Birds custard powder

[Whoknowswhatanymore]

Am I being unreasonable to think Birds Custard Powder has changed over the years and will no longer make up the way it used to or am I just doing it wrong even though I’m doing it as I did before? Has something changed??

Do you mean an egg custard?
I use sachets, it’s always too much so banana custard for breakfast😋

I use the tinned version to make Manchester Tart.
Add a tiny bit of vanilla extract and a some single cream when it’s almost heated through.

Love it. Make it in a big bowl in the microwave. Add sugar as per the instructions. Then add vanilla and butter or cream when finished and mix well.

The powder is top stuff. You can add as much sugar as you want and it works if you mix with a small amount of milk first, then into warm milk or use microwave.

Thanks for all of the useful tips! I didn’t make a paste first, so maybe that’s where I went wrong. I will give it another go!

@Whoknowswhatanymore I was going to ask if you’d made a paste first. It’s the same as when you would make a cheese sauce. You make a roux first.

Good luck with your next attempt.

it's basically just cornstarch, touch of salt, yellow food colouring and vanilla, isn't it? Not sure how differently they could make it...

Ive just bought some as its a lot less £ versus ready made.

I previously added vanilla extract so never added sugar if Im honest.

I think the lumps is about how you add in the powder, I do it bit by bit.

But Im hoping its not changed too much over the years cos this tub is the first one Ive bought for a decade...

It's so easy. Tablespoon powder. Table spoon sugar. Mix in mug. Pour in a little hot milk off the stove. Mix with spoon.

Gradually drizzle mug mixture into pan and stir with wooden spoon.

Watch like a hawk until the mixture thickens. Remove from stove fast. Keep stirring as it cools to avoid a skin forming. Pour onto trifle. Keep fingers crossed that it sets solid.

Custard is the semen of the Devil.

Are you using the original custard powder or the instant custard powder?

Original custard powder.

I could never make it either, as you say lumpy mess, on the rare occasion I have custard i just buy a <whisper> tin 😀

Back in the 80s its was fluorescent and full of sugar, good times!

These days I only use it for baking in powder form e.g in custard cream style shortbread.

If you want proper pouring custard I would recommend buying the fresh stuff from M&S.

I don't think it ever had sugar in it. You always had to add your own but perhaps people aren't adding as much as they used to. I've been cooking since the late 60s so have a long experience of custard 😉

It’s as quick to make your own custard .. and much nicer

It can't go wrong if you do this. If you add the custard powder directly to hot milk it will indeed be a lumpy mess.

Edit: I tend to add the sugar last so it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.

That depends on the type of custard you’re making. If you’re making one just with cornflour and milk it’s no quicker, plus the Bird’s Eye has a traditional yellow colour.

If you’re making an egg custard, which not everyone wants, adding a bit of cornflour helps stabilise the mix so you might as well use Bird’s Eye and add an egg or two.

If you have the time after stretching out your chicken to,feed a family of six for a week, of course.

Not going to lie I thought your aibu was going to be am I being unreasonable to eat birds custard powder dry?

M and S ready made is the food of the Gods. Just saying...

Birds custard powder doesn’t have any sugar in it, never has had. You’ve always had to add your own.

It wasn’t. Birds original custard powder has never had sugar in it.

Maybe not in the box but it was after my Granny had finished with it 😆.

Birds original custard powder is just cornflour, vanilla flavouring and colouring.

It has never contained sugar, I don’t see how the recipe could have changed, it’s a very basic product.

My mum’s always made it with evaporated milk, which does make it lovely and creamy and sweet.