Brown butter & spiced dark rum: how to experience Asda’s first ever signature flavour this Christmas

·      Following extensive trend-tracking, Asda launches its first ever signature flavour to tables this Christmas

·      The signature flavour is inspired by the abundance of brown butter being used globally by top pastry chefs and the rising use of dark rum by mixologists all over the world

·      Asda’s signature flavour brings restaurant-quality dishes into the home, and recreates flavours of Christmas with a twist 

·      From gammon to pigs in blankets, here’s how to experience the festive flavour this season

“We were inspired to launch Asda’s first ever signature flavour, by wanting to create something that was on-trend but also evoked the familiarity of those delicious aromas, tastes and flavours we all know and love about Christmas,” says Jonathan Moore, Asda’s Senior Director of Food Trends and Innovation.

Jonathan and his team are the brains behind launching the retailer’s first ever signature flavour of Brown Butter and Spiced Dark Rum this Christmas, delivering innovation and bringing a new and exclusive offering to Asda customers.

Based on extensive trend-tracking, the signature flavour features throughout key products in Asda’s festive range, including turkey, mince pies, pigs in blankets and more. It recreates the flavours of Christmas, but with a twist, and brings restaurant-quality dishes into the home at great value.

Jonathan goes on to explain, “brown butter gives food a caramel, nutty flavour and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes, so we knew it would work throughout our Christmas range. It’s cropping up on menus all over, for example, whipped and served with sourdough at Maya’s Bakehouse; baked into pastry at the likes of Fortitude Bakehouse; or served over new potatoes at Apricity Mayfair.”

Brown butter is created by cooking butter slightly past its melting point, just long enough to toast the milk solids in the butter. By doing this, butter magic is formulated by releasing a deliciously nutty flavour profile.

Jonathan adds, “We’ve seen a growth in rum, especially craft-made rum and UK-made rum, that has the potential to rival the popularity of gin. Alongside this, we’ve also noticed a resurgence of dark spirits, such as whisky, brandy and bourbon.

“Traditional rum spices of vanilla, allspice, clove and cinnamon evoke Christmas and pair perfectly with the nutty flavour profile of brown butter – so through this our first ever signature flavour for Asda’s Christmas 2023 range was created.”

How to experience Asda’s signature flavour of Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum this Christmas:

Extra Special Slow Cooked Turkey Breast with Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Stuffing, £15/910g

Expertly slow cooked for four and half hours for succulence, this easy to carve British turkey breast is topped with brown butter and spiced dark rum pork sausage meat stuffing. The joint is wrapped in dry cured oak smoked bacon and served with a delicious turkey gravy.

Extra Special Gammon Joint with Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Glaze, £20/1.65kg

This British pork leg is slow cured with sea salt and demerara sugar infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, vanilla and clove. Drenched with a sticky spiced dark rum, maple and brown butter glaze.

Extra Special Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Stuffing Wreath with Brûléed Pigs in Blankets, £8/serves 10

This British pork stuffing wreath is enriched with rich brown butter and spiced rum, and hand-decorated with Extra Special Pigs in Blankets made using only British prime pork cuts and dry cured oak smoked bacon. With a tart cranberry centre to cut through the buttery stuffing and savoury pigs in blankets, the showstopper wreath is finished with rum-spiced sugar for a brûléed effect.

Scallop and King Prawn Vol Au Vents with Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum, £7.50/2pck

These scallops and king prawns have been cooked in our signature brown butter and spiced dark rum sauce, and encased in an indulgent and impressively sized puff pastry vol au vent.

Extra Special Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Stollen Wreath, £8

This Stollen wreath is made with brown butter and spiced dark rum soaked vine fruits. Throughout the wreath is a beautifully balanced mix of peel, cherries and marzipan. The stollen has been twice hand dipped, first in a spiced rum mix and secondly in butter. Then, hand-finished with dark roasted almonds and a sweet dusting.

Extra Special Brown Butter & Rum Mince Pies, £2.75/6pck

Made with pastry enriched with brown butter for a unique nutty flavour, these mince pies are filled with a Jamaican rum laced spiced vine fruit and citrus peel mincemeat, topped with a sweet dusting. Made by a family-run bakery based in Lazonby, Cumbria, these signature mince pies are made from scratch in small batches and finished by hand.

Extra Special Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Shortbread, Was £4, now £3/150g

Made by a second-generation family business who have been going since 1975 in the small town of Huntly, Northeast Scotland, this shortbread is a twist on a traditional favourite. The dark spiced rum is made by a small producer located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, forty-five miles from the bakery. The rum is distilled in small batches and infused with fresh and dried aromatic spices contributing to a punchy flavour with a touch of sweetness. The shortbread is baked in small batches using traditional rotary ovens, and a combination of the long slow bake at a low temperature helps deliver the light and crumbly texture that tastes homemade.

Extra Special Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Fudge, £2/150g

Handmade in Harrogate in small batches using copper pans which browns the butter to create a caramelised, golden molten liquid before adding the rum and mixed spice. Once it hits the perfect temperature, the fudge is then poured into trays and left to cool naturally, giving it the melt-in-the-mouth, crumbly texture that fudge should have. This unique flavour delivers a rich brown butter flavour, festive spices and warmth from the rum.

How to order your festive food:

For customers planning ahead, Christmas grocery delivery and click and collect slots are already available to book online at Asda.com or via the Asda app, with over one million slots available in Christmas week. The minimum online spend at Asda is £40 for delivery and £25 for click and collect.