The battle for the Christmas turkeys is well underway at supermarkets across the UK, as shoppers scramble to buy meat and veg to put on the table.
But Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Iceland, and Morrisons, have an alternative offering for those doing festive food a little differently this year.
Christmas dinner in a box is a concept now widely available at these retail giants, offering a pre-prepared, put-it-in-the-oven kit to cook on December 25.
They all include turkey, potatoes, and vegetables like carrots, parsnips and red cabbage, typically claiming to serve four to six people.
And while the concept of Christmas dinner in a box may feel criminal, we’ve got to admit, it’s also kind of genius.
Consumer expert Jane Hawkes, says these boxes have boomed in popularity this year, with many already out of stock.
‘The concept has taken off because it solves three things consumers are increasingly anxious about: cost, waste and stress especially at a time of year when food shopping can feel particularly excessive, overwhelming and expensive,’ Jane tells Metro.
‘These boxes aren’t about cutting corners from putting on the perfect Christmas Day spread, they’re about giving people control back over the festive season, reflecting smaller gatherings, tighter budgets and a definitive shift in habits towards convenience and enjoyment without guilt.’
And there’s one surprising supermarket’s Christmas dinner in a box that shoppers can’t stop thinking about. Move over M&S and Aldi, an underdog is coming for your crown.
Iceland’s Christmas Dinner for 4
Dubbed the ‘greatest’ and a ‘box of delights’ by shoppers, this Christmas dinner in a box has countless rave reviews.
Did we mention it’s the cheapest, too? For £25 you’ll get a Turkey breast joint, beef dripping roast potatoes, maple glazed Chantenay carrots, pork, onion and sage stuffing balls, sprouts and bacon, honey glazed parsnips, 12 pigs in blankets and Turkey gravy.
Food reviewer Grumpy Northern Foodie gave the meal an eight out of 10 on his Facebook page, saying: ‘This is the best one out there. Loads of food, plenty of greens, tasty across the board.’
While he said there could’ve been more gravy, it surpassed any other alternative and Iceland shoppers agreed.
‘Holy Moly! This is a huge box and we’ll worth the money,’ wrote on customer on the supermarket website. ‘Is it cheaper to buy things separately? Maybe. But the convenience to have this in one place and ready to go is peace of mind for Christmas day, especially with shift workers and young kids in the house!’
Others said it could easily feed a family of six and that it was ‘absolutely amazing’ for the price.
Aldi’s The Ultimate Christmas Dinner in a Box
Aldi is the next most affordable option, at £29.95. For food reviewer Grumpy Northern Foodie said the ‘roasties are fantastic and the plates are quite full’.
‘It feels like a proper dinner,’ he added. ‘Turkey is a little dry and there’s no greens. The gravy was way too salty, but for the price, this is a solid box. Seven out of 10.’
Again it’s intended to serve four and contains a British slow-cooked Turkey joint, pigs in blankets, honey mustard butter-coated parsnips, maple butter-coated Chantenay carrots, roast potatoes, and Turkey Gravy.
Morrisons Slow Cooked Turkey With All The Trimmings
For £40 you can grab the Morrisons version of the Christmas dinner in a box, which is part of its The Best Signature Collection, and serves four to six.
It was approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute although customers seemed a little underwhelmed.
Annemarie Wilcox on Facebook said the supermarket was ‘having a laugh’ with the £40 price tag, while again, Grumpy Northern Foodie said it was ‘disappointing’.
‘Plates are half-empty, the Turkey was awful, no greens anywhere and the gravy – there wasn’t even enough for one person never mind four,’ he said. ‘This one is a straight up avoid for me.’
Sainsbury’s Slow Cooked Proper Christmas Dinner Box
At £50 (or £40 if you have a Nectar card) you can get this Christmas dinner which serves four.
It comes with slow cooked British turkey breast, pork, chestnut and thyme stuffing and smoked streaky bacon, potatoes in beef fat, parsnips and carrots in honey, mustard and thyme melt, pork sausages wrapped in smoked streaky bacon and a sachet of turkey and chicken gravy.
Customers seemed pretty impressed with the offering. ‘With a lot of people to cater for I decided to give this option a try. SO glad I did,’ said one on the supermarket’s website. ‘Probably the best Christmas dinner I have ever had. The turkey was succulent and really tasty… Every scrap was used (willingly).’
Tesco Finest Slow Cooked Turkey with all the Trimmings
At £60, the Tesco version has received mixed reviews, and honestly, we’d be more critical for this price tag (especially when you could get two from Iceland for less).
You get slow cooked turkey breast joint with pork and roast shallot stuffing and smoked bacon, potatoes with goose fat, Chantenay carrots, red cabbage with honey, orange and spices, brussel sprouts with bacon, pigs in blankets, and sachets of turkey gravy and a spiced concentrated fruits with port and sloe gin sauce.
It sounds pretty bougey but while some loved it, some really didn’t. ‘The quality wasn’t great if I’m honest and neither were the portion sizes, it says it feeds four but definitely not four adults,’ said one Tesco customer.
‘My bigger problem is the price. You can get turkey crown that serves 6-8 for less than £30.’
But others said it was ‘delicious and tasted homemade without all the mess and preparation’.
M&S Collection Slow Cooked Turkey & Trimmings
For £80 you can get M&S’ version of Christmas dinner in a box which serves six, rather than four. It comes with slow-cooked turkey, pigs in blankets, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and gravy – slightly less than some of the other supermarket offerings.
Again there were mixed reviews with Lynmills Mills calling it a ‘winner’ on Facebook, while Kath Nelson Byrne called the meat ‘tough as old boots’.
So make of that what you will. Either way we’d be a bit shy to buy it with a price tag that steep, although given the £195 beef wellington malarkey, we shouldn’t be surprised.
Ultimately, for ease and convenience, it’s a hell yes from us when it comes to Christmas dinner in a box – just do your research.
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