Just as the three wise men brought offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh, British supermarkets bring Christmas dinner pizza, Brussels sprouts chocolate rolls, and Yorkshire pudding wraps.
British supermarkets at this time of year are filled with golden nuggets of weird, wonderful and verging on just-plain-wrong specials.
Stumbling across one is a great feeling, and you have to tell everyone.
Let’s face it, if there’s one thing to guarantee a laugh on Christmas day, it’s pulling out a novelty sweet treat, and this year’s selection of supermarket specials will have the in-laws raving about you until Easter.
Our list of the maddest supermarket specials is the middle aisle on steroids.
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Read on to find some truly shocking and not-quite-right inventions. Make sure you read all the way because we crown the wackiest winner at the bottom… trust us, you’ll want to get your hands on this.
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Tiramisu-flavoured Dessert Sauce
Aldi
We learnt quickly when researching this list, Aldi is the King of crazy supermarket goodies.
Specially-selected by Aldi themselves, you can turn anything into tiramisu – a Christmas miracle.
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Think of all the fun you could have with this little flavour machine you could pour over brownies, dip strawberries but promise us you won’t swap it for gravy.
Hold on tight, we’re getting into the slightly darker recesses of Asda here.
A pigs in blanket slice – we’ll leave it for you to decide whether that’s going straight in your basket. Could be good in bread – could not. We’re on the fence about these, but for those who think a cocktail sausage is just not enough, this one’s for you.
Couldn’t think of anything better to go with a cuppa on Christmas day. Marks and Spencer have smashed it out the supermarket with these. Though not weird, they are just really cute and deserve a place on the list because, well, they’re bitesize sticky toffee puddings.
Guaranteed to bring a smile – would you dunk them in the brew though?
Christmas Tinner. A force to be reckoned with. Where to begin. At the top seems the only option, which, by the way, is scrambled egg.
Stuff to make your stomach turn, Christmas Tinner defies all culinary laws.
Scrambled egg and bacon is followed by two mince pies. Then turkey and potatoes, gravy, a layer of bread sauce and cranberry sauce. You’ve got your brussels sprouts with stuffing, roasted carrots and parsnips and, if you make it that far, Christmas pudding.
Wow, buy this and you’ll be the cat that got the squirty chocolate cream. Imagine a dollop on your Christmas eve hot chocolate or just straight down the hatch, the right way.
A simple can of goodness – this one’s sure to be a family favourite.
Yorkshire Pudding Wraps
Morrison’s
Can’t get enough of Porky Pig’s Yorkshire pudding wraps at the Christmas markets?
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No fear – Morrison’s mean you make them at home. Cook from frozen and they are a really tasty Christmas treat. Chicken, stuffing and gravy all wrapped up in a Yorkshire pudding just an oven’s cook away.
Winning combination of one of our favorite puddings, the Vienetta, and an after dinner treat, the infamous After Eight.
The two come together to make the King of all after dinner experiences.
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Try and imagine what that would taste like – all we know is that with those two, you can’t go wrong.
Hershey’s Cookies N Cream Ice Cream Cake
Iceland
Credit: Facebook (Daniel Christopher Chubb)
The alternative Christmas pudding.
Popularity for the Christmas pudding is thinning on the ground, so why not make a new tradition with ice cream cake. It’s cold to represent the frosty weather outside, but has cookies for the warm inside which represents, oh we don’t know, some new traditions just don’t need explaining.
Crowned winner of the most wonderful Christmas specials to grace our humble supermarkets. Marks and Sparks have seriously outdone themselves.
Appearing simply as a domed desert, most people would pass it by as a pretty Christmas cake, but take a hammer to this thing and you unlock Santa’s grotto. Tasty treats lay beneath this dome and it’s only a layer of white chocolate between you and all the sweets you could wish for.
Cracking idea (excuse the pun) and fun for all. Beneath is a creamy Madeira cake filled with buttercream and jam – what’s not to like?
