M&S, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s are taking Christmas food orders now, Tesco’s order deadline is 14 December, and Lidl has yet to show its hand. Here is what each supermarket has announced for Christmas 2026, when it reaches the shops, and the dates to put in the diary.
In short
- Food to order open now: M&S (since 22 September), Waitrose (last orders 15 December) and Sainsbury’s (reserve by 16 December). M&S hasn’t given a last order date.
- Tesco: Festive Food to Order checkout closes at 11.45pm on 14 December; Tesco hasn’t said when ordering opens. Its delivery slots open on 3 November (Delivery Saver) and 5 November (everyone else).
- Most new products announced: Waitrose, with more than 380, then Sainsbury’s (330+), Morrisons (290) and Tesco (200+). Asda hasn’t given a figure for new lines; its range runs to more than 500 products.
- Still to come: Lidl’s range, due in October.
The 2026 ranges at a glance
| Supermarket | Announced | New products | In store | Food to order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M&S | Guide out now | — | Since early Sept (reported) | Open; collect 22–24 Dec |
| Waitrose | 16 Sept | 380+ new | From 15 Sept, in stages | Open; last orders 15 Dec |
| Tesco | Sept (undated) | 200+ new; 600+ in all | From Sept | Last orders 14 Dec |
| Sainsbury’s | 17 Sept | 330+ new | — | Open; reserve by 16 Dec |
| Asda | 10 Sept | 500+ in all | From Sept | — |
| Morrisons | 9 Sept | 290 new; ~700 in all | — | — |
| Aldi | 21 Sept (turkey) | — | Slow-cooked turkey 4 Dec; fresh turkeys 19 Dec | — |
| Iceland | Reported 17 Sept | — | Dinner boxes 6 Nov (reported) | — |
| Lidl | Not yet | — | “Back in October” | — |
A dash means the retailer hasn’t said yet. We don’t fill gaps with last year’s dates.
Food to order: what it is, and why the date matters
Food to order is each supermarket’s Christmas pre-order counter. You reserve the turkey, the beef, the party food or the pudding weeks ahead, pay a deposit or meet a minimum spend, and collect it (or, at Tesco, have it delivered) in the last few days before Christmas. It books separately from an ordinary grocery delivery slot, which runs to its own timetable: see our Christmas delivery slots 2026 guide.
The deadlines fall on three consecutive days: Tesco on 14 December, Waitrose on the 15th, Sainsbury’s on the 16th (M&S hasn’t set one). Collection is confined to 22 to 24 December at M&S and Sainsbury’s, and 20 to 24 December at Tesco, so choose your day when you book.
What it takes to book differs too: a £20 deposit at Sainsbury’s, a £40 minimum spend at Waitrose, and a £50 minimum spend at M&S, paid as a deposit when you book.
M&S Christmas food 2026
M&S Christmas Food to Order has been open since 22 September, and its headline this year is a set of dishes by Tom Kerridge. The Food to Order menu runs from party food and turkeys through vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes to desserts, cheese and wine.
In storeIn the Foodhalls since early September (reported by SquareMeal); for delivery, through Ocado (see delivery slots)
Food to orderOpen since 22 September. £50 minimum spend, paid as a deposit when you book; collect from your store on 22, 23 or 24 December. No last order date published yet.
From the printed M&S Christmas guide
M&S’s printed guide for 2026, Christmas at M&S, is in the Foodhalls now, covering Food to Order, the in-store range and gifts. Its Food to Order pages give Kerridge five dishes for the M&S Collection range:
- Collection Fillet of British Beef Wellington with a Rich Beef & Red Wine Gravy by Tom, made with 10-day-matured British beef fillet (serves 6)
- Collection Monkfish, Caledonian Gold Scottish Salmon & Lobster Wellington by Tom (serves 6)
- Collection British Slow Cooked Venison & Portobello Mushroom Pie by Tom, new this year and marked “limited availability, order now” (serves 6)
- Collection Wild Smoked Salmon & Smoked Trout Pâté by Tom, new this year (serves 10)
- Collection British Duck Liver Parfait by Tom (serves 10)
Each carries a guaranteed use-by date, printed in the guide: Christmas Day for the beef Wellington; Boxing Day for the seafood Wellington, venison pie and pâté; and 4 January for the parfait, which makes it the one to hold back for New Year. The guide also trails Tom Kerridge’s festive dessert, a new Black Forest Gateau.
