Fourteen innovative products launching for Christmas 2024

Gü Desserts

Gü is bringing festive flavours to its premium dessert offering with a trio of new limited-edition variants. Gingerbread Chocolate Melting Middle (rsp: £3.95/two x 92g): a molten chocolate centre with warming spices and a Speculoos crumb topping; Speculoos Cheesecake (rsp: £3.75/two x 87g): a creamy cheesecake layered with caramel crème and Speculoos biscuit; and Speculoos Sponge Pudding (rsp: £2.75/two x 91g): a rich sponge soaked in gooey caramelised Speculoos sauce.

“Speculoos is a beautifully complex flavour – it’s warm, spiced, and rich, evoking all the comfort and nostalgia of autumn,” says Fred Ponnavoy, Gü’s master pâtisserie chef.

“When creating these desserts, I wanted to capture that essence and elevate it. The balance of caramelised notes with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg is crucial in delivering a depth of flavour that unfolds with each spoonful. Every ingredient is carefully chosen to enhance the textures and richness, whether it’s the creaminess of the cheesecake or the gooey centre of the sponge pudding. It’s been a true labour of love, crafting something to bring our customers joy and indulgence.”

Gingerbread Chocolate Melting Middle is available now in Waitrose stores, while Speculoos Cheesecake and Speculoos Sponge Pudding are available in Sainsbury’s.

Fox’s and Maryland

Fox’s Burton’s Companies has launched three biscuit NPD for Christmas. Its Maryland brand is turning into Merryland for new White Chocolate Chip Minis in a 150g sharing carton. New for the Fox’s brand is Winter Spiced Cookies - milk chocolate chunk cookies half covered in smooth milk chocolate with winter spiced flavours - and Viennese Double Chocolate Fingers - smooth chocolate filling between two light cocoa shells.

 “Last Christmas was a roaring success for the biscuits category and was a demonstration of how important the market is to seasonal sales. Sweet biscuits saw the highest uplift of any seasonal category in the four-week December window with growth of 16% vs 7% across total seasonal products,” said Colin Taylor, trade marketing director.

“We know shoppers are looking for new ways to treat themselves throughout the day and into dark evenings. The new Viennese Double Chocolate is not only set to deliver a delicious new treat for Viennese fans, but also entice new customers to the brand and biscuit aisle.”

The new launches are available widely now across supermarkets and convenience including Merryland Minis in Poundland, Ocado, Morrisons and Asda for rsp: £1.75/150g, Fox’s Winter Spiced Cookies in Poundland and Tesco for rsp: £2.50/175g and Fox’s Viennese Double Chocolate Fingers in Sainsburys for rsp: £1.90/120g.

The Gym Kitchen

For health-conscious shoppers looking to enjoy festive flavours without straying from their goals, The Gym Kitchen’s new Christmas sandwich offers a high-protein option. This limited-edition sarnie is filled with chicken breast, smoked bacon, cranberry sauce, mayo and sage & onion stuffing, delivering 24g of protein and just 372 calories.

Available in Tesco stores as a main in the meal deal or individually for rsp: £3.40.

Swizzels

Swizzels is getting into the festive spirit, launching its first-ever Christmas-themed Squashies sweets. The new Naughty & Nice Squashies (rsp: £1.15/120g) are elf-shaped gummies in Strawberry Ice Cream and Apple Pie flavours.

“Our new Naughty & Nice Squashies are designed to add a fun, personalised twist to festive gifting. By incorporating both ‘naughty’ and ‘nice’ elements, we’re embracing the trend for novelty and personalisation in confectionery, which enhances the excitement and appeal of our products,” says Clare Newton, trade manager at Swizzels.

“We know that shoppers are keen to make a start on their Christmas shopping early this year, so we’re encouraging retailers to stock up on our festive range to cater to those seeking to embrace the Christmas spirit as soon as possible.”

Swizzels has also brought back its popular Sweet Shop Advent Calendar, filled with fan favourites for Christmas countdowns.

Read more: All the supermarket Christmas adverts 2024

Cartwright & Butler 

Hamper and confectionery brand Cartwright & Butler is launching three festive tins perfect for seasonal gifting. 

