What to buy in Aldi for your Christmas food shop
We’ve tasted all the Yuletide treats that Aldi has to offer, and can recommend our must-haves for your big festive food shop.
We’ve tasted all the Yuletide treats that Aldi has to offer, and can recommend our must-haves for your big festive food shop.
Christmas food shopping can often feel anything but festive: wrestling trolleys at dawn, discovering the shelves are bare of your favourite mince pies, and embarking on the annual hunt for cranberry sauce (which aisle is it in again?).
But if you’re heading to Aldi, we’ve done the hard – well, not that hard – work for you. We’ve taste-tested the supermarket’s Yuletide range to uncover the best dishes, desserts and nibbles to fill your trolley with in 2025, from show-stopping centrepieces to little indulgences.
Whether you’re treating yourself to a cosy Christmas for one or two, or feeding a small army of hungry relatives, we can recommend classic dinner dishes, tempting veggie and vegan options, party-ready canapés and irresistible puds.
We’ve also picked out the best of Aldi’s cheeseboard offerings and luxurious fish dishes – because no one should have to face December without a nibble and a bit of cheer.
Let’s start with the main event. I tried Aldi’s main turkey, beef, gammon and lamb options, including a rather tasty Wagyu Tomahawk (pictured above, £32.99 per kg), which proved popular.
If I’m honest, I enjoyed all of them, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed – the Specially Selected Crackling Gammon Joint (£19.99, 2.5kg) will definitely be on my husband’s wish list. I also tried three versions of their pigs in blankets – my pick would be the Specially Selected Double-Wrapped versions (£2.49, 250g).
Aldi is always trying to make life easier for its customers, and although I wasn't able to taste the Specially Selected Lamb Wellington (£16.99, 701g), it looks truly delicious. The puff-pastry-wrapped joint has some stuffing and cranberry in there, too, for flavour and sweetness, and comes on a sheet of greaseproof paper so that you can pop it straight onto a baking tray and into the oven without having to bash it about with a spatula.
I was intrigued by the idea of the no-hassle Specially Selected Ultimate Christmas Dinner in a Box (£39.99, 3.5kg). It has everything you need to create the perfect Christmas dinner without having to search busy aisles to find ingredients individually.
The British bacon-topped and stuffed turkey joint comes with pigs in blankets, honey mustard butter-coated parsnips, maple butter-coated Chantenay carrots, roast potatoes and turkey gravy. It’s available from 19 December. However, as I like to pick my veggies myself, these are my ultimate winners:
Aldi’s Specially Selected The Ultimate British Free-Range Whole Turkey (4–5.99kg) is the centrepiece your table deserves. Moist, tasty and free-range, ours was absolutely delicious, so I'm sure it won’t disappoint.
Each turkey has been reared slowly, and traditionally dry-hung for at least 10 days for extra flavour and succulence. It also comes wrapped in parchment paper with giblets for the perfect gravy. Available from 19 December.
New for 2025, the stunning Specially Selected 40-Day Aged Aberdeen Angus Côte de Boeuf (£29.49 per kg) has convinced me to forgo turkey this year. You simply sear it off in a pan, pop it in the oven for around 45 minutes (or until it’s cooked to your liking – rare in my case) and add the bone marrow butter.
It was the most delicious thing I tried on Aldi’s entire menu, and I hope telling you won’t mean it sells out! Available from 19 December.
This is a lovely idea if you aren’t up for slaving for hours over a stove to create a Christmas dinner – a Yorkshire pudding pancake that encases an entire meal, including turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings.
Aldi continues to evolve its meat-free offering, and this year it’s promising its biggest ever festive vegan and veggie range.
There was a strong showing of 'meat-adjacent' roasting joints, such as the Specially Selected Sage & Onion Stuffed Tofu Roasting Joint (£4.99, 400g), which featured a caramelised sage and onion stuffing centre encased in herby tofu, and topped with sweet cranberry and herbs. But these are my personal picks:
I don’t think you can go wrong with a nice puff-pastry parcel – I highly rate the Specially Selected Rainbow Parcel (£4.99, 500g).
This vegetarian delight features seasoned layers of spinach, broccoli, roasted butternut squash and braised red cabbage, alongside a rich mushroom and cranberry duxelle, all hand-wrapped in crisp, golden puff pastry. And it’s available now, so you can give it a taste-test before the big day.
The delicious Specially Selected Sprout Gratin (£3.79, 400g) works both as a main meal and as an easy all-in-one side for the big day. I’m going to bag a few of these as a simple Twixmas meal that has festive flavour but won’t take hours to prep.
I’ve got two selections for this section, and I’m going to set you a little challenge.
Back by popular demand, we have the Plant Menu Ultimate No Pigs in Blankets (£2.99, 228g). Then there are the Specially Selected Vegan Stuffing Balls (£2.49, 300g) in a choice of Sage & Onion or Spiced Cranberry & Clementine, which are also gluten-free.
I tasted these and had no idea they were veggie – pick up a few and see if your guests can tell!
I know – you’re already feeling full after reading about those Christmas dinner offerings. But if you’ve cleared your plate, you’re probably in the mood for dessert.
We’ll plump for a Christmas pudding here. I’m not a massive fan of fruity puds, but if you smother it in enough custard, I’ll eat it.
I don’t think you can go far wrong with the Specially Selected 24-Month Mature Christmas Pudding (£7.99, 800g), matured for two years and full of vine fruits, cider, brandy and Cognac.
I’m not sure this is 'Christmasly correct', but I tend to choose a mince pie for my pud in lieu of fruity pudding. I just find it that bit lighter – and I can still drown it in custard.