The guide’s “Betwixmas” party-food pages (Betwixmas being the stretch between Christmas and New Year) flag three new in-store lines: 10 Jewelled Vegetable Samosas and 10 Chicken Kyiv Vol au Vents (both in store from 11 November), and 9 Pork & Cranberry Sausage Rolls. Alongside them are 12 Brie & Cranberry Tartlets (from 14 October), 8 Turkey Feast Toasties, 10 Mini Vegetable Tacos, 10 Mini Beef en Croute and a Festive Pâté Selection (from 2 December).
Waitrose Christmas food 2026
Waitrose announced more than 380 new products on 16 September, which it groups under global flavours and retro classics. The new lines it singles out include:
- No.1 Slow Cooked Double Butter Basted Free Range Turkey Crown (from 8 December)
- No.1 Pistachio & Sour Cherry Panettone and No.1 Pistachio & Sour Cherry Frangipane Mince Pies (both from 1 November)
- No.1 Handmade Polar Bear Bao Buns and No.1 Smoky Garlic & Chilli King Prawn Bites (from 11 November)
- No.1 French Baking Brie with Cranberry & Port Glaze (from 21 October)
- No.1 Frosted Raspberry Snowflake (from 21 December)
- Hot Chocolate Bombe with Marshmallows and No.1 Chocolate Salted Caramel Christmas Tree (both on sale since 22 September)
From the printed Waitrose guide
Waitrose’s printed guide, The Food Lovers’ Christmas, promises “over 250 festive picks”, along with menu cards and a wine list. Its main-course pages add detail the announcement didn’t.
Turkeys. Waitrose’s slow-cooked in-store turkeys, all British and free range, arrive in store and online on 8 December; they include a British Free Range Turkey Breast Joint with Sage & Onion Stuffing and a British Free Range Turkey Breast with Gravy (both serve 6). Separately, the turkey joints include the No.1 British Free Range Turkey Bauble, back by popular demand (serves 4), and the No.1 British Free Range Stuffed Turkey Breast Joint (serves 6). The British Free Range Butter Basted Turkey Joint with Smoked Bacon now also comes in a 1kg size, to serve 4.
Beef. The new No.1 Slow Cooked Perfectly Pink British Wing Rib of Beef (serves 6) is marked as a buyer’s choice and is also in store from 18 December. It sits alongside the No.1 British 30 Day Dry Aged Beef Wing Rib (serves 8 to 10) and a British Native Breed Beef Fillet (serves 10 to 12), which is available all year with six days’ notice. The guide says beef ordered online can be delivered or collected on 20 to 24 December.
Party food. The in-store party range arrives on 11 November. New lines include No.1 8 Ham & Cheese Croissant Stacks, a No.1 Woodfired Tartiflette Sourdough Pizza (from 18 November), No.1 8 Handmade Polar Bear Bao Buns, No.1 8 Smoky Garlic & Chilli Prawn Bites and a Cheesy Tomato Salsa Hot Melting Dip. Alongside them are No.1 8 Lobster & Prawn Vol Au Vents and a No.1 Three Bird Rillette (from 2 December). Julia Newland, a Waitrose buyer, points out that the whole range cooks at the same oven temperature, so it’s easy to mix and match.
In storeIn stages: mains, desserts and entertaining from 15 September, the day before the announcement; bakery 21 September; Christmas food to go 4 November; party food 11 November, on a 3-for-2 offer; starters 25 November; sides 2 December. In-store turkeys from 8 December
Food to orderOpen through Waitrose Entertaining. £40 minimum spend; last orders 15 December for Christmas and 21 December for New Year.
Tesco Christmas food 2026
Tesco has more than 200 new Christmas products this year, among more than 600 festive lines, and they have been arriving in stores since September. Most of the new lines it names are in the Finest range:
- Finest Sweet Potato Tikka Baonuts (bao-style doughnut bites) and Finest Pan-Fried Tri Coloured Prawn Gyoza with Ponzu Dip
- Finest Nduja Pigs in Blanket with Hot Honey sauce
- Finest Slow Cooked King Arthur Beef Joint, in a red wine bourguignon sauce
- Finest Maple Roasted Winter Vegetable Wellington
- Finest Amaretto Mince Pies and Finest Amaretto Panettone
- Finest Black Forest Highwall Cheesecake and Finest Four Belgian White Chocolate Trees
- Tesco Hot Chocolate Bombes with Marshmallows
In storeFrom September
Food to orderCheckout closes at 11.45pm on 14 December; delivered or ready to collect between 20 and 24 December (Tesco’s Christmas pages). Opening date not yet announced.
