We're looking forward to an Extra Special Christmas this year

We’re already pulling out all the stops to make this Christmas Extra Special – with an exciting new range developed in partnership with Leiths School of Food and Wine and our local suppliers and farmers.

An article in today’s Yorkshire Post highlights some of the new products from Yorkshire producers that will hit the shelves in the run up to the festive period.

Among the treats in our Extra Special selection this year will be a new range of venison cuts from North Yorkshire, beef rib from York and delicious Chantenay carrots grown near Selby.

Our Christmas Extra Special range has been developed in partnership with Leiths School of Food and Wine, demonstrating our belief that great quality food should be available to all. It comes as our latest Mumdex research revealed that nearly half of mums are more worried about the cost of Christmas this year compared to last.

The festive meat range was unveiled at our recent Christmas show in London, where our meat trader Jim Viggars (pictured) showcased what’s on offer this year.

One of our key products this year will be our Extra Special Venison Rack with Cranberry and Port Butter (pictured above). The French-cut eight rib rack is both low in fat and a great source of Omega 3. Easy to prepare and ready in just 40 minutes, it’s a great idea for a festive dinner party.

Our venison is produced by Nigel Sampson, of Holme Farm Venison in North Yorkshire. He has worked in venison farming for nearly 20 years and has been working with us for 10 of those.

His meat was originally only available in 30 stores but this Christmas will be available in over 300.

Nigel told the Yorkshire Post: “People appreciate the health qualities of venison. They like the fact it’s less than 2% fat and it’s completely free range. This year we’ve seen an incredible uplift in sales and we’re bringing out six new products for Christmas.”

Our tender Extra Special 21-Day Dry Aged Rib Beef is another dinner party lifesaver – going straight in the oven and creating a minimum of washing up! It’s produced by Tom and Mike Powley who farm 300 acres near York.

Of course Christmas isn’t all about meat. Our Extra Special Chantenay carrots – a variety favoured by top chefs – are grown by Guy Poskitt near Selby, who has been working with us for 17 years.