/5
Custard Creams
400g, 65p, Asda
A GREAT value packet with 400g – which was even greater value when I bought it on offer for just 60p.
I liked how the packaging split the contents inside to help keep them fresh too.
Really tasty, with a lovely golden outer, a good crunch and a nice filling – although a smoother custard middle and a little more of it would have been welcome.
For the price, though, you can’t really complain – and these go lovely with a cup of something hot.
Dunk them or simply enjoy them to nibble on as a snack.
Ideal for throwing in the trolley as a family filler when you do the weekly shop.
RATING: 4/5
Custard Creams
200g, 32p, Sainsbury’s
ALTHOUGH these are very well priced, the packet is half the size of some of the others I tried.
However, not everyone wants a big family-sized pack, especially if you only eat them occasionally.
If you enjoy tucking into different types of biscuits, this could be the ideal size to have on standby in your biscuit tin.
The treats themselves were enjoyable enough to wolf with a brew.
The biscuit layers were rather dark and firm but tasted very pleasant, even if the texture was a little tight.
Filling-wise, though, they were a disappointment. Not very creamy, rather brittle and barely any of it.
A biscuit of two halves.
But you can’t quibble at the price.
RATING: 2/5
Tower Gate Custard Creams
300g 49p Lidl, in store
WHILE they definitely offer decent value for money, I found these dry biccies from Lidl rather tough.
They are a bit of a disappointment, to be honest, and certainly a packet to park in the “for emergencies only” dunking tin.
Very dark in colour, almost brown in some places, suggesting these may have been overdone, and even with the traditional pattern stencilled on to the outside they didn’t look or taste very appetising.
They were thin throughout, with a very mean layer of cream in the middle, which was so stingy you could barely see or taste it.
The overriding taste was of slightly stale biscuit, which even at a bargain price seemed like a bit of a letdown.
RATING: 2/5
Extra Cream Custard Creams
175g, 50p, Marks & Spencer
NOT just any custard creams, these are M&S Extra Cream custard creams.
The posh grocer has blown it out of the park with these scrummy snacks, which were in a whole different league to all of the others.
Everything was amplified, from thicker, chunkier, perfectly baked biccie sandwich layers to the thick, super-creamy, extra tasty custard inner filling.
Exactly how you want a custard cream to taste when you bite into it and oh-so-satisfying.
Pricier than some other supermarket options but for what you get I’d say these were still pretty good value.
Hide them at the back of the cupboard, though, so they don’t all get scoffed in seconds.
RATING: 5/5
Custard Creams
400g, 60p, Tesco
NOT a bad all-round biscuit and these are extremely good value, as you get a big, family-sized pack for not much dosh.
Rather pale in colour, though, and some of the biscuits had broken and crumbled in the pack.
For me, the bake was a little soft, which resulted in a soggy corner when dipped in a cuppa.
The cream filling was pleasant enough but noticeably sweeter than others and, for someone without an especially sweet tooth, that wasn’t especially pleasing.
Rather a strong, sickly smell too.
But if you just want to snack on something with a brew, these fit the bill at a good price.
RATING: 3/5
Belmont Custard Creams
300g, 45p, Aldi
A REALLY tasty tea-break snack, and the 300g pack for less than 50p is extremely good value, too.
Plump outside layers to the sandwich, which crumbled in a nice way and weren’t too soft or too firm.
The filling layer was smooth and tasty and, considering the price, also fairly generous compared to some of the alternatives.
A perfect family-sized pack, not too big that the biccies will go stale or too small that there aren’t enough to go around.
Also fared very well against a cup of coffee, going just soft enough to enjoy the creamy vanilla taste without disintegrating completely into my drink.
RATING: 4/5
