Take the stress out of the Christmas food prep

Published 16th Nov 2016
Updated 22 nd Nov 2016

Kirstie Paton looks at the best ready prepared seasonal food dishes available in store this year

To start

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Waitrose Treacle Smoked Salmon, £4.99 100g

 

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M&S Serrano Ham Joint with knife and stand, 2kg £30 

 

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Sainsburys Taste the Difference Scallop & King Prawn Lobster Bisque and Taste the Difference Smoked Haddock Chowder - £3.75 each

 

The main event

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Go traditional with M&S Pembrokeshire Bronze Whole Turkey, £10 Per Kg

How to defrost a turkey or crown: how long it takes and methods explained - from fridge to microwave and water

 

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Buck the trend by opting for a game inspired main – Waitrose 1 Venison Haunch with Sour Cherry Butter, £40.99/kg

 

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These are the best and worst supermarket Christmas puddings available

Asda Rack of Lamb with recurrent butter £14.99

 

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For vegetarian options try Sainsburys Taste the Difference Melt in the middle stilton nut roast, £8.00 or Waitrose Carrot & Beetroot Tarte Tatin, £8.99

These are the best and worst supermarket Christmas cakes available

Sides and accompaniments

 

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Waitrose Three Little Pigs in blankets, £3.99

 

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Asda Extra Special Sprout and Gruyere bake £2.50

 

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Waitrose Romanesco Cauliflower Christmas Trees, £3.49

 

After dinner

 

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M&S 8 Month Mature Vintage Christmas Pudding, 800G £12.00

 

 

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Tesco Finest Cocktail Collection Chocolates £5.00 and Tesco Finest Safari Print Chocolate Box, £6.50

Tried and tested

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The Tesco Finest Reveal dessert, £12, is truly indulgent. It has it all – chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, inside it is drizzled with white chocolate and even sprinkled with popping candy and toasted hazelnuts. All of that is completely housed in a dark Belgian chocolate dome that is flecked with gold lustre. Then comes the reveal part – included in the pack is a pot of salted caramel sauce. The instructions state that this sauce should be heated in the microwave for just over a minute, until bubbling, this is important because the sauce has to be very hot to make the big reveal happen.. We poured the sauce immediately, as instructed, on to the top centre of the cold chocolate dome casing. This action melted a hole in the top of the dome ‘revealing’ the contents. Theatrical part done, on to the eating. As you can imagine with all of that chocolate and popping candy plus the salted caramel sauce, the dessert was incredibly rich, very delicious and a chocolate lover's dream. It’s the size of your average side plate, however, due to the dessert's richness you could feed a small army of dinner guests with it. I would give your Christmas main a chance to go down before attempting a portion, not to be missed.

 

All prices correct at time of publication

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