Find your festive favourites at Asda: here's a sneak peek of its 2019 Christmas range

Despite the humid weather and summer sun, retailers are underway producing innovative and delicious products for Brits to enjoy at the most special time of the year; Christmas.

Asda yesterday unveiled an exclusive preview of what’s to come for the 2019 festive season – revealing that opulence, novelty and inclusivity are at the heart its range this year, established by listening to customers and reacting to changes in food and drink:

1. Opulence – from party canapés to the big day itself, opting for opulence and pushing the boat out for your festive feast is just one of the many ways to make sure everyone feels special when celebrating the most magical time of year.

2. Inclusivity – bringing your favourite people together and spending quality time with loved ones at Christmas is what it’s all about. By focussing on each other and turning festive classics into options everyone can enjoy, you can ensure nobody is missing out this Christmas.

3. Novelty – the festive season is all about having fun and putting a smile on someone’s face and providing food centrepieces and focal features really gets the party started and get your guests talking.

Highlights of the range include:

Vegan Festive Wellington

An impressive Festive Vegan Wellington is essential for an inclusive festive feast. Puff pastry is filled with chickpeas, cranberries, apricots and blended with festive spices, topped with a sweet cranberry sauce.

Extra Special 12 Pigs in Blankets Centrepiece

12 succulent pigs in blankets lay on a bed of pork, sage and onion stuffing, totalling a foot in length. It’s the perfect party pleaser with plenty of wow-factor.

Extra Special Whole Lamb Leg with Smoky Mint and Redcurrant

A stunning centrepiece which is the epitome of opulence yet makes a delicious turkey alternative - tender meat is finished with clementine and bay leaves, roasted in a glossy redcurrant and mint glaze.

Extra Special Millionaire’s Winter Village

The showstopping Extra Special Millionaire’s Winter Village really pushes the boat out for guests - made up of small bronze and gold dark chocolate houses, with layers of crunchy digestive crumb, chocolate coated honeycomb, gooey salted caramel sauce, Belgian white chocolate mousse and a milk chocolate ganache.

Extra Special Chocolate Swirl Vegan Desserts

The dessert nobody will be able to resist this Christmas – shaped in a traditional bundt style, delicious swirls contain sumptuous vegan caramel sauce, dairy free chocolate mousse with a dark and decadent Belgian chocolate shell finished with gold lustre.

Pip the Penguin Cake

Almost too cute to eat, Pip the Penguin Cake will bring all the fun factor this Christmas. Soft sponge filled with scrummy frosting and fruity raspberry jam, then topped with soft icing and finished with charming edible decorations.

Extra Special Winter Spice Gin

For the extravagant parties, this is a must. It has winter spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and finishing notes of cranberry and clementine. Mix it with our Extra Special Indian tonic, with a slice of orange, cinnamon stick and cranberries to enhance the luxury flavour.

Linsey Taylor, Senior Director of New Product Development, said of the range: “For me, this is the most exciting time of the year, unveiling the fabulous food and drink combinations we’ve been working hard on for the festive season. There’s something special about families coming together to celebrate the big day and it’s our job to ensure there’s delicious food for everyone to enjoy, and plenty of options for all involved.

“This year, we’ve really considered customer feedback from 2018 – creating products based on needs and desires for certain food and drink, particularly for those looking for more inclusive options but still seeking delicious flavour and great value”.

Mark Richmond, Head Development Chef, added: "While we’re retaining the much-loved Christmas ingredients and flavours of the festive season that our customers know and love, we’ve also created new inspirational products to bring you a range of taste sensations for everyone to enjoy.

"For Christmas 2019, there’s an array of expertly crafted meats, delicious desserts, exquisite party food and sweet treats, so “Let’s make Christmas Extra Special” and why not push the boat out for all your family and guests, giving them plenty of choice and leaving them with something to talk about."