Aldi is launching into the festive season with an expanded luxury Christmas food range that caters to big family gatherings, indulgent dinners and those little table-side flourishes that make the season special.
The supermarket has fostered a loyal following for its premium Specially Selected lines, and this year’s offerings are unlikely to disappoint. From dry-hung turkeys to Wagyu showstoppers, plant-based innovation and party-ready snacks, it’s a selection designed to make shoppers salivate.
The centrepiece for many households is the turkey, and Aldi’s Specially Selected Ultimate British Free-Range Whole Turkey (4–5.99kg) arrives with serious culinary credentials. Reared slowly and dry-hung for at least 10 days, it promises deeper flavour and a firmer texture, the kind of preparation usually seen in specialist butchers. It comes wrapped in parchment and supplied with giblets.
For those looking to plate the perfect Christmas dinner, with minimal effort, Aldi has produced a Specially Selected Ultimate Christmas Dinner in a Box (£39.99, 3.5kg). Inside is a British bacon topped and stuffed slow cooked turkey joint, accompanied by pigs in blankets honey mustard butter coated parsnips, maple butter coated Chantenay carrots, roast potatoes and turkey gravy.
For those branching out from turkey, Aldi has set the table with an impressive roster of high-end beef…
British Wagyu rising
If you’re branching out from turkey, why not set the table with an impressive roster of high-end beef? The Specially Selected Ultimate Slow Cooked Wagyu Shin (£29.99/kg) is a rich, tender option infused with truffle jus. Having tried it at Aldi’s Christmas preview, we can confirm it’s delicious.
Equally handsome is the Ultimate Wagyu Wing Rib (£32.99/kg), a new joint with deep marbling that should register strong approval from anyone who appreciates slow-reared British beef.
Aldi is also bringing back last year’s favourites: the Specially Selected Ultimate Wagyu Tomahawk (£32.99/kg), a theatrical centrepiece, and the Ultimate Wagyu Chateaubriand (£39.99, 750g), a cut prized for tenderness.
For classicists, there’s also Specially Selected 40 Day Aged Aberdeen Angus Cote De Boeuf (£29.49/kg).
Pork lovers should look to the Specially Selected Slow Cooked Porchetta (£14.99, 1.15kg), a smoky, gently seasoned joint that reheats beautifully. New for 2025 is a striking Specially Selected Lamb Guard of Honour (£24.99/kg), its exposed ribs forming a dramatic arch, with herb and garlic crust.
Seafood brings its own glamour. The Specially Selected The Ultimate Salmon Wellington (£12.99, 725g) pairs tender salmon with a champagne sauce, wrapped in golden pastry.
Aldi continues to widen its vegan and vegetarian range, and the star pick this year is the Specially Selected Sage & Onion Stuffed Tofu Roasting Joint (£4.99, 400g). With a caramelised stuffing centre and cranberry-herb topping, it’s an intriguing flavour-first alternative to the usual.
When it comes to plant-based mains, also consider the Specially Selected No Beef Flank Steak (£7.49, 430g), a meat-free cut with a lean texture that can be seared or roasted.
Snacks and party food with premium touches
We’ve always found Aldi’s party food inventive, and this year’s offerings are nothing if not novel. The Specially Selected Chicken Waffles with Waffle Sprinkles & Maple BBQ Sauce (£3.69, 8-pack) introduce an American diner favourite with a holiday twist. At the supermarket’s festive preview, our jury was out.
Less contentious are the Mini Barber’s Cheddar Cheese & Ham Hock Scones (£4.99, 8-pack), crowned Best Hot Canapé at the BBC Good Food Christmas Awards. You can’t go wrong with pulled ham hock, Barber’s cheddar and red onion chutney.
For beef eaters, the Specially Selected The Ultimate Wagyu Mini Sliders (£5.49, 280g) are an easy win, and for a dose of festive whimsy, the Specially Selected Bao Buns (£4.29, 8-pack) come in Santa and gift-wrapped designs, available in Sriracha King Prawn or Hoisin Vegetable.
