For a picnic, choose an amount you can keep chilled and use after opening, rather than starting with a large container. Thick crème fraîche is ideal for a dip, while a pourable cream works better in recipes where you need a runnier texture. If you’re considering small UHT cartons or a family-size pack, check the product description, ingredients and storage instructions too.
When preparing sauces, salads or desserts for several people, the quantity needs to suit your recipes as well as the space you have available to keep it chilled. The options listed by Carrefour, Président and Auchan include sizes from 20 cl to 1 L, depending on the product and its texture.
If you want a cream to coat crudités or form the base of a dip, look for the word ‘thick’ rather than choosing by volume alone. Président, Elle & Vire and Auchan list thick, full-fat creams with 30% fat.
Individual cartons can be more practical if you don’t want to open a large container. Elle & Vire offers a UHT pourable dairy speciality with 4% fat in a pack of 3 × 20 cl; its product description and ingredients differ from those of full-fat crème fraîche.
When choosing cream for a picnic, first plan how you’ll keep it chilled during transport. Then match the volume to your recipes and the texture to how you intend to serve it.
| Criterion | What to check | Relevant shoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping it chilled | Check the temperature stated on the packaging and use an insulated bag with ice packs. Auchan’s thick crème fraîche, as listed by the retailer, should be kept between +2 °C and +6 °C. | If the cream needs to stay chilled during the journey and meal, I don’t want to leave the whole pot out on the picnic blanket; around 36% of consumers would make keeping it chilled their top priority. |
| Volume for your group | Work out how much you’ll need based on your recipes and the number of guests, then check the pack size. Carrefour lists pourable cream in a 1 L bottle, while Auchan lists thick cream in a 50 cl pot. | To serve several people without being left with lots of leftovers, I need an amount that suits the portions I’m planning; pack size would come first for around 29% of consumers. |
| Recipe texture | Choose ‘thick’ for a dip that needs to coat crudités, or ‘pourable’ for a sauce to drizzle. Check the exact product description before swapping one for the other. | A dip needs to cling to crudités, while a dressing needs to pour easily; around 21% of consumers would prioritise the finished texture. |
| Ingredients or organic option | Check the product description, ingredients and fat content separately. Elle & Vire’s pourable speciality has 4% fat; Auchan’s organic thick crème fraîche has 30%. | If I’m looking for a different fat content or an organic option, I want to know exactly what I’m buying; this would be the top priority for around 14% of consumers. |
Anses recommends using an insulated bag to transport chilled products and advises keeping transport time to a minimum. Auchan’s product information for its thick crème fraîche states that it should be kept between +2 °C and +6 °C.
Buy the cream at the end of your shop, carry it with ice packs and only take out the amount you need when it’s time to serve.
Elle & Vire’s UHT pourable dairy speciality with 4% fat contains, among other ingredients, skimmed milk, cream, water, modified starch, an emulsifier and stabilisers. Its ingredients and texture differ from those of full-fat thick crème fraîche.
Choose according to your recipe, then check the product description, ingredients and fat content before switching products.
The Carrefour and Auchan product information cited here gives sizes in metric units, including 1 L for pourable cream and 50 cl for thick cream. If you see the word ‘pint’, check which unit and volume are meant before working out your portions.
Work out the amount you need in litres or centilitres based on your recipe, then check the size available from your shop and the storage instructions after opening.
Président’s range includes creams with different textures and fat contents.
Elle & Vire lists organic full-fat thick cream in a 324 g pouch, as well as a UHT pourable dairy speciality with 4% fat in a pack of 3 × 20 cl.
Carrefour lists, among other options, full-fat pourable cream with 30% fat in a 40 cl bottle, as well as a 1 L pourable option.
Auchan lists a 50 cl pot of full-fat thick crème fraîche with 30% fat, as well as an organic full-fat thick version in the same size and with the same fat content.
Use an insulated bag if the crème fraîche needs to stay chilled. Anses advises buying chilled products at the end of your shop, using an insulated bag and keeping transport time to a minimum. Also follow the temperature stated on the product; for the Auchan thick crème fraîche mentioned here, that’s between +2 °C and +6 °C.
Choose thick crème fraîche if you want a base that will coat the crudités. The thick creams listed by Président, Elle & Vire and Auchan are suited to this texture; if you need a sauce that pours, look for a pourable option instead.
Not necessarily: Auchan’s organic full-fat thick crème fraîche has 30% fat, just like its 50 cl pot of full-fat thick crème fraîche. Check the organic label and fat content separately.