The finest desserts and drinks for the ultimate indulgence this Christmas

‘Even the most disciplined of us will indulge over the Christmas period and Tesco has something for every indulgence,” says Barra McFeely, buying manager for Tesco Ireland.

’Tis the season to be jolly after all and also the season to indulge a little bit – or a lot. Tesco, as always, has plenty in the line of indulgences, with sweet treats a plenty to sample this Yuletide. The Tesco Finest range also has some new and exciting flavours in its array of sweet treats, making for a fabulously festive Christmas in 2021.

Whether it’s tasty tipples or tempting desserts, Tesco customers seeking a little bit of what they fancy will be spoiled for choice this year. A new flavour for Tesco is “speculoos”, which traditionally refers to the spiced gingerbread shortcrust cookies made and eaten on Christmas Day in Belgium. Tesco has now incorporated this gorgeous seasonal flavour of ginger and cinnamon into a number of desserts, such as the Tesco finest 4 All Butter Pastry Speculoos Tarts.

“These are all-butter pastry with a rich speculoos-spiced filling, layered with spiced sponge and topped with a swirl of speculoos-spiced buttercream for a sweet and subtle warmth,” McFeely says.

Another seasonal flavour is maple and orange, which can be found in the Tesco Finest Florentines Maple and Orange. These nutty biscuits are “absolutely delicious”, says McFeely.

“They are lovely to have in the house for visitors. They’d also be ideally suited for putting on the dining table on Christmas Day because they are very impressive to look at and they are a lovely indulgence. They would also pair well with other desserts, ice-cream for example.”

But of course, this time of year is all about tradition, and Tesco’s beloved version of a classic will be back in store in time for Christmas – its Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log being a particularly decadent example of the festive favourite. There will also be a wide selection of local Irish-branded chilled cakes available in Tesco stores in the run-up to Christmas.

For many, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without mince pies and the good news is that Tesco has two different types in its Free From range. “We are bringing delicious gluten-free mince pies to the Christmas table and people can choose from iced-topped mince pies or deep-filled mince pies in this range,” McFeely says.

To accompany these, or any of the other mince pies in store, Tesco has a particularly strong range of seasonal creams this year, such as its Finest Brandy Extra Thick Cream and Baileys Extra Thick Cream, as well as brandy butter and its brandy sauce. “We have one of the widest ranges in the market, both in our Tesco range and the Finest range,” McFeely explains. “Our Irish-produced whipped cream is a big favourite and is produced in Clonakilty down in west Cork.”

Of course, indulgence isn’t simply confined to a few hours on Christmas Day and Christmas seems to start earlier and last longer every year. Tesco makes entertaining at home a cinch over the festive season. Try offering guests a touch of luxury with the Finest Salted Caramel Cream Liqueur Alcohol, winner of a silver award at 2021 Blas na h’Éireann. This is the perfect after-dinner drink, in lieu of – or in addition to – dessert, says McFeely.

If salted caramel is your thing, then the Finest Salted Caramel Truffles, another silver winner at Blas na hÉireann, will also make your taste buds tingle, he adds.

Those in search of a lighter digestif could pair their tipple of choice with Tesco Low-Calorie Tonic with Elderflower. Produced in Tipperary, this was the winner of a coveted Gold award at Blas, perfectly illustrating that reducing the calories does not necessarily compromise the taste. For those who prefer their drinks neat, McFeely recommends Tesco Finest whiskey, a 12-year-old blended whiskey produced by West Cork Distillers in Skibbereen.

Those seeking indulgence this Christmas will find pure luxury in the Tesco Finest range, McFeely says. “Putting the Finest label on a product means they really have to have a point of difference. You can trust it wholeheartedly and you are assured it is going to be the best you can find anywhere.”

Discover more tasty Christmas treats in store or on tesco.ie