The 24 days of festive NPD: 2025’s most exciting Christmas innovations

There’s plenty of things we struggle at, but Brits are world-class at banishing the blues to put on a bumper Christmas. Even with a stagnant economy and the cost of living crisis still looming over a great number of UK households, Christmas spending is expected to rise by 3.2% this Christmas, according to a survey of 2,000 adults by GlobalData in partnership with VoucherCodes. The same research found that 23% of people felt either significantly or slightly better off than last year, while 44% felt about the same.

It’s hardly surprising then, with the average UK household spending a record £460 on groceries last Christmas, that festive NPD is flowing.

There are Christmas classics reimagined, from Mr Kipling’s unique Mince Pie Whirls, to brussels sprout kimchi from Vadasz, double-award winners at The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards. Warming festive flavours like ginger and cinnamon have been infused into everything from cans of Irn-Bru, to Maltesters’ Reindeer and, believe it or not, Doritos. And refusing to be outdone, the retailers have unveiled a series of Christmas showstoppers too, with a Pigs in Blankets Quiche from Waitrose, M&S Scallops en Croute in champagne sauce and the Tesco Finest Maple Bacon Sausage Roll Wreath.

Here’s our pick of the products most likely to catch the eye this year.

1. Vadasz Brussels Sprout Kimchi

£4.95/350g, Waitrose

Pickle master Vadasz has given the festive favourite brussels sprout a fermented twist by launching its first-ever seasonal innovation, Sprout Kimchi. The product taps festive flavour and gut health trends, in a crunchy condiment ideal with roast dinners, festive sandwiches and kimchi fried rice.

2. Waitrose Pigs in Blankets Quiche

£4/400g, Waitrose

It wouldn’t be a festive list without a take on one of the ultimate Christmas crowd-pleasers. Waitrose’s Pigs in Blankets Quiche is studded with Beechwood smoked bacon lardons and topped with a herby pork sausage stuffing crumb, to be served hot at lunch or alongside Boxing Day cold cuts.

3. Gingerbread Doritos

£2.50/180g, nationwide

Doritos first limited-edition Christmas flavour is a bold choice by PepsiCo. Combining that signature crunch with warming spices, Doritos Gingerbread is aimed at appealing to “both sweet and savoury snack lovers”, according to the brand, so that “shoppers no longer have to pick one or the other”.

4. Sainsbury’s Banoffee Pie Irish Cream Liqueur

£12, 70cl, Sainsbury’s

Those without a sweet tooth need not apply. Sainsbury’s indulgent Banoffee Pie Irish Cream Liqueur is made with triple distilled Irish whiskey, blended with fresh cream and packed full of the traditional flavours of a banoffee pie. “It’s your favourite dessert, in a glass,” says the retailer.

5. TWG Tea Advent calendar

£99 for 12 tins, online and TWG Tea Boutique in Leicester Square

Southeast Asian tea expert TWG has pulled out all the stops with its high-end Twelfth Night Advent calendar. Each of the 12 doors conceals a mini tea tin of signature or holiday tea – including its Forever Noel and Silver Moon blends – spanning black, white, green and red variants.

6. Co-op Festive Onion Bhaji Sandwich

£3.30/202g, Co-op

The battle for the best festive sandwich battle is keenly fought each Christmas, and this year Co-op is bringing some Indian spice to proceedings. Its vegan sandwich combines sage & onion bhaji with Christmas spiced slaw, cranberry chutney, apricot & mango chutney and spinach.

7. Mr Kipling Mince Pie Whirls

£1.50/6x28g, nationwide

According to Premier Foods, mince pies have increased sales value by 34% over the past five years – and this launch brings a unique twist to the classic pie, with its brandy-flavoured creme and mincemeat flavour sauce, aimed at shoppers looking for “different ways to enjoy their favourite festive flavour”.

8. Winter Bru by Irn-Bru

£1.09/330ml, nationwide

Another to tap the ginger flavour trend in its limited-edition Christmas NPD, Winter Bru infuses spiced cinnamon and ginger flavours with “the unique Irn-Bru essence”. Available for eight weeks from 1 November, the launch comes with a huge PR, social and influencer activation alongside “unmissable display units”.

9. Asda Exceptional Black Forest Yule Log

£13.38/806g, Asda

The black forest flavour profile continues its recent renaissance this year, perhaps most notably in this extravagant yule log from Asda. Chocolate sponge is rolled with morello cherry and cream, before being finished with chocolate fudge and dark chocolate shavings.

10. Aldi Specially Selected Sage & Onion Stuffed Tofu Joint

£4.99/400g, Aldi

Aldi is going big on catering for vegetarian and vegan shoppers at Christmas this year, with no fewer than nine mains on offer – alongside various starters and sides, plus a selection of vegan cheeses. The discounter’s Specially Selected Sage & Onion Stuffed Tofu Joint features a caramelised sage and onion stuffing interior encased by a herby tofu, all finished with a sweet cranberry and herb topping.

11. Tony’s Personalised Gift Bars

Price varies by quantity/ 180g and 50g, online only

This Christmas, the UK’s favourite ethical chocolate brand is offering personalised chocolate bars perfect for individual pressies under the tree, but also for corporate gifts, company anniversaries, events or even brand activations. These Fairtrade bars allow customers to pick their own flavours from a number of Tony’s favourites, ensuring a memorable and ethical gifting experience while also supporting cocoa farmers.

12. M&S Scallop en Croûtes in Champagne Sauce

£16/520g, M&S

It’s fair to say that few retailers capture the nation’s collective Christmas imagination like M&S, and this year it’s really dialling up the indulgence with this scallop-based sensation. Perfect as part of an indulgent Christmas brunch or for Boxing Day nibbles, the set of four en croutes features sweet yet delicate Patagonian scallops in a creamy champagne sauce, topped with golden all-butter puff pastry.

