Well its the end of January already, and i am still enjoying festive foods of 2020 with my festive food stash. Have not been baking much in January, as i have been using up things i did not get round to trying during the festive season. Also with Christmas sales got some reduced seasonal foods afterwards still to try. I will review these in separate post on my insta and Facebook page.

I have remembered i still have some Festive Biscuits and Chocolate spreads/Preserves, i have not added to this blog. I will add them to my future posts most likely Christmas in July

Usually i would be out and about in different places on the lookout for some post Xmas food sales. The prospect of getting something you didn’t get because of price, and getting it much cheaper is always exciting . With Corona and the Lockdown i did not go out at all, and just my dad does the shopping, he did manage to get some things which was good. Their was an abundance of new products out last year by Supermarkets and Manufacturers, and i tried to get my hands on most of them. Here is my Festive foods of 2020 review. This is by no means a definitive list

Dad picked up these bargains in M&S yet to try all reduced to clear.
From Iceland got this half price at £4 it certainly did not look like that when it was cooked. This was a disappointment overall
MINCE PIES

Now every year for the last several years, the supermarkets have been battling against each other to come up with new Mince Pie flavours. I have tried as many as i could last year i had so many i might as well have been Santa. I do not buy regular Mince Pies i have always made my own. Last year some Supermarkets brought back flavours from the previous years as well as a new one. I am yet to try the 2 Asda ones. They range in price from middle range to premium.

  • Maple & Pecan Mince pies with a Viennese Biscuit whirl topping – I really liked these from Sainsburys, they also sell the Mincemeat to make your own , i didn’t manage to get any in the sale. Bit too much Biscuit on top of these but mice Maple flavour
  • Florentine Festive Tarts Lidl – Not quite a Mince pie very Buttery Pastry and Fruit & Walnut filling
  • Gingerbread Mince Pies – Lidl – Something different
  • Tesco Apple & Clementine Pies – 1st time round they were nice 2nd time round a bit less filling
Sainsburys Snowball & Stars Cereal generic Chocolate wheat cereal
Sainsburys Mince Pie wheats- really liked these nice Festive filling inside
Trifle flavoured Granola from M& S was a novelty small box though for the price!

FESTIVE CHEESES

For me i always look forward to the Festive cheese selections. Every year Supermarkets just like Mince Pies unveil one of their own novelty flavours or a manufactures one. We are all Cheese lovers in our house, always interested by different by different flavours.

  • Mince Pie Wensleydale – Nice spiced Xmas flavoured Cheese got from Morrisons
  • Cheese Nougat from Waitrose- With Maideria soaked Raisins and Berries, bit like a fancy Cranberry one.
  • Cheddar & Ale Truckle from Morrisons
  • French baking Camembert with Cranberry & Clementine glaze – Lovely to dip toasted Bread chunks into, would add a little glaze at a time otherwise it just ends up all sweet

FESTIVE CHOCOLATES & CAKES

Now one thing we all know for Christmas, there will be plenty of sweet treats about!

  • Aero Bliss Peppermint- Although not Xmas specific, came out new at Christmas Peppermint bits inside
  • Twix Winter spice – name change but exactly the same as the Ginger Cookie version, Spiced Ginger taste
  • Terrys White Chocolate Orange – Once opened eaten very quickly great blend of white Chocolate & Orange
  • Dairymilk Winter Mint crisp – I brought 2, huge bar compared to most like the Mint Crisp version we used to have but with Peppermint bits inside
  • Gingerbread Cake Bars – Nice Gingery Creme topping generic Chocolate sponge base and topping
  • Ritter Sport Spiced Biscuit Chocolate Bar – Layer of Spiced Biscuit and Choc
  • Ritter Sport Coconut Macaroon- Coconut filling with bits of Macaroon, really liked this one
  • Aero snowbubbles- – Neither Dreamy or Creamy just generic to me
  • Dairymilk Jingly Bells- Hazelnut Chocolate filling like a Lindor Ball but with Cadburys Chocolate delicious!
Chocolate Orange Pretzels, Gingerbread Pretzels very warming & addictive and Maple Nuts fruit
Festive Coffees and Chocolate Winter Spice spread

BRING ON THE PANETTONES

Now for the last 2-3 years i look forward to seeing what new flavoured Panettones come out. Waitrose always has a Heston one which i did not get this year. They range from £5-12-15 for more premium. In all honesty the premium ones are mostly packaging like the M& S one below. I rarely pay more than £10 if i can manage it. They go on offer before Xmas and lucky if they are in the sale after Xmas. The smaller ones like in Tkmaxx sort of Muffin size are always dry and lacking flavour even though they often have fillings. The best value one has and always will be in Wilko £5 for a quite big plain one, which comes with a highly decorative tin.

  • M&S TRIPLE CHOCOLATE PANETTONE £10 – full of Chocolate sauce and topped with Milk chocolate and White Chocolate Chips. Half the size of the box but had plenty of filling and topping
  • Loison Salted Caramel – got this from Lakeland where i work, nice amount of filling and Chocolate Chips also
  • Loison mini Chocolate – About the size of a Muffin a bit dry not much flavour
  • Waitrose Chestnut Rum and Pear – yet to try
  • Mini Limoncello and Pistachio ones got in Tkmaxx – both lacking fillings tasting of much and also dry.

Well we seem to have come to the end of the festive foods review of 2020. As mentioned above their are still things i am yet to try and comment on. I will try to include these in my future Xmas posts and also in my Insta and Facebook review page. Their are loads and loads of Festive foods out there, so this is just a sample of what i tried. Hope you have enjoyed looking through them, and maybe this Xmas you might see some of these and want to give them a try if they are back!

Adam x