Choose thick cultured crème fraîche if your recipe needs a firm texture and your child already enjoys slightly tangy dairy flavours. Its taste may be stronger than you expect. If you’re making a familiar dish, try a small amount first rather than assuming it won’t be noticed. Also check the product name, milk-containing ingredients and storage instructions for the product you buy.
If your child tends to reject tangy flavours, it’s worth trying a small amount of cultured crème fraîche in a familiar recipe. Produits Laitiers de France describes this thick cream as having a pronounced taste and a slight tang.
For a sauce, mash or gratin, you’ll want to consider both the texture you’re after and the flavour. Président explains that adding lactic cultures helps thicken the cream. Pouring cream is better suited to recipes where easy mixing is the priority.
If you need to follow milk-related dietary instructions at mealtimes, check the ingredients on the specific product you buy before using it. Product listings for creams from Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Auchan and Elle & Vire mention milk, cream or milk proteins.
When cooking for a fussy eater, start by thinking about the cream’s role in the dish. Then consider whether its cultured flavour might change a recipe your child already accepts. Pouring cream may be easier to mix in, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will taste milder.
| What to consider | What to check | Who might find this useful? |
|---|---|---|
| Cultured flavour | Look for the product name, thick texture and lactic cultures. Don’t assume that “cultured” means mild. | If my child is quick to reject new flavours, I want to avoid making a familiar dish taste noticeably different. Around 45% of consumers would put acceptance of the flavour first. |
| Texture in the recipe | Choose thick cream for the texture you’re after, or pouring cream if the recipe mainly calls for something that’s easy to mix in. | For a sauce, mash or gratin, I’m mainly looking for a texture that suits the dish. Around 33% of consumers would prioritise this. |
| Milk and ingredients | Check the milk declaration, product name and ingredients list. Compare the fat content too. | If I need to check for milk or other ingredients, I can’t rely on the word “thick” on the packaging alone. Around 22% of consumers would make this their priority. |
Produits Laitiers de France describes thick cultured cream as having a pronounced taste and a slight tang. For a child who’s sensitive to new flavours, this could matter more than the texture.
If the flavour is new to your child, try a small amount in a familiar dish before making it the main ingredient in a sauce.
At E.Leclerc, Delisse thick crème fraîche with 30% fat and Delisse thick dairy speciality with 7% fat have different product names. The listing for the latter mentions modified starches and thickeners.
Compare the product name, fat content and ingredients rather than choosing by appearance alone.
The cream and dairy speciality products mentioned by Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Auchan and Elle & Vire contain ingredients derived from milk.
If your child has a known milk allergy, don’t assume another size or brand will be suitable. Check the label of the product you’re considering and follow your child’s care instructions.
The listing for Auchan thick crème fraîche says to store it between +2 °C and +6 °C before opening and to use it soon after opening. Check the instructions on each product’s packaging.
Buy an amount that suits the meals you have planned and follow the guidance on the packaging.
Some of a large tub may go unused if you can’t finish it within the stated time.
Président’s cream range includes both thick and pouring options, which you can compare based on what you need for your recipe.
Elle & Vire includes organic full-fat thick cream in a pouch in its range.
Carrefour Bio offers organic thick crème fraîche with 30% fat.
The Delisse products listed by E.Leclerc let you compare full-fat thick crème fraîche with a lighter thick dairy speciality.
Auchan offers full-fat thick crème fraîche with 30% fat.
Lidl offers a range of dairy products, including its Envia brand.
It’s cream that has been thickened by adding lactic cultures. Produits Laitiers de France describes thick cultured crème fraîche as having a pronounced taste and a slight tang, so “cultured” doesn’t mean “milder”.
Not necessarily. Its stronger flavour might take them by surprise. If your child already enjoys this kind of flavour, try a small amount in a familiar recipe without changing all the other ingredients at the same time.
They aren’t the same product. E.Leclerc’s listings distinguish between Delisse thick crème fraîche with 30% fat and Delisse thick dairy speciality with 7% fat, which contains modified starches and thickeners. Check the product name and ingredients to make sure it suits your recipe.
The products mentioned contain milk, cream or milk proteins, so don’t assume they’re suitable for someone with a milk allergy. Check the label of the product you’re considering and follow your child’s care instructions.
Follow the storage temperature and use-by guidance after opening on the packaging you buy. For example, the listing for the Auchan product says to store it between +2 °C and +6 °C before opening and to use it soon after opening the tub.