Take the stress out of the Christmas food prep
Kirstie Paton looks at the best ready prepared seasonal food dishes available in store this year
To start
M&S Serrano Ham Joint with knife and stand, 2kg £30
Sainsburys Taste the Difference Scallop & King Prawn Lobster Bisque and Taste the Difference Smoked Haddock Chowder - £3.75 each
The main event
Go traditional with M&S Pembrokeshire Bronze Whole Turkey, £10 Per Kg
Buck the trend by opting for a game inspired main – Waitrose 1 Venison Haunch with Sour Cherry Butter, £40.99/kg
Asda Rack of Lamb with recurrent butter £14.99
For vegetarian options try Sainsburys Taste the Difference Melt in the middle stilton nut roast, £8.00 or Waitrose Carrot & Beetroot Tarte Tatin, £8.99
Sides and accompaniments
Waitrose Three Little Pigs in blankets, £3.99
Asda Extra Special Sprout and Gruyere bake £2.50
Waitrose Romanesco Cauliflower Christmas Trees, £3.49
After dinner
M&S 8 Month Mature Vintage Christmas Pudding, 800G £12.00
Tried and tested
The Tesco Finest Reveal dessert, £12, is truly indulgent. It has it all – chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, inside it is drizzled with white chocolate and even sprinkled with popping candy and toasted hazelnuts. All of that is completely housed in a dark Belgian chocolate dome that is flecked with gold lustre. Then comes the reveal part – included in the pack is a pot of salted caramel sauce. The instructions state that this sauce should be heated in the microwave for just over a minute, until bubbling, this is important because the sauce has to be very hot to make the big reveal happen.. We poured the sauce immediately, as instructed, on to the top centre of the cold chocolate dome casing. This action melted a hole in the top of the dome ‘revealing’ the contents. Theatrical part done, on to the eating. As you can imagine with all of that chocolate and popping candy plus the salted caramel sauce, the dessert was incredibly rich, very delicious and a chocolate lover's dream. It’s the size of your average side plate, however, due to the dessert's richness you could feed a small army of dinner guests with it. I would give your Christmas main a chance to go down before attempting a portion, not to be missed.
All prices correct at time of publication