My pick this year is Aldi’s Specially Selected The Ultimate Mince Pies (£2.59, 2 pack). Stuffed with boozy goodness (cognac, ruby port, and dry cider-infused mincemeat), it has a very short all-butter pastry case and a lovely sugary crunch, achieved because the sugar is added before the bake. It’s available in stores now.
Pistachio has been 2025’s biggest food trend, so show your guests that your foodie finger is on the pulse by serving the Specially Selected Centrepiece Pistachio Tiramisu (pictured above, £8.99, 575g).
This creamy concoction of coffee-soaked ladyfingers, brandy, pistachio and mascarpone cream cheese mousse is totally moreish, and is also a lighter, more refreshing finish than pie or pudding. I loved it.
Fish can be divisive at the best of times, but if you love it then Aldi’s selection comes highly recommended. It was probably the quietest area at the tasting day, but was one of my favourites.
A quick shout-out to the Specially Selected Lobster Tails (£12.99, 254g), which I wasn’t able to try but looked delicious.
It’s already winning awards from BBC Good Food, so be sure to pick up Aldi’s Specially Selected The Ultimate Himalayan Scottish Salt-Aged Smoked Salmon (£3.99, 100g).
Oak-smoked and cured with a salt and sugar blend, then matured in a Himalayan salt vault, it is very, very delicious.
We’ll be grabbing a couple of Lobster Mac & Cheese Bakes (£6.99, 500g) just for us – and not to share! I’m not always big on mac and cheese, but this was totally addictive: creamy, generous with tender lobster and king prawns, and topped with a crunchy cheddar and parsley crumb.
Great for TV dinners on Boxing Day.
Aldi’s new Specially Selected Smoked Salmon Rolled Terrines (pictured above, £3.99, 120g) were a bit of a revelation. Choose from beetroot and orange, or lemon and herb – both are wrapped in Scottish oak-smoked salmon.
Carefully sliced, they make amazing (and quick) canapés. I’m stocking up in case I need to cater for extra drinks-party guests.
I generally like to make my own canapés. Most of the selection will be available in stores from 5 December, unless otherwise mentioned.
I queued to try the much-vaunted Specially Selected Mini Barber’s Cheddar Cheese & Ham Hock Scones (£4.99, 8-pack). And these hot, crumbly, rich and indulgent bakes were worth the wait.
Filled with pulled ham hock, Barber’s cheese and caramelised red onion chutney, they persuaded me to go back for seconds (and thirds), despite being totally stuffed! They’ve been crowned Best Hot Canapé at the BBC Good Food Christmas Awards, so I’m not alone in my admiration.
Bao buns don’t exactly scream 'Christmas', but the returning Specially Selected Bao Buns (£4.29, 8-pack) were super-tasty and a surprisingly light bite. I found them a pleasant change of culinary pace in this season of stodge!
Packed with a choice of Sriracha King Prawn or Hoisin Vegetable, the fun Santa and gift designs help them fit in on a festive buffet table.
New for 2025, the Chicken Waffles with Waffle Sprinkles & Maple BBQ Sauce went down a storm with my fellow tasters – just not with me. Featuring chicken in a light batter paired with maple BBQ sauce, they were just too sweet for me.
But given how many people were raving about them, I concede that if you’re into that sweet/savoury combo, you’ll probably love them. At £3.69 for an 8-pack, they’re worth a try.
Last but definitely not least on the food side, we have one of my favourite Christmas courses – the cheese board! I often buy Aldi cheese as it’s such good value. And good news this year!
Please everyone with a loaded cheese board. The Specially Selected Ultimate Cheese Selection Pack (£12.99, 625g) is pretty comprehensive, with a Vintage Coastal Cheddar, a creamy Montagnolo Affiné, a mini French Camembert, a Cave-Aged Goat’s Cheese, and – new for this year and my personal favourite – a Smoked Red Fox. Available from 5 December.
Call me boring, but my favourite was the Specially Selected Hickory Smoked Vintage Cheddar (£2.49, 200g), made at the award-winning Davidstow Creamery in Cornwall.
It’s matured for two years to develop a rich flavour, then smoked with hickory logs to provide a hint of sweetness – all I can say is that it’s delicious, and I could have eaten the whole block.
Cheese that tastes of fruit or chocolate? We thought Aldi had lost the plot when it launched such delights as the Specially Selected Coastal Cheddar with Pineapple (£2.49, 200g) and Wensleydale Ballycastle with White Chocolate & Caramel.
I tasted them with some trepidation, but actually LOVED the pineapple cheese (well, I was a child of the 1980s). Even the white chocolate cheese was surprisingly OK. It’s definitely worth picking up a wedge from 26 November to keep the party conversation going.
Of course, you’re going to need to wash all that festive food down with something special. I tried 10+ bottles from Aldi’s Christmas 2025 wine collection – yes, I only had small sips, and yes, I did get home OK. These are my picks:
Toast the big day with a bottle of Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Champagne (£22.99, 75cl), winner of Which? and Good Housekeeping awards, and available in stores now. It’s utterly delicious – as good as bottles costing twice the price.
I’m stocking up on the delicious Specially Selected Chablis Premier Cru (£21.99, 75cl). Aldi describes it as “elegant and classic,” with “delicious aromas of grilled nuts, honey, honeysuckle and apple crumble”.
For me, it was full-bodied, balanced, creamy and a great Christmas Day white. I’ll also give a shout-out to the Chassaux et Fils Sainte Victoire Provence Rosé (£10.99, 75cl).
The talking point: Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny Champagne (£15.49, 75cl) has recently been crowned the World’s Best Champagne at the World Champagne Awards.
Why not put it up against a bottle or two from established brands and see what your guests think?
(Hero image credit: Aldi)
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