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Featured Image – NewfoodsUK | M&S Tunbridge Wells
Trending
Channel 4 is looking for ‘secret genius’ Mancs to take part in new immersive competition show
Emily Sergeant
Call yourself a clever clogs? Channel 4 is currently looking for ‘secret geniuses’ to take part in a new immersive competition show.
Secret Genius is a new competition series that sees adults from all walks of life go on an ‘incredible journey of self-discovery’ by competing in a set of immersive intelligence games, and the show‘s producers are currently in the process of casting a group of clever individuals who have what it takes to go all the way.
According to Mensa UK, hundreds of thousands of people may be going about their daily lives unaware of just how intelligent they actually are.
This may be someone who’s always found puzzles, following complex instructions or directions easier than those around them but never understood why, or someone who feels that their natural abilities were misunderstood or overlooked at school or in their working life.
Channel 4 is looking for ‘secret genius’ Mancs to take part in a new competition show / Credit: NCI (via Unsplash) | Freepik
It may be someone who feels their input is dismissed by people when it shouldn’t be, or maybe just someone who’s curious to find out more about their potential brain power.
If this sounds like you, applications for Secret Genius are now open and you could come face to face with the show’s famous presenter duo, Alan Carr and Susie Dent, as the put you and your fellow contestants to the test.
The selected participants will take part in a series of heats, and have the chance to progress to the finals where one lucky person will lift the Secret Genius trophy.
A casting call on the Channel 4 website reads: “Do you suspect that you have a brilliant mind but feel that your intelligence has been underestimated or misunderstood at home, at school or at work? Pass the word on. Maybe you have a friend, family member or colleague whose brainpower constantly amazes you – then give them a nudge to apply.”
Fancy it then? If you’d consider yourself to be a brainbox, then you can find the T&Cs and apply to take part in Secret Genius on the Channel 4 website here.
Featured Image – Melanie Deziel (via Unsplash)
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Starmer: Burnham ‘free to stand’ after his term as Mayor as 50 MPs object to by-election block
Danny Jones
Sir Keir Starmer has said that Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham is more than welcome to run for Parliament after his present term as Mayor.
This comes after Burnham was reportedly ‘blocked’ from running for the currently vacant local seat in Gorton and Denton.
However, the Prime Minister insists the block was simply an attempt to protect the party, arguing that it would have diverted focus and resources away from other issues, whilst insisting that what Burnham does after his run as the region’s mayor is “a matter for Andy”.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE
This is the letter Labour activists in Gorton and Denton are sending to Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood
They are demanding the NEC reverses its decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the by-election in their seat
As per The Telegraph, Starmer went on to add that he believes his former colleague (the PM worked under Burnham back in 2015) is doing “a first-class job” in local government.
The 56-year-old was first elected Mayor for Greater Manchester back in 2017 before winning re-election back in both 2021 and May of 2024.
His current tenure is set to end around the same time in 2028, but with many touting for the ‘King of the North’ as a potential leadership replacement ahead of the next general election – which must take place no later than 15 August 2029 – a prospective return to Parliament could be next on the cards.
Those who signed the letter going against Keir stated that he had “no legitimate reason” to prevent such a move against Burnham and said that Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), should reassess and ultimately reconsider.
It remains to be seen whether the outcome will change either way.
The internal saga has sparked quite the debate
As for the Aintree-born politician, after already admitting that he was “disappointed” by the decision, he also rubbished suggestions that he knew about the move to block him prior to the event, calling the reports “completely untrue” and simply made no sense.
Following up in another post on social media, he shared the latest update from Downing Street itself, which reads: “No one in Number 10 told Andy Burnham not to apply to the NEC for permission to stand or gave any indication to him which sought to prejudge the NEC officers’ deliberation or decision.”
Once again, only time will tell whether or not the letter objecting to Burnham’s return to standing for a constituency or any other Parliamentary role will see any watershed.
Dolly Busby -
17th December 2021 
