Now December is here, it’s time for excitement around the Christmas period to ramp up, big time. And, by the looks of things, supermarkets are pulling out all the stops with their Christmas food and drink ranges for 2023.
Whether you’re hoping to be the host with the most, working out your game plan for wowing on Christmas Day, or wondering how to shake up your Boxing Day party food, all the big names and usual contenders have launched seasonal menus – from M&S to Waitrose – with everything from showstopping canapes to dishes for the main event.
Most festive supermarket food can, of course, be ordered online, and retailers have already opened up pre-order time slots. You may want to consider how best to get the food from the store to your kitchen – whether you want to plump for home delivery or a click-and-collect service on a date much closer to the big day.
With that in mind, from vegan Wellingtons to passionfruit panna cotta and gruyère fondue, here are the Christmas ranges you can order online from supermarkets this year, from Tesco to Asda and Sainsbury’s.
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M&S Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: Collection between 22–24 December
- Can I book a slot now? Yes
This isn’t just any Christmas food; this is the eagerly anticipated festive range from M&S for 2023 – and it’s sure to ramp up the excitement for foodies. Festive arrivals include Christmas jumper Colin the caterpillar (£12, Marksandspencer.com), plus the return of a festive favourite tipple with a twist: Marks & sparkle rosé (£9, Ocado.com) with edible gold leaf, which can be ordered with Ocado.
Home chefs taking on the cooking duties this year will be pleased to see air-fryer-ready party food among the range, along with several seafood platters (£50, Marksandspencer.com), and other tempting starters to make hosting easy, including baked brie encroute (£16, Marksandspencer.com).
Moving onto the main event, there’s an extensive range of turkeys and meat-based options to serve up, as well as several plant-based dishes, including a butternut, almond and pecan nut roast (£10, Marksandspencer.com). Those are in addition to fish-based dishes, such as dressed lobster halves (£70, Marksandspencer.com), halibut fillets with lemon and tarragon butter (£48, Marksandspencer.com) and lightly smoked salmon encroute (£35, Marksandspencer.com).
Similarly mouth-watering are the puds, from chocolate logs (£23, Marksandspencer.com) to a tarte citron (£12.50, Marksandspencer.com) and a Christmas caramel cheesecake (£18, Marksandspencer.com). What’s more, fans of the light-up Santa’s workshop chocolate box last Christmas will be pleased to see a new rendition: the light-up village chocolate box (£40, Marksandspencer.com).
As a click-and-collect system, slots opened up to pre-order M&S’s extensive festive food range on Tuesday 26 September, with the retailer advising customers wishing to pre-order Christmas food to do so by the cut-off date of Monday 11 December.
Morrisons Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: Collection between 21–24 December, delivery between 20–24 December
- Can I book a slot now? Yes
Morrisons has started its countdown to Christmas by revealing its festive range for 2023 and there’s plenty to get excited about. Hosting will be made simple, with party dishes such as vegetable tempura (£7, Morrisons.com), gruyère fondue (£5, Morrisons.com) and vegan mushroom pâté (£3.99, Morrisons.com).
Taking centre stage at Christmas lunch, a turkey crown with apricot and brandy stuffing (£37.98, Morrisons.com) and chicken with streaky bacon are among the choices. But the tempting treats don’t stop there, of course. Beef fillet Wellington (£40, Morrisons.com) and gammon with spiced orange marmalade glaze (£16, Morrisons.com) also sound promising, while a vegetable Wellington (£7, Morrisons.com) is among the plant-based picks this year. Fans of pigs in blankets (£3.25, Morrisons.com) and pork, sage and onion stuffing (£3.25, Morrisons.com) won’t be disappointed, either.
To round off the meal, desserts such as a passionfruit panna cotta (£8, Morrisons.com) and vegan trifle (£7, Morrisons.com) will go down a storm, alongside classic festive fare – think a chocolate and cream yule log (£7, Morrisons.com) and mince pies (£2.50, Morrisons.com).
When shopping with Morrisons food to order, you will need to collect from your chosen Morrisons store but home delivery is also an option for many of the seasonal menu items.
Waitrose Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: Collection between 21–23 December
- Can you book a slot now? Yes, collection slots only.
It seems as though Waitrose will be pulling out all the stops this year. You can order buffet foods and canapés, such as salmon mousse (£15,Waitrose.com) and a British pork jewelled stuffing wreath (£12,Waitrose.com), and the menu sounds perfect for taking the hassle out of hosting.
If it’s Christmas lunch you’re most excited about, the main dishes include a jewelled stuffed bronze turkey crown (from £41,Waitrose.com) and duck with plum and chestnut (£40,Waitrose.com). The supermarket has also delivered in the plant-based department. When it comes to mains – those following a vegan diet will be able to enjoy a chestnut and thyme plant-based turkey roast (£16, Waitrose.com) or a vegan Wellington (£12, Waitrose.com).
’Tis also the season for a sweet tooth, and Waitrose has revealed there will be 20 new cakes, baked treats and desserts to shop this year. Crumble-top mince pies with cranberry and orange (£3.75, Waitrose.com) and florentine-inspired panettone (£16, Waitrose.com) are among the puds to look forward to.