The Ultimate Pigs in Blankets (£2.99, 300g) also return to Aldi shelves this December, now in a new Pork & Cranberry option.
Sweet, smoky and showstopping desserts
Aldi’s cheese counter is reliably strong, and this year’s new addition, Hickory Smoked Vintage Cheddar (£2.49, 200g), is a corker. Matured for two years and smoked with hickory logs, it offers a balanced sweetness that makes it a headline attraction for festive cheeseboards.
More adventurous are the Specially Selected Speciality Cheeses (£2.49, 200g), notably a Sweet and Smokey Maple Cheddar and a playful Wensleydale Ballycastle with White Chocolate & Caramel. Pair with dessert wines and discuss their relative merits. Our vote goes to the Cheddar.
Pudding enthusiasts are predicatably well catered for.
The new Maple Pretzel Christmas Pudding (£5.29, 400g) sets the tone with something a little unexpected. This vine-fruit pud carries the familiar richness of the season, yet the maple sauce on top adds a mellow sweetness, and the crushed pretzel pieces bring a welcome crunch.
Aldi is also offering a sense of theatre with its Melt in the Middle Pudding (£7.99, 650g). Two flavours headline the range. Spiced Rum & Salted Caramel delivers warmth and a gentle boozy glow, while the Black Forest version is unapologetically decadent – a chocolate sponge with a Morello cherry compote centre, finished with a Belgian chocolate pouring sauce and a sprinkle of gold.
Returning favourites round out the line-up. The Specially Selected Orange and Maple Christmas Pudding (£9.99, 800g), is unmistakably festive. Its whole candied orange slices and glacé cherries a visual treat.
For traditionalists, the Specially Selected 24 Month Mature Christmas Pudding (£7.99, 800g) is back and ready to claim its best-seller top spot. Matured for two years, it boasts the dense, concentrated flavour that defines a proper Christmas pud: vine fruits, cider, brandy, Cognac and almonds working together in time-tested harmony.
Speaking of dessert, Aldi’s Specially Selected Hazel Nut-Cracker (£7.99, 400g) is worth a look, its gold-dusted shell filled with marshmallows, biscuit balls, caramel and hazelnut ganache.
Festive tipples worth raising a glass to
Aldi’s ‘don’t miss’ bottle this year is the Margaux Declassified (£19.99, 75cl), a rare parcel from a renowned Bordeaux château. With cassis, cedar and plum on the palate, it’s a wine that would ordinarily sit on far pricier restaurant lists.
The much-awarded Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Champagne (£22.99) also returns, a fizz with proven pedigree in blind tastings.
For something more eye-catching, Aldi’s Infusionist Globes (£13.99, 70cl), in Blood Orange Gin Liqueur, Honey Rum and Toffee Vodka, double as table décor and cocktail starters.
For the finest Christmas drinks and tipples, read our Buyers Guide here.
The Glenlivet has released the second chapter in its ultra-luxury Eternal Collection, a 56 Year Old single malt limited to just 60 bottles worldwide. The expression represents one of the oldest whiskies ever to emerge from the lauded Speyside distillery, and it’s also one of the most expensive, at €52,500 a bottle. This release follows…
by Steve May
November 28, 2025November 28, 2025
Buffalo Trace has unveiled the 2025 edition of its Buffalo Trace Antique Collection in the UK – a milestone year marking the collection’s 25th anniversary and the arrival of its first new expression in nearly two decades. For bourbon fans, it’s big news: the full Antique Collection lineup doesn’t often make its way across the…
Cù Bòcan, the experimental single malt made at Tomatin Distillery each winter, has unveiled what the Highland producer describes as its most adventurous smoky whisky to date. The new Creation #7 release, which coincides with two decades of seasonal peated whisky production at the distillery, coincides with the brand’s focus on unusual cask maturation, a…
by Steve May
November 26, 2025November 27, 2025
Dining and Cooking