The countdown to Christmas has begun as shoppers gear up for the biggest Christmas ever! Home of the hottest Christmas gifts, M&S Food have announced THE Christmas must-haves this year, which launched in store last week. So sharpen those elbows and get to your nearest store for NEW light-up snow globe liqueurs – yup, last year’s sell-out superstar gift gets even sparklier and more stylish – AND the FIRST EVER light-up chocolate box. And it’s clear that the public are ready to start the celebrations early this year. Last week alone, there were 500,000 searches for Christmas on the M&S website and already M&S has sold nearly 1,000 frozen turkeys as shoppers start prepping for the festive season. So what will customers be going WILD for this year... drumroll... The M&S Food Christmas gifts MUST-HAVES are in: IT’S BE-GIN-ING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS…
Light-Up Snow Globe Gin Liqueurs
70cl - £20
Introducing this year’s hotly anticipated, MUST HAVE Christmas showstopper – the M&S Light-Up Snow Globe Liqueurs! Their sell-out Snow Globe Liqueurs are back with two INCREDIBLE new flavours, brand new bottle designs, and silver leaf for the very first time! And now available is the NEW Spiced Sugar Plum Gin Liqueur complete with shimmery edible silver snowflakes; last year’s SELL-OUT favourite, the Clementine Gin Liqueur; and for the FIRST TIME, Rum joins the line up with NEW Madagascan Vanilla Spiced Rum Liqueur. With gorgeous light-up bottles inspired by The Nutcracker ballet, these truly are the star of the show!
Let It Glow, Let It Glow, Let It Glow
Collection Magic & Sparkle Light-Up Chocolate Box, 345g - £20 Light-up snow globe liqueurs aren’t our only glittering news! Say hello to the UTTERLY gorgeous Collection Magic & Sparkle Chocolates – the FIRST EVER light-up chocolate box and the perfect way to ensure everyone’s Christmases are lit this year. Lift the lid on these delicious mini snow-dusted milk, dark, white and golden blond chocolate houses and watch the stars inside the box twinkle in a dazzling festive scene. It’s so pretty M&S guarantee you’ll be opening and closing it on repeat (any excuse to enjoy the next chocolate!)
And if their light-up liqueurs and chocolates weren’t enough, feast your eyes on our SUPER festive Shortbread Light-Up Houses!
Shortbread Light-Up Houses
230g - £5 each
These totally terrific tins come in three colours and are filled with M&S signature all-butter Scottish shortbread, making them the perfect gifts for just a fiver each! And when the shortbread is all gone, they make ideal ornaments for the mantelpiece or dining table. Collect all three and create your own mini light-up village! And what goes best with shortbread… a decent cuppa of course! Look out for M&S stunning Luxury Tea Light-up Houses too.
SHAKE UP YOUR DRINKS MENU THIS CHRISTMAS
Presenting: ‘The Marksologist’
The Marksologist Bottles
50cl - £18
Festive happy hour just stepped up a gear with ‘The Marksologist’: a collection of six premium, ready-to-drink cocktails created to the highest standard and designed to replicate the experience of a 5-star cocktail bar in your own home. M&S' expert mixologists have done ALL the hard work so you don’t have to, ensuring that even if a garnish is missing, the cocktails are mixed to perfection.
The flavours in the cocktails are perfectly balanced, meaning you can serve great tasting drinks every time, no cocktail knowledge or experience required! With classic favourites including Margarita, Negroni and Espresso Martini, there’s a Marksologist cocktail for everyone. Look out in store for other delicious cocktail favourites in the range too, including Clover Club, Golden Negroni, and Aged Rum & Cacao Old Fashioned (all 50cl / £18).
I’M DREAMING OF A WHITE GOLDEN BLOND CHRISTMAS…
Say hello to your new chocolate obsession: golden blond! A recent addition to the chocolate family, golden blond chocolate is THE flavour this Christmas and is made by slowly caramelising white chocolate over several hours.
It runs through many of M&S' festive sweet treats this year, from their delicious Collection Golden Blond Chocolate Florentines and moreish Collection Golden Blond Chocolate & Nut Selection, to their utterly indulgent Triple Chocolate Panettone. M&S are also launching a beautifully smooth Golden Blond Chocolate Cream Liqueur (70cl | £12), cheers to that!
CHOC-ING AROUND… THE CHRISTMAS TREE… Add some Magical Mushrooms to the festivities
Collection Magical Mushrooms
100g - £5
Chocolate fans rejoice! Who wouldn’t want to receive a stunning box of Magical Mushrooms at Christmas ;-) These beautiful hand-decorated Belgian milk and golden blond chocolates are filled with a rich Piedmont hazelnut praline centre. Incredibly delicious and totally stunning! Christmas pudding flavour truffles – yes please!
Collection Christmas Pudding Truffles, 125g – £6
All the wonderfully rich flavours of a traditional Christmas pud are, for the first time ever, available in a mouth-watering chocolate truffle. Each bite brings all the wonderful layers of flavour you’d find in a Christmas pudding – fruity, warming and (most importantly) a little boozy.
Is this not the prettiest biscuit tin you’ve ever seen?!
Collection Belgian Chocolate Luxury Biscuits, 380g, £8
This stunning tin is filled with beautiful biscuits with hazelnut praline and salted caramel, smothered with indulgent Belgian chocolate. Better still, the tin can be kept and reused for gifts or as a stylish ornament.
A word from the creator of the ranges:
April Preston, Director of Product Development, said: “I can’t wait for customers to see the ULTIMATE collection of gifts we’ve created this year, bursting with that signature M&S magic you know and love! Our iconic light-up snow globe liqueurs have been given a new look and we have introduced a gorgeous spiced sugar plum flavour, along with our first ever rum liqueur – a must try!
“And it’s not just the globes that will be illuminated this year, with the world’s first light-up chocolate boxes as well as shortbread and tea tins that shine brightly. The chocolate everyone is talking about, golden blond, can be found in many of our sweet treats including our Magical Mushrooms – I’ll leave you to discover those! And how could we forget ‘The Marksologist’: our new range of premium pre-mixed cocktails that Tom Cruise would be proud of. There’s so MUCH more to come throughout the season, so keep your eyes peeled!”
Slán go fóill,
Danny