The Merry Christmas Musical Tin (rsp: £15/200g) is a special edition of Cartwright & Butler’s bestselling musical tin, playing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ when opened. It features the brand’s new Christmas Pudding biscuits. The Winter Spiced Orange & Cranberry Shortbread Tin (rsp: £5/200g) has traditional shortbread with orange pieces, whole cranberries and cinnamon sugar. Lastly, the Teatime Selection Tin (rsp: £15/390g) filled with a mix of shortbread, chocolate brownie biscuits and English Breakfast tea for a holiday treat or great for gifting.

The tins are available on Ocado now and for purchase DTC on the Cartwright & Butler webstore, adding a premium option to seasonal biscuit selections.

Boost Pet Food

For furry friends, Boost Pet Food has introduced a Christmas Dinner for Dogs. Featuring roasted turkey and cranberries, the meal is designed with wholesome ingredients for a festive twist to treat pets this Christmas.

“Our customers want to know what they are eating and that their food is not ultra-processed, this applies to their pet’s food too,” said Patrick Nestel, director of Boost Pet.

”They know their pets are getting the best nutrition possible, and they do not have to think twice about what’s in their food. We take care of everything for them, from sourcing the best ingredients to delivering it fresh, ready to serve.”

The Christmas Turkey with Superfoods meal is hitting Sainsbury’s in early November for £3.50/400g.

Baileys

Arla Foods has expanded its partnership with Diageo UK to launch Baileys’ first-ever squirty whipped cream, alongside an espresso-flavoured cream line.

The new products have been designed to offer shoppers the opportunity to ‘elevate their treats’ with Baileys.

The squirty whipped cream (rsp: £2.50/250ml) launched in Tesco stores from October and other supermarkets from November.

At the same time, Arla is also extending the Baileys cream range with a new flavour, Baileys Espresso Extra Thick cream (rsp: £2.75).

The Espresso Extra Thick Cream won The Grocer’s seasonal category at The New Product & Packaging Awards 2024, with judges summing up the taste as “exceptional”.

Read the full story here

Taylors Snacks

Snacking brand Taylors (formerly Mackie’s Crisps) is spicing up the season with a selection of unique festive crisps flavours launching into supermarkets.

Hot Honey Pigs in Blankets, Brie, Bubbly & Orange and Spicy Prawn Cocktail Ridge Cut, along with new popcorn flavour Amaretto & Orange Toffee.

“Our product development team have been hard at work inventing delicious and surprising flavour combinations for our 2024 ‘Crispmas’, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with Dobbies, a Scottish company like ourselves, to bring our new festive flavours to consumers across the UK,” said James Taylor, managing director of Taylors Snacks.

“Last year our seasonal range was a huge success, so we’re bringing back our bestsellers – and some innovative new flavours to tantalise your tastebuds.”

The crisps will be available in Dobbies garden centres across the UK from early November, as well as in Scottish Sainsbury’s and Co-op stores. Taylors is also launching special edition 500g packs of its Pigs in Blankets flavour in Costco stores.

Urban Eat

Food-to-go brand Urban Eat has launched a festive trio of on-the-go sandwiches, available from 7 November until 24 December. The lineup has two sandwiches: a Chicken and Turkey Festive Feast Sandwich (rsp: £3.29-£3.89) packed with turkey, chicken breast, sweetcure bacon, herby stuffing and cranberry sauce on malted bread; and a Festive Cheese Sandwich (rsp: £2.79-£3.29) as a vegetarian option with creamy cheese, red Leicester, cranberry sauce, red slaw and spinach.

Also new is a Festive Feast Toastie (rsp: £3.69-£4.29) with chicken, smoked streaky bacon, pork, sage & onion stuffing, and cranberry sauce on mozzarella and cheddar-topped sourdough.

The range features new hand-drawn festive packaging and is available nationwide, targeting busy shoppers looking for a seasonal lunch option.

“Great tasting food is a crucial part of getting into the Christmas spirit – and our latest range of limited-edition sandwiches are sure to attract and charm those looking for festive flavours,” said Urban Eat brand manager, Charlotte Assinder.

“An exciting but familiar take on the UK’s most popular Christmas tastes, hungry shoppers across our core channels of travel, convenience, workplace and education will be able to delight in seasonal tastes across the period.”

The new sandwiches and toastie will be stocked across NHS, Sodexo, Caterlink, Center Parcs, NUS, YHA, Applegreen, Welcome Break, MOTO and education food-to-go retailers.

