The Waitrose Christmas food we’re already adding to our wish list

Following hot on the heels of M&S, Morrisons and Tesco’s Christmas launches, Waitrose has now unveiled more than 380 new festive products for 2026, and if you’re planning to host this year, I think there’s plenty here to get excited about.

The range aims to reflect the way we’re eating now: creating restaurant-style experiences at home, exploring vibrant international flavours and giving nostalgic classics a premium makeover. Waitrose claims that almost two-thirds of UK adults have been dining out less recently, so the pressure is on supermarkets to make home entertaining feel extra special. With some items already in store this week, I’m certainly making a beeline for the Christmas aisle.

These are my standout picks from the new festive range…

Party food with a global twist

The first things to catch my eye are the charming Waitrose No.1 handmade polar bear bao buns (£8.50), which combine playful presentation with the ever popular fluffy, Asian-inspired buns, encasing a filling of shredded vegetables and sticky hoisin sauce. They’re joined by seafood specials such as smoky garlic & chilli king prawn bites (£6), inspired by Spanish gambas pil pil, and luxurious French-style lobster & prawn vol au vents (£8, wild lobster is sourced from Cornwall).

For an indulgent twist on a brunch classic, the ham & cheese croissant snacks (£8.50) are filled with a rich and creamy cheese béchamel, providing a crowd-pleasing addition to the buffet. Alternatively they would make a fitting Christmas day breakfast choice.

We know that grazing boards and sharing platters are always a great way to entertain over Christmas, letting everyone get stuck in. Waitrose has taken this into consideration with their eye-catching ‘create your own grazing garland’. Also, given flavoured dips have been a massive trend this year, I’m not surprised to see the appearance of a suitably rich and comforting creamy carbonara-flavoured one in this range, in fact I’d happily dig into this alone.

For aperitivo hour, spicy marg olives and negroni inspired olives (both £4) bring cocktail flavours to the snack table, with lime, chilli and tequila in one and orange, gin and Campari-style notes in the other. I’d serve these with a festive aperitivo spritz and call it a very easy start to the evening. I’ve recently spotted dirty martini style olives in the Tesco Christmas range so it looks like this is set to be a bit of a festive entertaining trend.

Mains fit for a festive banquet

Sometimes, it’s best to do a simple classic well and Waitrose is playing by this mantra by sticking with the traditional turkey crown, but giving it it a luxurious treatment. The No.1 slow cooked double butter basted free range turkey crown (£70) is designed to stay tender and comes with a flavourful pork, sage and onion stuffing.

If you fancy moving away from turkey, there’s a British wing rib of beef (£32), a stunning salmon en papillote with dill & orange butter (£18) and a free range whole goose, which at £100, is really pushing out the boat! Vegetarians are well catered for, too, with a mushroom, Malbec & port wellington that sounds like it could hold its own at the centre of the table.

Sides with sparkle

I consider trimmings often to be the best part of Christmas dinner, and Waitrose has given its side dishes plenty of personality this year. Looking at the veg selection, the No.1 Chantenay carrots & baby parsnips with maple & orange glaze (£7.50) sound like an effortless way to add colour and sweetness, while the Ultimate cauliflower cheese (£7.50) features a hefty four cheeses and the Ultimate red cabbage (£7.50) is enriched with orange juice and port, both offering richer upgrades on two festive essentials.

If you’re looking for a conversation starter around the table, the No.1 sausage roll yule log (£25) is sure to do so – this herb-infused savoury showstopper is enveloped in a crisp pastry lattice and perfect for either a side or buffet centrepiece. Meanwhile, pork & apricot stuffing balls (£4.95) deliver succulent textures to complement any meat.

Waitrose is not one to miss out on a trend this year – flavoured butters have been everywhere and I think their sage & onion blended butter (£2.50) would be an easy way to give roast vegetables a flavour upgrade or to baste the turkey.

Desserts to dazzle

When it comes to the festive dessert selection at Waitrose, I’m pleased to see a lot of fruity flavours providing a welcome balance to the richness of all the previous courses.

The No.1 frosted raspberry snowflake (£22) certainly brings the wow factor and is perhaps one of the most elegant supermarket desserts I’ve spotted so far. It features an indulgent white chocolate, mascarpone and Madagascan vanilla mousse with a zingy raspberry compôte at the centre. Similarly, the No.1 jewelled winter berry panna cotta and mandarin crown cheesecake (both £14) also feature bursts of fruity flavour to offset their more creamy elements.

For something more playful, Waitrose’s Polly the Polar Bear cheesecake (£14) is sure to delight both kids and adults alike (not to mention chocoholics!). This baked Belgian chocolate cheesecake features a dusting of sweet ‘snow’ in the shape of a friendly bear with a statement golden nose.

Finally, as you may have noticed, pistachio has been an unstoppable flavour force this year and Waitrose is also leaning into this trend with its pistachio & sour cherry panettone (£20) and pistachio & sour cherry frangipane mince pies (£4). This sounds like a well crafted balance of nutty flavours with sharp fruit which I think should bring a welcome contrast to the usual rich Christmas bakes.

If by some miracle you have any room left, Waitrose has a selection of cheeseboards to round off the celebrations. These include a limited-edition No.1 comté reserve AOP, creamy No.1 double cream brie and super indulgent No.1 vintage red leicester with ham hock and maple bake. These sound like the perfect snack for hunkering down to a festive film session or accompanying with a glass of bubbly.

When does the new range launch?

The first products arrive on 15 September, including mains, desserts and entertaining lines. Bakery follows on 21 September, with starters launching on 25 November.

Party food lands on 11 November and will be available on a 3 for 2 offer, while Christmas Food to Go arrives on 4 November. Sides follow on 2 December, with the final products (including the frosted raspberry snowflake dessert) arriving on 21 December.

With premium classics, global flavours and plenty of easy wins for hosts, I’m sure Waitrose is going to be a popular choice for those seeking restaurant-quality flavours to impress guests for minimal effort. Yes, they are more on the more pricey side than other supermarkets but I reckon it’s worth the splurge for a few special selected items that catch your eye.

Check out our main Christmas recipe collection for over 250 festive food ideas and also discover our Christmas menus for plenty of entertaining inspiration.