13. Maltesers Gingerbread Reindeer

Priced at retailer’s discretion/29g, nationwide

Nostalgia is always a powerful trend at Christmas, with classic flavours like gingerbread evoking comfort, joy and a sense of tradition. Mars Wrigley is embracing that trend by adding to its popular Maltesers Reindeer range with the addition of a new Gingerbread Maltesers Reindeer. The malt centre is enhanced with a classic gingerbread flavour and coated in milk chocolate.

14. Botivo x Ottolenghi aperitivo

£32/70cl, online & Waitrose

Middle Eastern flavours meet British craft in this collab between non-alcoholic aperitif specialists Botivo and celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Slow crafted on Botivo’s Lannock Farm, it blends pomegranate molasses, black lime, cardamom and rose with Botivo’s bittersweet botanicals. The offering enjoyed a limited release last Christmas – selling out in just six days – but this year it’s back for the entire festive season.

15. Tesco Finest Maple Bacon Sausage Roll Wreath

£9/580g, Tesco

Can it really be Christmas without sausage rolls (or a variation on the theme)? This Maple Bacon Sausage Roll Wreath from Tesco Finest brings together seasoned 100% British pork and smoked bacon with sweet maple syrup, all encased in a crisp and golden butter puff pastry. Destined to be the centrepiece of many a nibbles table, it comes topped with festive stars and finished with a beetroot and parsley crumb.

16. Boursin Blue Cheese Flavour

£2.95/150g, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose

Suave maître d turned TV host Fred Sirieix will be fronting Boursin’s marketing campaign in support of its Christmas range, which includes a Boursin Blue Cheese Flavour. With a mild hint of natural blue cheese flavouring, the NPD serves as “an accessible introduction to the category for blue cheese avoiders”, says the brand, which hopes this new versatile format can help straddle the family split between blue cheese lovers and haters.

17. Gingerbread Pepsi

£2.15/500ml; £6.89/8-can multipack, Tesco

A limited edition addition to Pepsi’s zero sugar cola range, Pepsi Gingerbread is available exclusively in Tesco and combines the classic Pepsi taste with seasonal faves ginger, cinnamon and vanilla. The brand says rich flavours are growing in popularity, especially decadent options such as “drinkable desserts”. The launch will be supported by in-store activation and sampling, alongside social media activity and location specific advertising.

18. Fray Bentos Festive Turkey Pie

£2.99/425g, B&M, Home Bargains, Nisa, Asda, Morrisons

Heritage pie brand Fray Bentos commissioned festive research this year, finding more than half of Gen Z (56%) and millennials (53%) would have pie on their Christmas dinner. And lo, the Festive Turkey Pie, a “cost-saving alternative to the traditional dinner” that combines turkey and Cumberland sausage with a sage and thyme gravy beneath the brand’s signature 64-layer puff pastry.

19. Vocation Bread & Butter Pudding Stout

£4.50/440ml, online

Vocation Brewery is building a reputation as one of the UK’s most enthusiastic brewers of seasonal beers. Its 7% abv Bread & Butter Pudding White Stout is a delicious winter warmer; a golden dessert stout inspired by the comforting flavours of bread & butter pudding. Vanilla custard, dried fruit and gentle spice unfold over a bready, malt base, finished with sultanas, nutmeg and Ceylon cinnamon for a “rich and nostalgic pour”.

20. Sauce Shop The Truffle Edit

£25/five-piece gift box, online

Festive NPD lovers Sauce Shop are back with another banger this Christmas – a launch it’s calling The Truffle Edit. The condiment kings have taken some of their classic sauces and created an indulgent truffle infused twist on each, that’s perfect for the Christmas period. The five-piece gift set includes Truffle Hot Honey, Truffle Mayo, Truffle Hot, Truffle BBQ and a Truffle & Black Pepper pasta cooking sauce.

21. Baileys Chocolate Caramel Whirl

£1/24g, Sainsbury’s and Asda

Few brands are as synonymous with Christmas as Baileys, and the Chocolate Caramel Whirl features a milk chocolate shell with a marshmallow centre and layer of caramel, all infused with the famed Baileys Irish Cream flavour. With 61% of shoppers seeking “permissible indulgences” and premium novelty treats outperforming the wider category, the whirl is well positioned for seasonal sales, says the brand.

22. Lidl Deluxe Sticky Toffee Vodka Liqueur

£10.99/70cl, Lidl

Luxurious liqueurs have taken over the Christmas drinks cabinet, with brands and retailers alike competing annually to see who can offer the most glamorous bottles and tempting flavours. Lidl’s Deluxe Sticky Toffee Vodka Liqueur keeps things classy on the packaging front, with its classic Christmas stylings, while the drink itself offers a rich toffee flavour with mellow caramel notes and a subtle hint of vanilla.

23. Paxo Orange & Cranberry Stuffing Wreath Kit

£3.50/150g, Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco

Stuffing stalwart Paxo has unveiled a new way for shoppers to create a seasonal showstopper for their Christmas dinner table with the launch of its Orange & Cranberry Stuffing Wreath Kit. The stuffing is made with “carefully selected ingredients to deliver a distinctly seasonal taste” and comes with a foil wreath tray that gives shoppers the chance to craft their very own stuffing spectacle.

24. Morrisons The Best Signature Collection Limoncello Panettone

£15/750g, Morrisons

Italian favourite Panettone has become a big part of Brits’ festive food and drink in recent years. Morrisons’ limoncello variant is crafted by a family-run bakery in the piedmont region of Italy. Infused with limoncello syrup with candied orange peel and citron, it uses a mother dough that’s been nurtured for 60 years to create a supremely, complex rich flavour.