One of the highlights of the festive season is the amount of indulgent food that hits the shelves - and our stomachs.
It's the perfect time of year to go all out in the kitchen for Christmas Dinner and if you are looking for an inspired dinner, then M&S have you covered.
Marks and Spencer has now opened its Christmas food collection slots so shoppers can sort their shopping meal ahead of December 25.
Offering "all you need for your perfect festive feast", M&S shoppers will pay a deposit in order to secure their order, which can then be collected in store between December 22 and 24.
As this year looks set to be a big one for family gatherings, M&S officially launched its much-awaited Christmas Food To Order Service today - the earliest it has ever started.
The retailer is well known for its mouth-watering food and it has once again outdone itself with its show-stopping Christmas food range for 2021.
Marks & Spencer's new range which includes everything from utterly indulgent Molten Cheddar Profiteroles and Posh Cheesy Beans On Toast , to a vegan Plant Kitchen Melt in the Middle Chocolate Pudding and a stunning Percy Pig Pigloo cake.
If that wasn't enough to get your tastebuds tingling, the new festive range also includes the Perfect Turkey Joint (following last year's HUGELY popular Perfect Turkey Crown) and an impressive Carving Smoked Salmon that has been expertly cured to absolute perfection.
It also includes a Turkey & Ham Christmas Pudding Pie: a savoury pastry pie decorated to look just like a Christmas Pudding – super cute!
So, take a seat and have a look below at some of the top picks of festive must-haves and centre pieces that will get your mouth watering.
Collection The Perfect Turkey Joint, (serves 8-10) - £45
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 18th Dec
10 Molten Cheddar Cheese Profiteroles, 250g - £5
In-store from 20th Oct.
10 Posh Cheesy Beans On Toast, 240g - £5
In-store from 17th Nov.
Collection Carving Smoked Salmon, 788g (serves 12) - £40
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 18th Dec.
Decorate Your Own Cheesy Pastry Christmas Tree, 415g - £8
In-store from 15th Nov.
Percy Pig Pigloo, 760g - £15
In-store from 30th Nov.
Collection Turkey & Ham Christmas Pudding Pie, 1.19kg (serves 6) - £20
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 15th Dec.
Collection Lobster En Croûte, 855g (serves 4) - £50
Exclusively available online now.
Collection Brussels Sprout Gratin, 750g (serves 4-6) - £8
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 20th Dec.
Plant Kitchen Vegan Beef Wellington, 740g (serves 4) - £15
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 18th Dec.
Plant Kitchen Melt in the Middle Chocolate Pudding, 500g (serves 6) - £10
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 18th Dec.
Collection Sticky Toffee Pudding Crown, 1.4kg (serves 12) - £20
Available to pre-order online now – also in-store from 18th Dec.
If the food range seems the perfect addition to your Christmas dinner table this year, then you may want to be quick.
With less than 90 days to go until the big day, shoppers have already began to dash to the shops for their festive picks this year.
The retailer has seen a huge surge in sales of their current Christmas stock, as it sold 90,000 of their famous light-up snow globe liqueurs last week alone, as well as 7,000 turkeys this season!
M&S research shows that 68% of people are looking forward to a big family Christmas, as it was not possible for many last year due to the Cornavirus pandemic.
A further 39% are planning to pull out all the stops this year to make up for the previous.
As this year looks set to be a big one for family gatherings, the kind folk over at M&S will officially launch its much-awaited Christmas Food To Order Service today, the earliest it has ever launched.
It features a wide new range show stopping pieces that for trimmings, starters and desserts that will wow everyone at your table this year.
April Preston, Director of Product Development, said: "If there was ever a year to pull out all the stops for Christmas, it’s this one!
" After the uncertainty of last year, we know customers are keener than ever to get their Christmas dinner planning crossed off the list so they can enjoy the rest of the festive season.
"That’s why we’ve made it easier than ever to order your M&S must-haves online from today, and then simply pick them up and pay for them a few days before the 25 th December for maximum convenience.
"That’s less time running around the shops and more time to put your feet up and enjoy a glass of one of our Snow Globe Liqueurs!
"We’ve really outdone ourselves this year when it comes to showstopper starters, centrepieces, trimmings and desserts, focusing on substance over style so you know every bite is going to be an absolute flavour sensation.
"From our decadent Lobster En Croûte to beautifully tender Plant Kitchen Vegan Beef Wellington, every household with an M&S Christmas spread this year is guaranteed to be the family’s favourite!”
Browse the full range of Christmas Food To Order, including a number of online exclusives, and reserve your essentials for the big day here.
To build your dream Christmas menu from M&S's latest show stopping collection is simply book a collection slot, choose your favourites from the collection to make the perfect festive meal, pop down your deposit, and then collect in store between 22-24 December - Perfectly in time for your festive celebrations.
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