Delivery slots3 November for Delivery Saver customers, 5 November for everyone else
Sainsbury’s Christmas food 2026
Sainsbury’s announced more than 330 new festive food and drink products on 17 September, including more than 60 dishes and drinks in its premium Taste the Difference Discovery range. Four of the six new dishes it names are seafood:
- Discovery Hebridean Salmon & Lobster Wellington (food to order)
- Discovery Lobster & Black Tiger Prawn Sharing Cocktail (food to order)
- Garlic & Mature Cheddar Camembert Wreath (food to order)
- Ready-to-Cook Lobster Tails with Garlic Butter
- Hebridean Salmon & Scottish Langoustine En Croûtes
- Mushroom, Gruyère & Chestnut Filo Cups
Food to orderOpen now at Sainsbury’s Food to Order. Reserve with a £20 deposit by 16 December; collect on 22, 23 or 24 December.
Asda Christmas food 2026
Asda’s range runs to more than 500 Christmas products, announced on 10 September. It describes the approach as “celebrating the classics, elevated”, and the headline lines sit in its premium Exceptional range:
- Exceptional Lobster Tails with Thermidor Butter
- Exceptional Steak & Ale Pie with Bone Marrow Jus, made with beef slow-cooked for eight hours
- Exceptional Beef Rib (30-day matured British Aberdeen Angus) and Exceptional Five Bone Pork Rib Rack
- Exceptional Wagyu Pigs in Blankets and Exceptional Marry Me Chicken Vol-au-Vents
- Exceptional Mince Pie with Irish Cream
- Exceptional Chocolate & Caramel Panettone and Exceptional Mirror Glaze Cheesecake
In storeIn stores and online from September
Food to orderAsda hasn’t said
Morrisons Christmas food 2026
Morrisons announced nearly 700 festive products on 9 September, including 290 new own-brand lines across The Best, The Best Signature and Market Street. Its Market Street lines come from in-store butchers, bakers and fishmongers. Among the new lines:
- Fish & Chip Baskets, a festive party-food take on the takeaway
- The Best Signature Collection British Slate Cheeseboard, on a reusable slate
- The Best Heritage Breed 21 Day Matured 2 Bone Beef Wing Rib of Beef with Bone Marrow & Fresh Herb Basting Brush
- The Best Chestnut, Apple & Thyme Giant Pig in Blanket (stuffing wrapped in smoked streaky bacon)
- The Best Limoncello & Clementine Christmas Pudding
- The Best Sticky Toffee Pudding Trifle and The Best Triple Chocolate Snowman Dessert
Morrisons’ butchers also make Market Street XL Long Chipolata Pigs in Blankets in store, and there’s a Free From selection of starters, mains and desserts.
Food to orderMorrisons hasn’t said
Aldi Christmas food 2026
Aldi announced its turkey and trimmings on 21 September. All its turkeys are British, from the Specially Selected Hand Finished Whole Turkey, dry-hung for at least ten days, to the slow-cooked joint and crown. New this year are the Specially Selected British Roly Poly Glazed Turkey Crown, glazed and stuffed with pork, cranberry and orange marmalade, and Specially Selected Stuffing Portions in a maple and chestnut flavour. Back again are the Specially Selected Ultimate Wagyu Fat Roast Potatoes and the Loaded Yorkshires.
In storeSlow-cooked turkey joint and crown from 4 December; fresh turkeys from 19 December; trimmings through November and December
Food to orderAldi hasn’t said
Iceland Christmas food 2026
Iceland’s range has been reported rather than announced on its own site: Good Housekeeping and the Manchester Evening News covered it on 17 September. The headline is Iceland’s all-in-one Christmas dinner box, back with new versions for 2026. Keep an eye on its Christmas shop for the full list.
In storeTurkey and beef dinner boxes from 6 November, chicken and gammon from 24 November (reported)
Lidl Christmas food 2026
Not announced yet. Lidl’s own site says its Christmas food and drink will be back in October 2026. We’ll add the range here when Lidl announces it.
What the 2026 ranges have in common
Read side by side, the announcements share a few ideas.
- Lobster, in four ranges: thermidor-butter tails at Asda, garlic-butter tails at Sainsbury’s, a seafood Wellington with lobster at both Sainsbury’s and M&S, and lobster and prawn vol au vents at Waitrose.
- Mince pies and panettone in matching flavours: amaretto for both at Tesco, pistachio and sour cherry for both at Waitrose; Asda has an Irish cream mince pie and a chocolate and caramel panettone.
