Christmas 2020 - Food Review

It’s the time of year we get to salivate over gorgeous Christmas food again! Now we all know the ”rules”, we can make a plan at least. Hats off to the food development teams all over the country who have been working on some of these ranges for 12 months or more, a real labour of love.

The nation is impatient to start Christmas, and we’re looking at much more of a festive “period” than we are perhaps used to.

Here’s some of the NPD we’ve spotted and think is worth highlighting:

Food to go

Christmas sandwiches are very popular this year - Morrisons have launched NINE christmas skus including a Pigs in Blankets Sub Roll. Tesco have 8. We can’t not mention the M&S Truffled Egg & Honey-roast Ham Sandwich which looks incredible (also 5% of sales from M&S festive food-on-the-go goes to Shelter)! Also the Christmas Curry Bangers & Brioche from Waitrose and the Starbucks Friends inspired “The One with the Gravy Layer Sandwich”. Genius.

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Sausage roll innovation from Marks and Spencer is immense this year! Thirty-two sausage rolls baked together over three tiers and studded with pastry stars.

We loved the Rose Ice Creams that Co-op launched this year - so of course like the Taste the Difference Pink Prawn Roses in the fuss-free Sainsburys Christmas range. If you’re wondering - they are delicate layers of crisp filo pastry, tinted with beetroot for a soft pink glow and then filled with a mix of juicy chopped king prawns in penang curry spices.

The Waitrose Cherry and Amaretti Tiffin is a stunner, and the Slow Cooked British Beef Shin with Merlot & Shallot Sauce we see being very popular this year (sounds mouthwatering).

Tesco has expanded their plant based Christmas offering, having worked on a No-Turkey Crown for two years, as well as a huge party range including Wicked Kitchen No Prawn Firecracker Dippers to give their shoppers more choice. M&S has also developed No Chorizo Pigs in Duvets and Not-zzarella sticks under the Plant Kitchen brand (the naming is spot on.)

Christmas Dinner in a Box

Christmas dinner in a box is a new trend this year. Morrisons Food Boxes, developed as a consequence of the first Lockdown have been successful. For Christmas this year, you can get a value box from Asda (£14.90 for 8), a Finest box from Tesco (£35 for 2) and a Morrisons ‘The Best’ box (£50 for 4) including after dinner cheese. Morrisons is even selling a hot Christmas dinner to go for £5.50.

Not just about the food….

Britain is Christmas jumper mad. But it still made us laugh us to see KFC, Heinz and Lidl selling Christmas jumpers for the superfans! All for Save the Children - which one do you fancy?!