By Lois Borny

Copyright independent

It’s only September, so we’re a long way from opening our advent calendars. However, Christmas always comes early for supermarkets. Without fail, they’re quick to get into the holiday spirit, unveiling their festive food and drink before autumn has even started.

So far, Waitrose has unveiled innovative ‘turkey bauble’ and limoncello mince pies, and Tesco has teased chocolate and gingerbread S’mores tarts and burrata with a hot maple glaze and pistachios. While the menu at M&S is still under wraps, we’re set to be treated to a Christmas-themed Colin the Caterpillar, naturally.

To take the hassle out of hosting around the festive period, most of the big supermarkets will offer a Christmas food-to-order service. You can pre-order for delivery or collection closer to Christmas, so that you can avoid running around the aisles last-minute. It’s not just the turkey, either; these services include show-stopping centrepieces, desserts, and party foods.

Delivery slots will become available over the coming weeks and months, and some as soon as next week. It may seem premature to start thinking about Christmas shopping now, but we’d always recommend booking your slot as early as you can, as they tend to fill up quickly.

Keep reading for what we know so far about food from M&S, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda and The Co-op.

Christmas food-to-order slots: Open from 22 September

Waitrose was one of the first to unveil its offering. The supermarket has announced a whopping 665 products, including 267 new arrivals – from a “turkey bauble” to limoncello mince pies. The ‘bauble’ refers to turkey breast with stuffing inside and wrapped in dry-cured beechwood smoked bacon with a cranberry and orange glaze, but it’s only one of the options on the menu.

Other mains will include a sweet-cured British gammon with a black cherry glaze, stuffed Scottish salmon with prawns and a salsa verde drizzle. There’s plenty for vegan and veggie diners too, with a No.1 mushroom, malbec and port wellington, and a No.1 cauliflower cheese galette crown.

New for this year, Waitrose will be launching a range of pies, including a turkey pie. On top of that, there will be plenty of options for party food, with pigs-in-blankets-inspired Scotch eggs and partridge in a pear pâté. The cheeseboard selection this year will include a spiced cheddar with candied jalapeños and a gouda and cider bake.

As for desserts, the No.1 ‘nutcracker’ chocolate mousse is sure to be a showstopper, but there’s also pistachio meringata, triple chocolate snowflakes, a sticky toffee yule lodge and more. The Bueno-inspired No.1 hazelnut crème panettone is likely to be a hit, and the free from salted caramel hazelnut brownies offer a good option for coeliacs.

The Waitrose Christmas range will be available to order from 22 September.

Christmas food-to-order slots: Open from 23 September

M&S’s food for the festive period is always hotly anticipated, and it never fails to impress; each year is as indulgent as the last. While the menu is still hush-hush, the supermarket has announced that it will launch more than 90 food-to-order items this year.

So far, it’s teased Boxing Day buffets and New Year’s charcuterie board products, Pembrokeshire Heritage Blue turkeys, and wagyu beef products. We’re expecting big things in the desserts department too, as the supermarket has shared that it will launch innovative family desserts. Yes, Colin the Caterpillar will be making an appearance, with a new festive look and flavour – so watch this space. If you want to know what’s on the menu this Christmas at M&S, then we recommend checking back with us – and make sure to mark your calendars for 23 September too, as this is when delivery slots will open for booking.

Christmas food-to-order slots: Open from early November (exact date has not been announced)

Tesco’s Christmas offering is set to include more than 260 new products this year. While the Tesco food-to-order range is largely under wraps (slots open from early November), its general festive range also looks promising. For a traditional main course, there will, of course, be turkey (and a turkey curry pie, for a twist on tradition), beef wellington and more.

For hosting a crowd, sharers include Tesco Finest burrata with a hot maple glaze and pistachios, Tesco Finest char siu duck bao buns, and Tesco Finest feta, apricot and harissa pastries with a hot honey drizzle. We’re eyeing up the Tesco Finest festive camembert crown and Tesco Finest New York deli pretzel bites, too.

As for desserts, the Tesco Finest chocolate and honeycomb choux wreath, and a Tesco Finest salted banoffee cascading star are bound to impress. There are intriguing panettone flavours, with a Tesco Finest gingerbread panettone and Tesco Finest sticky toffee panettone Christmas pudding. As well as a huge mince pie offering, there are Tesco Finest chocolate and gingerbread S’mores tarts for the mince pie naysayers.

Christmas food-to-order slots: Open around October (the exact date has not been announced)

From its first-ever range of Christmas Day brunch foods (think Exceptional hot maple pigs in Blankets and hot honey streaky bacon) to its festive fondue, the supermarket has shared some of its Christmas food range, and you can even buy some of it already online or in Asda shops.

The ultimate cheese-lovers party food, the fondue kits come with Milano Salami, chorizo, gherkins, marinated cherry tomatoes and more, for dipping into a vintage cheddar cheese fondue. For a festive twist on the dish, you’ll also be able to try a ‘pigs in duvet wreath’ version.

To take some of the hassle out of cooking on the big day, Asda will sell a ‘turkey with all the trimmings’ box, which includes everything you need for a Christmas dinner. Another option is the Exceptional slow cured rack of pork with truffle butter and parmesan crumb.

When it comes to desserts and sweet dishes, the gingerbread man is the star of the show. More than 30 gingerbread-themed products are launching in stores, including a frozen gingerbread man-shaped Belgian chocolate mousse, filled with gooey toffee sauce and honeycomb pieces.

If you’re looking for a decadent tipple to serve with your Baileys in the evening, you’ll want to add the Exceptional pistachio and milk chocolate flavour cream liqueur to your basket too.

Asda’s Christmas food-to-order range, which will include more than 20 centrepieces, will be available to order from around October for delivery or collection between 21st and 23 December.

Christmas food-to-order slots: Food-to-order won’t be available, but the Christmas range will be available online and in Co-op stores

While The Co-op won’t have a Christmas food-to-order service, you will still be able to order its Christmas range online or in shops when it arrives later in the year. In the meantime, the menu looks promising. Co-op’s premium “Irresistible” brand brings party dishes and small plates, like Irresistible vegetable fritter slider bao buns with soy dip, Irresistible gruyère cheese and caramelised onion crostini, Irresistible Mexican-style pulled beef croquettes with smoky ketchup, and melt-in-the-middle cod fishcakes.

For lunch, starters and mains will include Irresistible smooth brussels and mulled wine pate, Irresistible oak smoked salmon with a creamy dill sauce, and Irresistible chicken, ham hock and cranberry pie. There’s plenty of choice when it comes to desserts too, from Irresistible black forest brownies to Irresistible gingerbread and white chocolate cakes, and Irresistible gingerbread and maple mince pies.

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