Pig in blanket Yorkshires and panna cotta stars: Aldi Christmas range 2022

Party food and starters

Cheese Profiteroles

Savoury profiteroles seem to be en vogue this year. Not only is Waitrose offering a burrata & ’nduja version, but Aldi has two cheesy choices available. The discounter’s choux puffs come with either a plain mature cheddar filling, or one infused with chorizo.

Mini Fish Sliders

Presented in mini, sesame seed-topped burger buns, these fish sliders feature a zingy lemon sauce to complement chunks of crispy coated cod.

Hog Roast Bites

To deliver all the flavours of a hog roast in a bite-sized morsel, Aldi has blended slow-cooked pork with apple sauce and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and sage. To complete the experience, the nibbles are served alongside a Kentish cider apple dipping sauce.

Exquisite Iberico Selection

 Aldi promises its four-strong selection of qualilty Spanish charcuterie, made from the famous Iberian pigs, will ‘melt in the mouth’ and deliver a rich, sweet flavour. 

Festive Vol au Vents

Aldi’s selection pack of classic vol au vents features three flavours of the bite-sized, puff pastry canapés: Goats Cheese & Caramleised Onion, Ham Hock & Cheddar and Salmon & Dill.

Pork & Truffle Flavour Pigs in Blankets

Truffle is a recurring theme in Aldi’s Christmas range this year, featuring in everything from gammon and cured meat to cheese. The flavour also makes an appearance in these pigs in blankets, which comprise “nutty and earthy” truffle sausages wrapped in smoked dry cured streaky bacon.

XL Christmas Sausage Roll

Move over mini sausage rolls: something big has arrived on the buffet table. Aldi’s extra large versions feature British pork sausagemeat with either sweet chilli chutney or cranberry sauce, encased in flaky puff pastry and topped with a festive pastry star.

Apple & Honey Reindeer

Complete with rosemary antlers and cranberry red noses, these reindeer stuffing shapes are made from sausagemeat blended with apple, honey and sage. 

No Chicken, No Pork and No Fish Bites

This trio of vegan bites are new to Aldi’s Plant Menu range this year. First up are No Chicken Stars, which are made from a chicken flavour soya core coated in southern fried breadcrumbs. These are joined by No Pork Bon Bons, also made from soya and wrapped in breadcrumbs, which contain smoky BBQ sauce. Finally, Aldi’s No Fish Bites are made from fish-flavoured rice flakes and coated in a crispy salt & vinegar batter.

 

Main courses

Venison Wellington

According to the discount retailer, this gamey Venison Wellington “feels luxuriously premium”. Recommended served pink, the venison is covered with a layer of rich mushroom duxelle and wrapped in buttery puff pastry.

Giant Pig in Blanket Yorkshire Pudding

As usual, the supermarkets are offering many inventive variations on the humble pig in blanket this year. One of the most unusual is this product from Aldi, which comprises a 60cm, British pork pig in blanket, coiled inside a giant Yorkshire pudding. Not part of the Specially Selected range.

Decorative Gammon

Designed to be a little more special than shoppers’ usual Christmas ham, Aldi’s ‘decorative’ unsmoked gammon joints come in a choice of two flavour profiles. The first is topped with a porcini mushroom crumb and truffle oil, while the second features a maple syrup and orange marmalade glaze.

Exquisite Wagyu Wing Rib Joint

As is typical of wagyu beef, this wing rib joint is shot through with “copious marbling”, giving it a “buttery and luxurious texture”, according to Aldi. The meat is also left on the bone and served alongside herby butter melts to help keep it tender and juicy.

No Beef Wellington

No beef? No problem. Aldi is offering a vegan take on the traditional Wellington, which has a soya-based alternative at its centre. This is coated in mushroom duxelle before being wrapped in vegan lattice pastry. The Wellington will be found in the frozen aisle.

 

Desserts and sweet treats

Firecracker Pudding

Pitched as a more family-friendly Christmas pudding thanks to its chocolatey flavour profile, Aldi’s Firecracker Pudding features Belgian chocolate chunks and is laced with cider and Amontillado sherry. It is also infused with a chilli and orange flavour sauce, which is one of the reasons for its fiery name, while the ‘cracker’ element comes from a sachet of popping candy. To serve, Aldi recommends sprinkling the candy over the pudding and drizzling it with salted Belgian chocolate sauce – a sachet of which is also included.

Exquisite Heritage Pedro Ximénez Christmas Pudding

If the Firecracker Pudding above is family friendly, then this one is certainly for the adults. The boozy pud is packed with fruit steeped in brandy, including vine fruits, plums and glacé cherries, as well as almonds, walnuts, citrus peel and spices. On top of the brandy, the dessert is laced with cider and plenty of Pedro Ximénez sherry.

Black Forest Snow Globe

Consumers must use their spoon to crack through the chocolate shell of this snow globe, revealing the black forest filling inside. This includes a base of crunchy hazelnut and dark chocolate praline, topped with cherry mousse.

Smash Dome Cake

The Snow Globe above is not the only dessert that requires some smashing. This chocolate sponge cake is layered with chocolate ganache and topped with a Swiss chocolate dome, which is cracked open to reveal chocolate decorations hiding inside.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Crown Cake

Aldi has taken a classic pudding and turned it into a “showstopper” for Christmas. The Sticky Toffee Crown Cake, make from a moist date sponge, features a well in the centre for consumers to fill with sticky toffee sauce and fudge pieces when ready to serve. It even comes with edible glitter for a final festive flourish.

Panna Cotta Star

This “refreshingly light” star-shaped dessert features a base of raspberry jelly topped with Madagascan vanilla panna cotta, which is made using British cream. It is finished with a drizzle of raspberry coulis and a sprinkling of glitter to create a dazzling centrepiece pud.

Mini Mince Pies

Made with all butter pastry, filled with flavoured mincemeat and topped with festive stars, Aldi’s mini mince pies come in two flavours: Chocolate & Orange and Salted Caramel.

Gonk

Aldi says its gonk toys were so popular last Christmas that it has decided to recreate them in chocolate form. Positioned as ideal stocking fillers, the milk chocolate figures come with either cream or chocolate cream fillings. Not part of the Specially Selected range.

Pugs in Jumpers

You’ve heard of pigs in blankets: now meet Pugs in Jumpers. The cute milk chocolate dogs in Christmas jumpers will make great stocking fillers, according to Aldi. Not part of the Specially Selected range.

Cheese

Baking Brie

These large wheels of creamy French Brie should be baked until oozing and finished with a choice of two toppings: honey, fig pieces & pecans or dried cherries, golden raisins and sour cherry & cranberry glaze.

Plant Menu Vegan Cheez Selection Pack

Aldi’s first vegan cheeseboard features four coconut oil-based alternatives, including takes on stilton, cheddar and wensleydale with cranberries.