Tesco Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: Delivery and collection between 20–23 December
- Can I book a slot now? Yes
Tesco is also hoping to tempt with its festive fare this year. Expect a choice of several turkey dishes for the main event, as well as a crackling porchetta pork joint (£21.60, Tesco.com), monkfish and chorizo wellington (£30, Tesco.com), slow-cooked sloe gin duck (£37, Tesco.com), spiced orange and pomegranate Scottish salmon (£18, Tesco.com) and roasted butternut, spinach and sage galette (£7, Tesco.com).
For the host with the most, there’s a range of party bites, such as a smoked red Leicester bite with chilli jam bake (£3.15, Tesco.com) and a Scottish smoked salmon blini kit. (£13, Tesco.com). If you’re planning on feeding a crowd of cheese fanatics, you’ll want to load up on the sticky toffee cheddar truckle (£1.10, Tesco.com) and Wensleydale with cranberries (£2.75, Tesco.com).
For those feasting plant-based this year, a mushroom and chestnut festive wreath (£6, Tesco.com) and no-turkey crown with stuffing (£5, Tesco.com) are among some of the main dishes we’ve been eyeing up.
Christmas classic desserts such as chocolate log cake (£17, Tesco.com) and mince pies will be available, while desserts such as a sticky toffee and pecan croissant star (£9, Tesco.com), and a stem ginger tiffin cracker (£9, Tesco.com) offer something a little different.
Asda Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: Delivery and collection between 20–23 December
- Can I book a slot? Yes
Ahead of revealing the full range, Asda has given shoppers a sneak preview. The menu looks like it will get off to a strong start for seafood fans, with starters such as cured salmon in a pastrami spice blend available to buy. If you prefer to keep things simple, though, scallop and king prawn vol au vents with brown butter and spiced dark rum sauce or tomato prawn and lobster cocktail are great choices to make, too.
The Christmas dinner centrepieces this year mean you could be serving a crackling pork belly roast with caramelised leek and apple stuffing. Or, where turkey mains are concerned, a Heritage Norfolk Bronze turkey or turkey bale stuffed with festive fruit and pork sage and onion, topped off with bacon. For vegans and non-meat eaters at the table, expect a vegan oyster and porcini mushroom Wellington on the menu this year.
With flaming puddings and frozen desserts to get excited about, too, the sweet plates sound just as promising. There’s a Christmas pudding, chocolate and honeycomb avalanche dessert, amaretto and cherry cheesecake and a vegan strawberry trifle for some dairy-free indulgence.
If you still have room, there are even more treats to be had. Think brown butter and spiced dark rum mince pies, Christmas doughnuts and chocolate and orange panettone among the sweet bites to share.
Sainsbury’s Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: Collection between 18–24 December
- Can I book a slot now? Yes
Wondering whether to do your Christmas food shop with Sainsbury’s this year? Here, you can get a preview of what’s to come, from festive desserts to small plates, such as Taste the Difference posh prawn toasties; cheddar and truffle ciabatta crostini (£10.50, Sainsburys.co.uk), and bao’s of holly. Any fromage fans will also be pleased to see there’s a cheesemonger selection on the menu this year.
As for the main event, there will be a turkey to serve up – more specifically a buttermilk turkey crown with maple-cured bacon – and there will be further picks to expect, including cured gammon and a no-beef Wellington (£6.75, Sainsburys.co.uk), should you want to serve a slightly different centrepiece this year.
The chocolate orange snowflakes (£12, Sainsburys.co.uk) sound like a suitably festive way to end the meal, as does the chocolate mousse and spruced-up sticky toffee sponges (£10, Sainsburys.co.uk), while there will also be several ‘free from’ options, including gluten-, milk- and egg-free ginger and chocolate tiffins (£3, Sainsburys.co.uk). When it comes to washing it all down, that should be a treat, too, with the likes of a ready-to-drink berry bramble cocktail.
Aldi Christmas food 2023
- Slot dates: TBC
- Can I book a slot? No
Beloved for offering pocket-friendly prices, another supermarket vying for a place at your Christmas table is Aldi – with some of its indulgent-looking festive items available now, we can expect more to come as the big day edges closer. Some of these items will only be available in-store, but the Aldi click-and-collect service will also be an option, although the supermarket hasn’t shared any dates for its Christmas slots just yet.
As for the selection available, the options when it comes to various turkeys on offer include a stuffed turkey crown (£24.99, Aldi.co.uk), while some of the new festive arrivals to get excited about include mince pies (£2.49, Aldi.co.uk), a double chocolate igloo (£6.99, Aldi.co.uk), a milk chocolate millionaire’s bauble (£7.99, Aldi.co.uk), and a maple fudge Christmas pud (£4.99, Aldi.co.uk).
Anyone preparing for the party season will also be able to dip into the vast Aldi range of party food and festive tipples, from vegan cranberry and stuffing festive bakes (£1.19, Aldi.co.uk) to a bottle of Ballycastle chocolate, hazelnut and caramel flavour country cream (£7.79, Aldi.co.uk)
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