The most divisive Christmas food gimmicks, from lickable wrapping paper to sweet mayonnaise
Whenever the festive season rolls around, a plethora of Christmas-themed food products are set loose into the world - and some are more questionable than others.
You have the classic dishes, such as Christmas puddings, turkey crowns, mince pies and more. But some brands like to flex their creativity during the holidays; with results that may delight, divide or confuse us.
We take a look at some of the most - ahem - creative Christmas food products of 2024, along with a few honourable mentions over the years.
KFC Lickable Wrapping Paper
This year, KFC launched a "lickable wrapping paper". Yes, you read that right - the fast food giant released its limited edition wrapping paper in November to celebrate the return of the Stuffing Stacker Burger, one of its popular festive menu items.
The wrapping paper apparently smells and tastes just like the burger, with hints of cranberry sauce and aromatic sage designed to hit you as you unwrap your Christmas presents.
Aldi Pigs in Blankets Restaurant
Aldi first launched its bottomless pigs in blankets restaurant pop-up in 2023, and it was such a huge hit that the supermarket has brought it back this year for just two days in November
Fans can partake in Aldi’s biggest pigs in blankets range, including a Vegan Footlong Pig in Blanket, as well as a ‘Pig in Blanket Roulette’. The pop-up welcomed hundreds of visitors last year and dishes out over 10,000 pigs in blankets.
Elsewhere on Aldi’s shelves…
Aldi Chreaster Egg
Chocolate becomes particularly popular during Christmas and Easter, so Aldi decided to combine the two by launching “an Easter egg for Christmas”. The combination has been crowned a “Chreaster Egg”, leaving shoppers scratching their heads over whether they love it or hate it.
The hollow eggs are available as characters named Garry the Gingerbread Man and Parker the Penguin. One must wonder whether such a Franken-choc is necessary, but at Christmas, it seems that almost anything goes.
IKEA Turkey-Sized Meatball
Also returning for a second year is IKEA’s monstrous turkey-sized meatball. This year, the furniture retailer has also launched a plant-based version which is cabbage-sized and named a “plantball”.
The meat version weighs an immense 6kg and can feed up to 24 people, whilst the “plantball” weighs 3kg and can feed 12 people. But you have to be a lucky customer to have gotten your hands on one of these limited edition behemoths, as IKEA launched a social competition and “meatball mazes” in-store to give customers a chance of winning one.
Heinz Terry’s Chocolate Orange Mayonnaise
In 2021, Heinz caused quite a stir when it launched its controversial product in collaboration with Terry’s Chocolate Orange. The collaboration resulted in - you guessed it - a limited edition Heinz Terry’s Chocolate Orange mayonnaise.
The product was created using mayonnaise, melted chocolate orange segments, crème patissière and orange oil. While the company claimed it was a “smooth and delicious spread” that could be slathered onto toast, brioche, crumpets and pancakes, customers were left reeling by the unimaginable combination.
Sauce Shop Brussels Sprouts Ketchup
Brussels sprouts are divisive enough on their own, but put them in condiment form and it’s a recipe for virality.
Sauce Shop first launched its Brussels Sprout Ketchup in 2019. Even the makers wondered if the product was “too silly” and described it as having a “questionable green colour”. But while some customers may have turned their nose up at it, the Brussels Sprout Ketchup sold out three times when it went on pre-sale - and now the company makes a batch of the stuff every Christmas.
Brindisa Chocolate Sardines
Chocolates that look like sardines, or sardines that look like chocolates? Thankfully for us, it’s the former (as we can’t imagine actual sardine chocolates would go down very well…”
Spanish food retailer Brindisa, which is one of the UK’s best-known importers of high quality Spanish foods, sells the chocolates that are shaped like sardines and wrapped in shiny foil that makes them look like the oily fish too.
Read more about Christmas:
Five ways to turn your Brussels sprouts into showstoppers this Christmas (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
From the turkey on the table to the Baileys in your glass - the cost of Christmas dinner (Sky News, 3-min read)
Gen Z shun traditional Christmas food in favour of ‘Insta-worthy’ loaded fries (The Independent, 2-min read)