Tracklements

Tracklements is celebrating Christmas with two new collections in its offering of artisan condiments. The Cheese-Lover’s Collection (rsp: £15.50) features four chutneys tailored to pair with cheese, including Apple & Cider Brandy Chutney, Apricot & Ginger Chutney, Fresh Chilli Jam, and Caramelised Onion Marmalade.

The Christmas Collection (rsp: £13.50) includes Cranberry, Port & Orange Sauce, Sticky Fig Relish, Spiced Plum Chutney and Christmas Spice Chutney, perfect for serving with cheeses, pâtés or festive meats.

Available to purchase at Waitrose stores, these jams, chutneys and marmalades are aimed at Christmas gifting.

Read more: All the supermarket Christmas ranges 2024

Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve is back with its annual Holiday Bottle whiskey. The new limited-edition design bottle houses the classic Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, known for its balanced flavour profile with over 200 notes ranging from spice to sweet aromatics. 

“Woodford Reserve is a remarkable gift for whiskey lovers and cocktail enthusiasts alike,” said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall. “With this year’s look, no gift wrapping is required.”

The limited edition Woodford Reserve Holiday bottle is on sale now at Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s from rsp: £37/70cl and makes a sophisticated gift for whiskey enthusiasts.

Häagen-Dazs

Häagen-Dazs is adding a brand new flavour and bringing back a shopper favourite for its Limited Edition Festive Collection.

New Mint Chocolate flavour (rsp: £5.40/460ml) is mint ice cream layered with chocolate swirls and crunchy chocolate pieces, while the returning Red Velvet Cheesecake flavour combines cheesecake ice cream with red velvet swirls and crumble. 

“Every year we delight in treating lovers of Häagen-Dazs to seasonal scoops that add a bit of sparkle to the festive period. Our 2024 collection has been carefully curated to tap into demand for indulgent yet classic flavours and is therefore perfectly placed to help our retailer partners drive sales,” said Nicole Whelan, head of brand at Häagen-Dazs UK.

“With the exclusivity of a seasonal launch combined with our signature quality, unparalleled taste and stunning shelf appeal, we’re confident the flavours will be a feature in festive baskets throughout the limited run.”

The Häagen-Dazs Festive Collection is available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons for rsp: £5.40/460ml and the Red Velvet Cheesecake flavour is additionally available at Co-op stores.

Mars Wrigley

Christmas means chocolate and Mars Wrigley is delivering two new festive releases, aimed at seasonal gifting and self-indulgent treats.

New Santa-shaped milk chocolate M&M’s Crispy Santa Treat (rsp: £0.65/29g) features creamy vanilla filling and crispy M&M’s Minis. Available in a five-pack at Asda for rsp: £2.50, this NPD taps into the self-eat category, which the confectionery brand claims has grown by 2% year-on-year, and caters to the 36% of Christmas sales attributed to smaller treats.

Also new is the Twix & Friends Medium Selection Box (rsp: £2.75/140g) aimed at gifting. It includes Twix Milk Chocolate Caramel, Twix Salted Caramel, Twix White Chocolate, M&M’s Milk Chocolate, and Milky Way Magic Stars – all presented in festive packaging.

Supported by an £8m marketing campaign, Christmas & gifting senior brand manager, Laura O’Neill, says “At Mars Wrigley we are continually looking to bring new products to the market that both cater to evolving consumer demand and drive category growth and excitement.

“Chocolate plays an important role during many key seasonal rituals, from small festive gifts to daily delights and as such, seasonal & gifting is worth £1.8bn of total chocolate value sales. Our new launches for Christmas 2024 tap into different shopper needs and will appeal to consumers looking to purchase their favourite brands and products with a seasonal twist.”

The new M&M’s Santa chocolate is available in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Co-op while the Twix and Friends Christmas selection is available in Ocado and Asda.

Primula

Primula has announced the launch of a limited-edition Pigs in Blankets flavour for Christmas.

The new variant (rsp: £1.85) is available exclusively in 863 Iceland stores across the UK and online.

It combines the classic flavour of pigs in blankets with Primula’s signature creamy cheese, creating a “fun, quirky twist on a festive favourite”.

“Pigs in blankets are a beloved Christmas tradition, and we’re excited to capture the essence of this classic dish in such an unusual way,” said Lisa Thornton, head of marketing at Kavli.

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