If you didn't manage to get your hands on M&S's now sold-out Foodhall Advent Calendar, fear not, because the food gods have given us a new festive countdown to obsess over.
Introducing the M&S Percy Pig Advent Calendar.
However, all is not what it seems. Priced at £7, it features 24 doors, which I was fully expecting would be hiding Percy Pig sweets. But no. Instead, each one contains a Percy Pig-shaped chocolate. Granted, you do eventually get a whole bag of Merry Percymas sweets behind the final door, but it still feels like a missed opportunity to me.
This isn't the first time M&S has released a Percy Pig advent but it has had a fresh look for 2026.
If you're reading this, M&S, next year I'd like a Colin the Caterpillar advent calendar instead. Fill it with mini chocolate Colins behind every door, then finish with a full-size Colin cake on Christmas Eve. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.
The Percy Pig Advent Calendar is available now in-store and online at Ocado. As for the chocolate-versus-sweets debate, I'm still on the fence. Chocolate is delicious, obviously, but if I'm opening a Percy Pig advent calendar every morning, I can't help feeling I'd rather find Percy Pigs behind each door. Maybe it's just me?
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