- Pigs in blankets, remixed: nduja and hot honey at Tesco, Wagyu at Asda, and at Morrisons a giant “pig” that is really chestnut, apple and thyme stuffing wrapped in streaky bacon.
- Black Forest, twice: Tom Kerridge’s gateau at M&S and a Black Forest Highwall Cheesecake at Tesco. Hot chocolate bombes, meanwhile, are at both Waitrose and Tesco.
A note on ingredients and allergens
These are new products, and the retailers’ announcements don’t always include full ingredient or allergen information. Read the pack or the product page before you buy, and don’t assume a new festive version matches the everyday one.
Plan the rest of Christmas food
- Christmas delivery slots 2026: when each supermarket opens booking.
- Christmas buffet ideas, for the party-food table.
- October Christmas to-do list: the month to book food to order.
- November and December Christmas to-do lists.
- How many days until Christmas? The live countdown.
Supermarket Christmas food 2026: your questions answered
What’s new in M&S Christmas food for 2026?
The printed Christmas at M&S guide leads its Food to Order pages with dishes by Tom Kerridge for the M&S Collection range, including a Fillet of British Beef Wellington, a Monkfish, Caledonian Gold Scottish Salmon & Lobster Wellington and, new this year, a British Slow Cooked Venison & Portobello Mushroom Pie. New in-store party food includes Jewelled Vegetable Samosas, Chicken Kyiv Vol au Vents and Pork & Cranberry Sausage Rolls.
When is M&S Christmas food in store?
M&S Christmas food has been in its Foodhalls since early September 2026, according to SquareMeal, and can be ordered for delivery through Ocado.
When does M&S Christmas food to order open?
It is already open. M&S Christmas Food to Order opened for 2026 on 22 September, with collection from your chosen M&S store on 22, 23 or 24 December and a £50 minimum spend, paid as a deposit when you book.
When does the Waitrose Christmas range come out?
In stages. Waitrose’s Christmas mains, desserts and entertaining ranges launched on 15 September 2026 and bakery on 21 September; Christmas food to go follows on 4 November, party food on 11 November, starters on 25 November and sides on 2 December.
What’s new in Waitrose Christmas food for 2026?
Waitrose announced more than 380 new Christmas products on 16 September. They include a No.1 Slow Cooked Double Butter Basted Free Range Turkey Crown, a new No.1 Slow Cooked Perfectly Pink British Wing Rib of Beef, No.1 Pistachio & Sour Cherry Panettone and Frangipane Mince Pies, and new party food such as Handmade Polar Bear Bao Buns, Ham & Cheese Croissant Stacks and a Woodfired Tartiflette Sourdough Pizza.
What is the last order date for Waitrose Christmas food to order?
15 December for Christmas and 21 December for New Year, according to Waitrose, with a £40 minimum spend.
Is Sainsbury’s Christmas food to order open?
Yes. Sainsbury’s says its Christmas Food to Order is open now, with a £20 deposit to reserve by 16 December and collection on 22, 23 or 24 December.
What is the last order date for Tesco Christmas food to order?
11.45pm on 14 December 2026, according to Tesco, with orders delivered or ready to collect between 20 and 24 December. Tesco had not said when ordering opens as of 26 September. Its Christmas delivery slots open on 3 November for Delivery Saver customers and 5 November for everyone else.
When is Aldi’s Christmas turkey in store?
Aldi says its fresh turkey range, including the hand-finished whole turkey, is in stores from 19 December 2026, with its slow-cooked turkey joint and crown from 4 December. Its roast trimmings arrive through November and December.
When does Lidl’s Christmas food come out?
Lidl says its Christmas food and drink will be back in October 2026. It had not announced the range when this page was last updated.
By Linda Garrould · Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 26 September 2026. Product names and dates come from each retailer’s own announcements and websites: Waitrose (16 September), Asda (10 September), Morrisons (9 September), Aldi (21 September), Tesco’s range reveal and Christmas pages, Sainsbury’s (17 September, as reported by Retail Times), M&S’s Food to Order site, and the printed guides Christmas at M&S and Waitrose’s The Food Lovers’ Christmas, both of which we photographed. M&S’s in-store timing is as reported by SquareMeal; Iceland’s details are as reported by Good Housekeeping and the Manchester Evening News, and Lidl’s from its Christmas page. Dates can change, so check with your store before you plan around one. Christmas Countdown has no commercial relationship with any of these retailers.
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