Bird's Custard is a popular dry custard powder imported from England. I use it to make the custard for English trifle. Better grocery stores with a decent import section in my area carry it or you can order from Amazon.

Most super markets sell it in the section where the yogurt and packaged cheeses are located. It comes in a round bowl.

Ask at the bakery counter of your grocery store,

I had a co-worker from Scotland who used Bird's Custard in her trifle so I made one using it. I remember it not being as sweet or flavorful as homemade custard but that was 30 years ago, so gardengal can advise you better on flavor. Maybe a wee bit of vanilla would help.

Bird's Custard will work, but we ate it made as a warm, slightly runny, custard to pour over pie or crumble.

Thanks everyone! Since these will be a handheld treat, I'd like to find a thicker custard for the filling. I've seen containers of pudding at our store but not custard. I'm headed to the grocery store today and I'll do some investigating.

Bird's Custard can be made to any consistency you like. Trifle needs a thick custard so I make it thick :-) And custard is just a cooked egg/milk mixture so how flavorful is it supposed to be? If you need it sweeter, just add some sugar! FWIW, I have never seen prepared custard for sale in the refrigerated section of any grocery in my area. Perhaps it is a regional thing?

Haven't looked lately, but I used to buy boxed custard mixes in the pudding/gelatin section @ grocery stores. Here where I live, they can sometimes be found in the Hispanic foods section as well.

Maybe instead of custard, what you want is pastry cream?

https://www.marthastewart.com/343977/pastry-cream

Pastry cream is just a thick custard :-) Same ingredients in both.

AFAIK, pastry cream includes starch, while regular custard does not...

And then there's baked custard, which I love - esp. flan.

Vanilla pastry cream is super easy to make and so delicious. Simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of time. It is well worth it.

Well, like I said up thread, we moved to a high altitude area with very low humidity and I've lost my cooking touch. We've been here over a year and I hate to tell you how many things I've ruined.

So, instead of potentially wasting $, ingredients and being frustrated, I am looking for something pre made or that doesn't involve cooking eggs.