Sainsbury's advert puts a new twist on Christmas

Viewers will find themselves immersed in a medieval fairy tale, the advert depicts a young chef’s quest to reimagine and breathe new life into the traditional Christmas pudding.

Due to premiere today, Friday 4th November, the full advert can be viewed further down in this post.

The tongue-in-cheek advert, starring Alison Hammond as The Countess, features a voiceover from Stephen Fry. It forms part of Sainsbury's Christmas marketing campaign, with more following over the coming weeks.

Sainsbury's is investing a whopping £60 million in great value food and groceries via its Sainsbury’s Quality, Aldi Price Match campaign, Price Lock and Special Offers. An extra £5 million is being invested into Argos and Habitat furniture lines, which are part of the Sainsbury's group.

Over the next two years, Sainsbury’s is investing £500 million to ensure the items people buy most often are on the shelves at the best prices.

This year’s advert puts a light-hearted twist on Christmas themes and celebrates the innovation and creativity of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Christmas range. 

Centring on one of the most divisive foods, the iconic Christmas pudding, the amusing advert brings to life the imagination and ingenuity which breathed new life into the festive staple.

The story is set in an imaginary medieval world where a festive feast is being planned. A Countess, played by Alison Hammond, is in charge of choosing the food, but her distaste of Christmas pudding means it's definitely off the menu. At least until a young cook can change her mind.

The scene opens with a view of a castle surrounded by a forest and mountains. As a dragon flies across the screen, a voiceover from Stephen Fry proclaims: “In a far, far away land, a feast was being planned”.

The scene then cuts to a crowded room where a line of chefs patiently wait to present menu items for a festive feast to The Countess. An adornment of festive food is happily received, from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Crab Thermidor Crumpets to Cider Glazed Gammon.

However, when a nervy young cook offers a traditional Christmas pudding, The Countess proclaims: “I’ve never really liked Christmas pudding” and blows out the pudding’s flame. Met with gasps from onlookers, The Countess orders the cook to “Bring her something different. Or else!” 

Terrified, the young cook is back in the kitchen thinking hard about The Countess’ order. Suddenly he has an inspiration and rapidly sets hard at work.

Set to a medieval instrumental version of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, the cook works hard day and night, mixing ingredients and even nicking a humongously big biscuit from an angry giant. Looking triumphant, the chef admires his final creation.

As the Countess announces its “treatie time," the cook approaches, presenting a cloche to reveal a Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Christmas Pudding. Less than impressed that the cook has ignored her and decided to serve Christmas pudding, the room falls into tense silence as they await her verdict...

Laura Boothby, Head of Campaigns, at Sainsbury’s says: “Food plays a central role in any celebration, and we wanted to bring to life the imagination and innovation that goes into creating our Taste the Difference Christmas range. We also wanted the ad to provide some fun and light-hearted Christmas cheer and who better to do that than Alison Hammond.

“The festive feast is a quintessential Christmas moment for many and the perfect setting to celebrate what Sainsbury’s does best: delicious, quality, great value food. We’re always creating and developing new recipes and Christmas is the perfect time to experiment with new twists on traditional flavours.

“We’ve focused on the Christmas pudding specifically because we know it’s divisive,  people love it, or they hate it, which is why Sainsbury's has created the Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Pudding. Pudding lovers can still opt for their traditional dessert, but those who aren’t fans can try our innovative take on the Christmas classic instead.”

Alison Hammond says: “I absolutely loved playing The Countess in this year’s Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. It got me feeling all festive and was such a laugh!"

“The Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Christmas Pudding was absolutely a bit of me and will definitely make an appearance on our table this year. Just not sure if I can wait until Christmas day to try it again!"

The advert is one aspect of Sainsbury's Christmas marketing campaign, with more following over the next few weeks.