One of the best bits of my job as Senior Food & Drink Editor at Good Housekeeping is getting a first look at the supermarkets’ delicious Christmas food launches.
This week, I attended the Tesco showcase and, honestly? The Christmas party food stopped me in my tracks. We’ve still got a few more shows to go, but I'm ready to call it: this is the most exciting supermarket party food range I’ve seen so far.
Now, I love a beige party platter as much as the next person, but this range was so colourful. From matcha and charcoal gyoza to sweet potato tikka baonuts, the food was creative and packed with genuinely unexpected ideas. We’ve already planned the party and come up with the guest list – I just need an excuse to serve it all.
Some of the range is already in stores, with prices starting from just £3. Here are the standout products we’re most excited to try.
Firstly, the Tesco Finest Pan-Fried Tri-Coloured Prawn Gyoza with Ponzu Dip are an instant eye-catcher (if, a bit of a mouthful). The matcha and charcoal gyoza are filled with fragrant prawn, sweet basil and chilli, then served with a ponzu dip. They’re bright, unusual and a welcome change from standard pastry-heavy party food. To create the tricolour effect, the gyoza are made by hand – a factory could never. And they taste even better than they look.
Bao buns, but not as you know them: the Tesco Finest Sweet Potato Tikka Baonuts are another particularly inventive addition. The bao-style mini doughnut bites are filled with spiced sweet potato, pumpkin and cauliflower, then finished with a crisp crumb. They’re the sort of snack that could convert even the most committed sausage-roll loyalist.
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One of the most fun party food products we saw was the Tesco Finest Loaded Potato Bites with Truffle Cheese Sauce. The crispy potato pieces are seasoned with garlic and black pepper, and designed to be presented as a Jenga stack. They’re finished with a rich truffle cheese sauce and crunchy onion garnish.
The playful presentation makes them part party food, part centrepiece – and we can already predict the competitive arguments over who gets to pull out the next piece. I wouldn’t want to be the one who topples it, though.
For something a little more sophisticated, the Tesco Finest Arancini Stacks with Chorizo & Cornichon bring a Spanish-inspired twist to the table. We're told the arancini are hand-rolled and made in small batches before being topped with smoky Spanish chorizo and a tangy cornichon. If these were served to me in a cute Barcelona wine bar, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Even the olives have had a festive makeover. Tesco Finest Dirty Martini Olives are tumbled in a crisp gin and gherkin sauce, then finished with tangy lemon zest. They’re a brilliant option for anyone who likes to entertain with a cocktail in hand – that’ll be me, then.
What makes this range stand out is how much fun it is. I’ve never seen such a rainbow-hued selection of party food, and I’m already planning the tablescape in my mind.
Sadly, you’ll have to wait a little while for most of it. For now, the only product available in stores is the Tesco Spiced Bombay Potato Sliders with Mango Chutney Dip, which you’ll find in the freezer aisle.
But consider this your sneak peek at what’s to come.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
