Asda is expanding its ‘Exceptional by Asda’ range in the lead-up to Christmas, introducing more than 400 products designed to offer shoppers a premium option without a hefty price tag.
While the range has doubled in size, many products are familiar, having been moved from other ranges as the retailer moves to phase out its Extra Special range.
Some 45 entirely new items have hit the range, with a focus on meat and bakery.
Asda has introduced premium steaks, available in 8oz, 10oz, and thick-cut 11oz sizes across ribeye, sirloin, fillet, and rump, alongside several pork cuts including an Ultimate Pork Crackling Joint and Pork Ribeye Steaks with a Café de Paris Butter. Seafood fans will find new dishes like Smoked Haddock Rarebit and Cod & Chorizo Bake, while the bakery selection boasts luxury dessert options like Raspberry, Pistachio & Sourdough Doughnuts and a Blood Orange Cheesecake.
Demand for premium lines has “ramped up” steadily as inflation has slowed, says Kantar strategic insight director Tom Steel. Premium own label is also “very important” for Asda’s convenience store rollout, where consumers are more likely to want food for tonight, says PwC senior retail advisor Kien Tan.
“Whilst this range is a genuine step on in our premium offer, it has also been developed with Asda’s relentless focus on price,” says Asda chief customer officer David Hills. “The range is all about providing accessible indulgence. It’s food and drink that feels a little luxurious, but with the uncompromising value our customers expect from Asda.”
To support the new products, the supermarket is launching a marketing campaign to addresses consumers’ cooking confidence concerns. The Exceptional Culinary Concierge service pairs shoppers on a phone call with The Great British Menu contestant chef Kate Austen for personalised cooking advice. Asda aims to empower home cooks who may feel anxious about preparing premium ingredients like steak and fish.
“I’m used to working with premium ingredients from all over the world, but it’s no use buying fantastic steaks, succulent meat joints and delicate seafood if you’ve got no idea how to cook them,” says Austen. ”I’ll be operating the Culinary Concierge service to share one-to-one tailored advice with Asda shoppers, to ensure their Exceptional purchases turn into an exceptional meal.”
While many items in the range may be familiar, the expansion of the Exceptional brand comes as shoppers begin to plan for Christmas, blending premium touches with value – a balance Asda continues to strive for. Check out a selection of the brand new items here
Meats:
British Fillet Steak
£8.50/8oz
Fillet steak matured for 30 days.
Aberdeen Angus Thick Cut Ribeye Steak
£8/11oz
A thick-cut ribeye steak matured for 30 days.
Pork, Wyke Farms Cheddar Cheese & Smoked Bacon Sausages
£3.25/400g
Six pork sausages with Wykes Farms cheddar cheese and smoked bacon.
Read more: What’s driving the flurry of premium own label NPD?
Yorkshire Bred Pork Loin Joint
£8/1.03kg
Yorkshire-bred crackling pork loin joint, pre-salted and scored for the crispy crackling, and basted with natural roast pork stock. After cooking, combine the sachet of pork jus with the leftover meat juices to create a gravy.
2 Pork Ribeye Steaks with a Café de Paris Basting Butter
£5/480g
Pork ribeye steaks with a mustard & herb café de Paris basting butter.
2 Thick Cut Pork Loin Steaks with a Roasted Garlic & Herb Basting Butter
£5/481g
British boneless and rindless thick cut pork loin steaks rolled in a parsley crust with a garlic and herb basting butter.
2 Thick Cut Pork Chops with a Bone Marrow & Sea Salt Basting Butter
£5/570g
British bone-in rindless pork loin chops with a bone marrow and sea salt basting butter, topped with a sprig of rosemary.
2 French Trimmed Yorkshire Bred Pork Cutlets
£5/545g
British bone-in rindless French trimmed pork cutlets to be cooked on the bone. Hand butchered and from Yorkshire farms.
Free Range Corn Fed Chicken Supreme
£8.40/approx. 525g
Chicken Supreme from slow-growing birds that are free to roam in fields and fed a corn-rich diet.
Read more: Asda’s David Hills on Joe Wicks, Halloween and improving the customer offer
Seafood:
Cod & Chorizo Bake
£5/350g
Baked cod with a rich tomato sauce and chorizo and manchego crust.
Smoked Haddock Rarebit
£5/346g
Smoked haddock, in a classic rarebit sauce with Black Sheep Ale and vintage cheddar cheese.
Pil Pil King Prawns
£5/254g
Raw peeled king prawns in a spicy chilli and garlic rapeseed oil marinade.
King Prawns in a Penang Sauce
£5/285g
King prawns in a spicy coconut curry sauce, finished with red chillies and coconut strands.
Desserts & Bakery:
Raspberry & Pistachio Sourdough Doughnut
£3.50
Sourdough-enriched finger doughnuts, with fruity raspberry filling and pistachio-flavoured cream. Topped with a sweet dusting and scattered with freeze-dried raspberry pieces and chopped pistachios.
Latte Cake
£16
Layers of sponge cake, filled and covered with coffee-flavoured buttercream and bourbon vanilla buttercream, hand finished with chocolate decorations.
Billionaire’s Cake
£16
Layers of vanilla and caramel flavour sponge, filled and covered with a chocolate buttercream ganache and buttery salted caramel, hand finished with a scatter of caramelised biscuit pieces.
Blood Orange Cheesecake
£5/550g
Vanilla cheesecake with orange zest and lemon on an all-butter ginger biscuit base flooded with a blood orange glaze.
Salted Caramel & Blond Chocolate Tarts
£5/two-pack
Two chocolate pastry shells made with concentrated butter, filled with salted caramel and caramel-flavoured white chocolate, and topped with dark chocolate ganache.
Brioche Bread & Butter Pudding
£4.50/450g
Rich, all-butter brioche soaked in Madagascan vanilla-flavoured custard. Topped with Chilean flame raisins and finished with a sprinkle of demerara sugar and cinnamon.
Cherry & Almond Sponge Kisses
£3.50/two-pack
Sweet almond flavour sponge cakes filled with cherry filling and British cherry-flavoured cream, topped with flaked almonds and a sugar dusting.
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San Francisco Style Sourdough Bloomer
£2.75/600g
Apple, Raisin & Cinnamon Fruit Loaf
£2/400g
Crafted over 30 hours for a moist crumb with sourdough for extra flavour. Baked in a stone oven for a thin crisp crust.
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