Asda and Tesco have become the first two UK supermarkets to unveil their festive food ranges for 2024.
Sure, it may quite literally be August right now, and we’ve still got the rest of summer, and the small matter of a bank holiday weekend, Halloween, and Bonfire Night to get through first, but it seems two of the UK’s biggest supermarkets are already looking ahead to the most wonderful time of year.
That’s right, whether you can believe it or not, Asda and Tesco have already unveiled their festive food ranges for Christmas 2024.
Although we didn’t want to bring up the ‘C’ word nearly five months before the festive season is actually upon us, here we are – and considering Greater Manchester hasn’t really had much of a ‘summer’ so far this year, maybe there’s no harm getting in getting into the festive spirit a little earlier than normal?
Thankfully, there’s some real mouthwatering treats on the menu to make these early releases worthwhile.
Asda and Tesco have unveiled their festive food ranges for 2024 / Credit: Tesco | Asda
Over at Tesco, you won’t just find the traditional turkey and Christmas pudding on the lineup this year, as joining those are inventive alternatives like a Dry Cured Bone-in Gammon Joint with a Black Cherry Glaze, a large Winter Berry Pork Pie, a Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Galette, a Roasted Vegetable & Cranberry Star, mini Pigs in Blankets Yorkshire Puddings, and even a whole range of festive-themed party foods and cheese selection.
For those with a sweet tooth, Tesco is serving up a Belgian Chocolate & Sea Salted Caramel Snowy Semi Freddo, and a Speculoos and Belgian Chocolate Highwall Cheesecake, both from the ‘Finest’ range among others.
There’s also a giant Christmas star-shaped chocolate panettone to tuck into too.
There’s some real mouthwatering festive treats on the lineups this year / Credit: Tesco
Can Asda rival that then?
Well, aside from the usual classics, just like Tesco, the supermarket has some snazzy alternatives on the lineup including the a Slow Cooked Beef Shin, a Welsh Lamb Shoulder with Fig, Whiskey, and a Spiced Honey stuffing, and even a cleverly-named Charcuter-wreath, alongside lots of party food and ‘picky bits’.
These include Butter Chicken Samosas, Prawn & Veg Dim Sum, and Tempura Prawns, all from the ‘Exceptional’ range.
There’s classics, inventive alternatives, and new and returning fan-favourites / Credit: Tesco
When it comes to desserts and sweet treats, shoppers are spoiled for choice once again, with some of the stand-outs being the fan-favourite Exceptional Panettone, and the new Raspberry, Pistachio & Passionfruit Pavlova Wreath from the ‘Extra Special’ range.
Both supermarkets also have a wide range of vegan and ‘Free From’ food options available across their ranges this year, so no one need miss out on the festive feasting fun.
It’s expected that we won’t have long to wait now until the rest of the other major supermarkets get into the Christmas spirit too, so keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – Tesco
Shopping
New Haribo shop to open in Trafford Centre with pick n mix station featuring over 40 varieties of sweets
Emily Sergeant
HARIBO UK has announced plans to open an exciting new store here in Greater Manchester.
The store – which will be the confectionery giant’s thirteenth location in the UK – is set to be celebration of HARIBO’s ‘spirit of childlike happiness’ once it opens its doors over at the Trafford Centre, and Manchester fans will soon be able to shop a delicious selection of all Haribo treats.
There’ll be everything from familiar favourites like Starmix and Tangfastics, to exciting new products such as Nostalgix and Alienauts.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy international varieties of Haribo too, all without having to venture to another country – whether it be Haribo Favoritos and Watermelon from Spain, Haribo Dragibus and Tagada from France, or Haribo liquorice Schnecken from Germany.
A new Haribo shop is set to open in Trafford Centre / Credit: Dan Cristian Padure | Jacqueline Brandwayn (via Unsplash)
To bring back the old-fashioned pleasure of being in a sweet shop, there’ll even be a ‘Pick Your Mix’ station, featuring more than 40 varieties of HARIBO and MAOAM treats to choose from, and in addition to the sweets themselves, the store will also be filled with exclusive HARIBO merchandise, such as plushies, stationery, candles, and more.
Haribo’s most recent opening was in Bluewater, and there’ll be a new site popping up in Glasgow later this month, before the Trafford Centre store opens its doors.
“We’re thrilled to be opening a HARIBO UK store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre,” commented Rebecca Fox, who is the Head of Retail at HARIBO UK.
“Our stores are a way to share even more moments of childlike happiness with HARIBO fans and we can’t wait for Manchester’s HARIBO-lovers and visitors to join in the fun.”
There’ll be a ‘pick you mix’ station featuring over 40 different varieties of sweets / Credit: Luis Aguila (via Unsplash)
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re excited to welcome HARIBO to Trafford Centre, with a store that promises to deliver a super-sweet experience that cannot be matched online, delighting visitors of all ages.
“We’re confident that our visitors will love this new brand-new store, which will prove another fantastic addition to the centre.”
There’s no opening date for the Trafford Centre store confirmed just yet, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – Supplied
Shopping
Aldi has launched limited-edition gender reveal Cuthbert caterpillar cakes
Emily Sergeant
Is it a boy or a girl? No it’s a limited-edition Cuthbert.
That’s right, in an ode to the ever-growing trend of gender reveal parties, and to coincide with September being the month that most babies are born in, Aldi has decided to give its iconic Cuthbert Cake a very special makeover for a limited time only.
Designed to offer expectant parents the ultimate way to reveal the gender of their child, this special Cuthbert is now available via an exclusive shopper competition.
The limited-edition cake will be completely free for those lucky enough to get their hands on it.
Decorated with blue and pink chocolate beans, the exclusive new cake has two versions of filling, just as you’d expect – one with pink buttercream icing (for a girl), and blue buttercream icing (for a boy).
The launch of the gender reveal Cuthberts comes after recent research from Aldi has revealed that 58% of millennial Brits have celebrated gender reveal moments, and 48% of Gen Z having attended an average of three gender reveal parties in the last five years – with cake found to be the most popular method of revealing a baby’s gender.
Cake was found to be more popular than balloons, confetti, or fireworks, making it twice as popular much as any other gender reveal option.
And that’s not all either, as following the news that traditional baby names have been seeing a decline in popularity among expectant parents in favour of more unique options, 5% of Brits even admitted that they would consider naming their child Cuthbert after the budget supermarket retailer’s icon.
Aldi has launched limited-edition gender reveal Cuthbert caterpillar cakes / Credit: Aldi
Want to win a gender reveal Cuthbert then?
Shoppers just need to send an email detailing their full name, why they or a loved one would be the ideal recipient of this cake, the address of their closest Aldi store, and the gender of their baby to [email protected].
The competition will open until 11:59pm on 14September, and the lucky winners will be notified of their win via email by 28 September.
Emily Sergeant -
8th August 2024 
