Tesco has captured trending flavours in its new range of bakery desserts, whilst launching new pizzas and breads inspired by Italian regions.
The products form a key part of the retailer’s summer strategy aimed at delivering exceptional quality and value, with over 230 new seasonal lines launched.
Zesty citrus, rich chocolate, and pistachio are among the on-trend flavours featuring in Tesco’s latest line-up of chilled and frozen desserts. These includes no fewer than nine new cheesecakes, a trio of Italian sweet treats, a couple of fruity tarts, and an indulgent roulade thrown in for good measure.
Chilled desserts
Kicking things off in the fridges is a hattrick of Italian classics (one with a twist) under the premium tier Tesco Finest range. The Limoncello Tiramisu (rsp: £4.50) has layers of limoncello liqueur-soaked savoiardi biscuits and mascarpone mousse, topped with white chocolate curls. The Torta Caprese (£5.50) – inspired by the authentic recipe from the island of Capri – is a sponge made with Belgian dark chocolate and ground almonds, topped with flaked almonds and light sugar dusting.
Completing the trio is Raspberry Maritozzi Buns (£3.75 | two-pack), a summertime spin on the traditional treat that helped drive record sales in the first half of the financial year at Caffè Nero. Tesco’s version is piper with raspberry whipped cream and dried raspberry pieces, finished with a sweet dusting.
Time to get fresh and fruity to suit the season. The Tesco Finest Mango & Lime Tarts (£3.75 | two-pack) comprise all-butter shortcrust pastry cases with a sweet mango filling and zesty lime flavoured cream topping. There’s also the Tesco Finest Pistachio & Raspberry Tarts (£3.75 | two-pack), which have all-butter shortcrust pastry filled with sweet raspberry jam and pistachio mousse, topped with freeze dried raspberries. Lastly, the Tesco Banana Pudding (£4.50) contains vanilla sponge pieces with white chocolate and banana mousses, topped with caramelised biscuit and butterscotch crumb.
Full screen in popup
On to the cheesecakes, now. The Tesco Finest Triple Chocolate Ombre Cheesecake Slices (£3.75 | two-pack) are made with rich mascarpone cheese slow-baked on a cocoa-enriched base with Belgian white and milk chocolate layers. Meanwhile, the Tesco Finest Alphonso Mango & Passionfruit Cheesecake Slices (£3.75 | two-pack) were inspired by Tesco chefs’ travels to New York – they have rich mascarpone cheese slow-baked on a crisp and golden digestive base, finished with passion fruit glaze and piped-on white chocolate mousse.
More recipes from the good ol’ US of A have been adopted for four more baked cheesecakes (each 500g). The Key to my Lime Cheesecake (£5.25) is a zesty lime cheesecake topped with cream, white chocolate curls, and shortcake pearls. The Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake (£5.25) has a cinnamon cheesecake topped with caramel and cinnamon sauce and a white chocolate swirl, plus a dusting of cinnamon sugar.
The Choco Caramel Crunch Cheesecake (£5.25) features a caramel cheesecake with a crunchy base, topped with a Belgian dark chocolate flavoured layer with pretzel chunks. And the Tesco Finest New York Vanilla Cheesecake (£5.50) has a rich mascarpone cheese and Madagascan vanilla cheesecake on a crisp New York-inspired base.
Another on the Tesco Finest range in the chillers is the Dark Chocolate Mirror Glazed Cheesecake (£5.50 | 500g), which is made up of a baked Belgian dark chocolate cheesecake on a butter-enriched cocoa digestive biscuit base, topped with a chocolate glaze and hand-finished with a metallic flourish.
Frozen desserts
A couple of budget-friendly cheesecakes can now be found in the freezers of Tesco. The Cherry Bakewell Cheesecake (£1.85 | 450g) comprises sweet and creamy almond flavour batter on a baked biscuit base, topped with cherry sauce, vanilla flavour mousse, and almond flakes. The Cinnamon Bun Cheesecake (£2.75 | 400g) has cinnamon sponge with spots of vanilla flavour cheesecake on a digestive biscuit base, topped with cream mousse and decorated with hazelnut brittle.
Rounding out the sweet bakery options is the Tesco Finest Berry & Chantilly Roulade (£5), a meringue swirled with summer berries sauce, filled with vanilla flavoured cream and mascarpone full fat soft cheese semifreddo and raspberry, blackcurrant and cassis sauce.
Pizzas
Full screen in popup
The Tesco Finest collection of pizzas, breads, pastas, ready meals, and sauces has been crafted to meet the growing customer appetite for premium Italian food experiences at home. The products, which come in vibrant new packaging, have been developed through inspirations from by the country’s most iconic regions: Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Campania, and Sicily.
The wood-fired pizzas feature Neapolitan-style bases that are beautifully charred for pockets of flavour with a soft and chewy eggshell crust. The Quattro Formaggio, Spinach & Slow-Roasted Tomato Wood Fired Pizza (£4.75) is topped with garlic béchamel sauce, mozzarella full fat soft cheese, red and yellow roasted tomatoes, ricotta full fat whey cheese, spinach, regato medium fat hard cheese, and pine nuts. The Chicken Parmigiana Wood Fired Pizza (£4.75) has a tomato sauce base, shavings of creamy mozzarella, slices of succulent British marinated chicken, and a rich and creamy mascarpone, finished with a Parmesan and Regato breadcrumb.
The Sicilian Lemon & King Prawn Wood Fired Pizza (£4.75) is topped with a béchamel sauce made with Sicilian lemon juice, shavings of mozzarella, garlic-marinated king prawns, fresh baby spinach leaves, and a sprinkle of parsley. The Finest Cured Meat Selection Wood Fired Pizza (£4.75) contains a tomato sauce base, shavings and pearls of mozzarella, plus succulent Milano salami, Salsiccia picante, and spicy Spianata piccante.
For a starter option, there’s the Hand-Crafted ‘Nduja and Mascarpone Bombes (£3 | two-pack) – dough balls filled with a sundried tomato and mascarpone filling before baking for a crisp crust and soft centre, finished with a topping of ’nduja pork salami paste, Peppadew piquante pepper, garlic, mascarpone, and hard cheese.
All pizzas can be purchased as part of the Tesco Finest Meal Deal (£6), which bundles up a pizza and a side.
Italian breads
Three focaccia breads have also been rolled out on the Tesco Finest range. These include the Mozzarella & Hot Honey Focaccia (£4.75), which is long-fermented over an 18-hour period for a light and airy texture with a thin, golden crust, and comes with a caramelised garlic oil and mozzarella topping along with a sachet of hot honey.
Finally, there’s the Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia Paninis (£1.60 | two-pack) and the Halkidiki Olive Focaccia Paninis (£1.60 | two-pack).