Bird's

Bird's custard powder was created in the nineteenth century by Alfred Bird, a Birmingham chemist, as a custard that could be made without eggs. It became a fixture of British home cooking and spread across the Commonwealth, which is why Bird's is also a familiar name in Indian, Sri Lankan and Caribbean kitchens.

Bird's sits in our custard powder collection, part of the wider dessert mixes shelf alongside kheer, falooda and jelly mixes. The range we carry is the original powder, a cornflour base with vanilla flavour and colour, to which you add your own milk and sugar.

To make custard, mix the powder and sugar to a smooth paste with a little cold milk, heat the rest of the milk, then pour it in and stir over a low heat until it thickens. British cooks pour it over crumble, sponge pudding and apple pie, and layer it in trifle. Indian fruit custard is a party favourite: chill thick custard and fold in chopped apple, banana, grapes and pomegranate. Sri Lankan households set it into custard pudding or serve it with jelly. Bakers also add a spoonful of powder to cookie dough for custard creams or to buttercream for a pale yellow vanilla filling.

Keep the tin dry and the lid on firmly, and make custard a little thinner than you want, since it thickens as it cools. For flavoured custards, compare the Laziza range, and for related puddings see our jelly collection.