AS I walked into Tesco’s Christmas showcase, I knew this year’s festive range was going to be above and beyond anything that’s gone before.
I was given the opportunity to test out the supermarket’s latest Christmas dinner and sweet treats ranges, along with its sparkling drinks offering for this festive season.
Tesco‘s Christmas range has been slowly making its way into supermarkets and, with the festive season now on the horizon with almost 100 days to go, the goods will soon be available at all of its 4,000 branches.
Some of the prices are still yet to be confirmed.
I really wanted to try one item in particular that’s brand new for this year, and that was the pigs in blanket-flavoured stuffing balls.
It’s not Christmas without a pig in a blanket or two, but Tesco is putting a spin on the festive treat this year.
While messing with Christmas classics may seem like a controversial move, I’m fairly sure this one is going to be a fan favourite.
The two flavours really complement one another really well, without being too overpowering.
I think even the most ardent pigs in blanket and traditional stuffing purists would be impressed, and I can already imagine a fight breaking out over the last one on Christmas day.
For me, they came out on top.
For those who don’t want to break with tradition, Tesco will also be selling its Finest range’s eight signature pigs in blankets.
Another personal favourite for me was the Chef’s Collection morello cherry chocolate delice.
The dessert is inspired by French patisseries and is made up of velvety Belgian chocolate mousse and spiced morello cherry compote layer on a rich chocolate sponge.
If I was looking for just one word to describe this desert, it would be decadent.
It reminded me of the kind of thing you tuck into at a super fancy restaurant, or at a Parisian cafe.
If you bring this out at any Christmas party, it’s bound to be a crowd-pleaser.
It’s priced at £20 and serves eight people.
I also really enjoyed Tesco’s truffle cheddar. Even if you don’t generally like truffle, this one could still be worth a try as the flavour isn’t too overpowering and it doesn’t take away from the cheese.
Tesco said that this year it has tried to take the stress out of Christmas for hosts by making its food easy to prepare, while still feeling luxurious.
And you can really feel this sentiment in its centrepiece offering.
The Christmas turkey is a staple of most households’ Christmas dinner spread, and Tesco has decided to jazz its version up this year.
Its easy-to-carve bird is filled to the brim with pork, cranberry and chestnut stuffing, with a blend of authentic herbs and spices to boot.
As if that’s not enough, it’s also wrapped in dry cured smoked ham.
This extravagant turkey will be available through Tesco’s Made to Order service, which usually opens at the beginning of November.
This service allows you to book and pay for your Christmas dinner and other treats ahead of time with collection closer to the big day.
It will be priced at £40, but shoppers with a Tesco Clubcard will be able to nab it for £35.
As someone who really doesn’t like to spend ages preparing a meal, especially on Christmas Day, I was intrigued by the supermarket’s Finest slow cooked turkey with all the trimmings.
This will also be available through it’s made to order service.
For £60, or £50 with a Clubcard, you can enough food for a family of four including a slow cooked turkey, pigs in blankets, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage and gravy.
So if you’re looking for a fuss-free way of making Christmas dinner, this could be a good option for you.
There’s also a range of items featuring Tesco’s featured festive flavour, foraged fruits.
These include its finest dry cured bone-in gammon Joint with a black cherry glaze, red cabbage with foraged forest glaze and spiced honey butter and
There’s also a red Cabbage with foraged forest glaze and spiced honey butter and a winter cranberry pork pie.
The fruit flavour makes you feel warm inside and gives the items a quintessential Christmas taste.
TESCO'S Clubcard scheme allows shoppers to earn points as they shop.
These points can then be turned into vouchers for money off food at the supermarket, or discounts at other places like restaurants and days out.
Each time you spend £1 in-store and online, you get one point when you scan your Clubcard.
Drivers using the loyalty card get one point for every two litres spent on fuel.
One point equals 1p, so 150 points gets you a £1.50 money-off voucher, for example.
You can double their worth when you swap them for discounts with “reward partners”.
For example, £12 worth of vouchers can be swapped for a £24 three-month subscription to Disney+.
Or you can swap 50p worth of points for £1 to spend at Hungry Horse pubs.
Where you can spend them changes regularly, and you can check on the Tesco website what’s available now.
Tesco shoppers can also get Clubcard prices when they have the loyalty card.
The discounted items change regularly and without a Clubcard you’ll pay a higher price.
These Clubcard prices are usually labelled on shelves, along with the non-member price.
But it’s worth noting that just because it’s discounted doesn’t necessarily make it the cheapest around, and you should compare prices to find the best deal.
You can sign up to get a Tesco Clubcard in store or online via the Tesco website.
This year, Tesco is introducing a new character to help it stand out this Christmas: the Abominable Snowman in a bid to rival Aldi, whose Colin the Carrot character has become synonymous with the run up to Christmas.
The snowman features on a wide range of items in the supermarket’s Christmas range this year, including baubles, stockings, wrapping paper and crackets.
There’s even an adorable Abominable Snowman plushie, which is available for between £7 and £15, depending on his size.
There’s no clue yet as to whether he will appear in Tesco’s festive advert, but for regular shoppers, he’s bound to become a familiar face.
Tesco isn’t the only retailer to have launched its festive range.
We had a first look at Fortnum & Mason’s 2024 Christmas range including edible coal, £40 hamper & £265 advent calendar worth £1,000.
Plus, we reveal the full list of supermarket Christmas savings schemes – and how to get £25 free cash.
IF youre' looking to save cash, you've come to the right place, as here, Gemma Bird has shared her top tips that'll save you £2k before Christmas.
Follow these practical tips from Gemma Bird to boost your savings before the festive season!
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