Move over cocktail sausages, mini quiche and prawn rings. Get ready for exotic bao buns, gyozas and teriyaki skewers as Pan-Asian delicacies are set to take over this season’s festive party food.
The traditional British party food classics have given way to flavour of the moment Eastern delicacies that include mainstays of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indian cuisine.
Tesco is seeing shoppers this year turn away from traditional finger foods like chicken wings and prawn toast.
Instead, in come trendy new Asian bitesize favourites such as Yakatori chicken kebabs, Vietnamese style prawn pancakes, salmon Teriyaki skewers and Katsu chicken bites, as customers look for more exciting ways to impress their guests.
According to market-wide research from retail analysts Mintel, Pan-Asian cuisines such as Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese grew by nearly 17% in 12 months to June 2023, faster than established Indian, Chinese and Mexican food.
At Tesco demand for Pan-Asian food has grown so much this year that sushi has even replaced the smoked salmon sandwich as Britain’s favourite premium lunchtime treat.
And since the beginning of the year, when Tesco launched its £5 Finest Meal Deal, sushi sales have rocketed by a stunning 90%.
As a result of this growing demand, the supermarket has given its festive party food lines an Asian makeover. Among some of the exotic items that feature in this year’s Tesco party food range are:
Tesco Finest 8 Bao Buns
Tesco Finest Prawn and Vegetable Nests
Tesco Finest 9 Rainbow Gyoza Selection
Tesco Finest 10 Mini Keema Pies
Tesco Finest 6 Duck And Orange Steamed Buns
Katsu Chicken Bites
8 Vietnamese Style Prawn Pancakes
8 Salmon Teriyaki Skewers
10 Battered Crispy Sushi Rolls
Tesco party food buyer Natalie Linden said: “Pan-Asian food is very much the taste of the moment with Japanese and Thai among the fastest growing cuisines in the UK right now.
“As a result we’ve brought some excitement and innovation to our new festive party food range, and moved away from some of the more traditional products that are no longer top of customers’ shopping lists.
“This year we’ve seen really strong growth for our Finest Meal Deal which includes tasty treats like Poke Bowls, sushi boxes, gyozas and bao buns.
“This has really inspired our team of chefs to develop a range of mini-bite versions of some of the most popular Pan-Asian dishes which we think will help create a real buzz at any festive party this year.”
This year Tesco have more than 90 chilled and frozen party food lines with the chilled items. The frozen ones will be handy to have around for any guests calling round unexpectedly.
Morrisons is helping people get into the Christmas spirit without having to break the bank by making its cafés available to book for parties during the festive season.
Groups of between 8 to 20 people will be able to book a space at their local Morrisons café from 27 November to 23 December 2023 by speaking to a café colleague in-store.
Christmas parties at Morrisons offer a pocket-friendly way for people, community groups and businesses looking to celebrate during the festive period.
A Morrisons two or three course festive feast can be enjoyed for £10 for two courses and £12 for three. The menu includes classic dishes like prawn cocktail or tomato soup for starters, a Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings and a traditional Christmas pudding with cream or custard and chocolate fudge cake for desserts.
Vegans and vegetarian diners need not worry as Morrisons has catered for these dietary requirements, with a pumpkin and cranberry roast served with seasonal vegetables available.
To add to the celebrations, all tables will be dressed with tablecloths, crackers and a free mince pie served after your meal – because no Christmas party is complete without one.
Chris Strong, Café Buying Manager at Morrisons, commented: “Our cafés are popular meeting spots for many groups, so it’s only right that we make them available for Christmas parties during the festive season to help spread some cheer. The menu offers delicious food fit for any Christmas gathering at a pocket friendly price so that as many of our customers as possible can join the celebrations. There’s even a free mince pie to enjoy on us!”
2-courses for £10 or 3-courses for £12, menu includes:
Starters:
Prawn Cocktail
Prawns in a seafood sauce on crispy salad, with buttered wholemeal bread.
Tomato & Basil Soup
Served with a Market Street bread roll and butter.
Mozzarella Dippers and Cranberry Dip
Sticks of mozzarella coated in breadcrumbs served with a cranberry dip.
Bookings are available in all Morrisons cafés from now until Monday 23rd December 2023 and require at least 7 days notice.
Parties from 8 up to 20 people can make a reservation by speaking to a café colleague.
To make a booking, guests will need to provide: lead name for booking, contact number, date and time of visit, food orders in advance and a non-refundable deposit of £2 per person.
Group parties will be permitted to use the café at any time of day including between 12pm - 4pm (12pm - 2pm in selected stores).
Drink purchases are not included and meals cannot be exchanged for an alternative café menu item.
Seeking out a last-minute Christmas gift for the drinks lovers in your life? Fever-Tree's new Cocktail Shaker looks fab and makes the perfect cocktail every time.
You could pick one up on the way to your next dinner party as a gift for the host or as a Secret Santa present? Available now at Waitrose with an introductory deal of £12 and Sainsbury's for £15.
Pair the shaker with Fever-Tree's cocktail mixers, available in Espresso Martini, Margarita and Mojito, just add the alcohol to the mixer, shake and pour:
Fill your Fever-Tree cocktail shaker half full of ice.
Add 100ml of Fever-Tree cocktail mixer and 50ml spirit.
Shake for 15 seconds and pour into your glass!
Why the Fever-Tree Cocktail Shaker?
Style AND function: when creating drinks, Fever-Tree know their stuff,the screw cap mechanism makes the shaker easy to open and prevents the lid getting stuck. It's double walled, to prevent condensation and stop your hands getting cold, and there's even an integrated strainer so it's easier to pour, too!
Effortless Mixing: Turn anyone into a cocktail pro with just a few shakes.
Stylish Design: Sleek and modern, it's a showstopper for any home bar.
Compact and Portable: Ideal for those who love to mix drinks wherever they go.
60% of us feel unsafe when walking alone –a new app from Callie and ADT wants to change that.
Whether it’s exploring a new country, going for an evening jog or just walking to work or to the shops; Callie wants people to feel safer and more connected.
A new study by the ONS shows that most of us feel unsafe whilst walking alone. A pioneering new app by safety experts Callie and ADT wants to help us feel safer when we’re out and about.
Empowerment, quality, trust
“Empowerment, quality, trust” –that’s the ethos of the exciting, innovative new personal safety solution, Callie, which has already racked up millions of views on social media and thousands of downloads across iOS and Android.
Conceived as a way to help people feel more connected and confident when they’re alone, Callie consists of a completely free app and a premium safety monitoring service that’s powered by security experts, ADT.
Whether it’s exploring a new country, going for an evening jog or just walking to the shops; Callie wants people to feel safer, more connected and more empowered when they’re alone. But, with up to 80% of women and 40% of men feeling unsafe when walking alone, how can an app help?
How Callie Works
With the free Callie app, users create temporary ‘sessions’ that are shared with people they trust, usually friends, parents or partners. A typical session may look like “First date with John - 2 hours” or “Cycling to the gym - 20 minutes.”
While a session is live, the user’s trusted ‘guardians’ can see where the user is, what the session's for, and how long it's expected to take. They can even see the user’s battery and signal strength.
If the user fails to check in as safe before the session ends, an alert will be automatically sent to the user’s chosen guardians. The user can also manually trigger an alert at any time by pressing a button on the app.
Right now, thousands of people across the UK and further afield use Callie on dates, commutes and nights out. Callie is used on bikes, on foot, on public transport and in taxis. And best of all? –All these features are completely free.
Partnered with ADT for 24/7 Protection
As well as its “free forever” offering, Callie offers a premium safety monitoring service that’s powered by security giants, ADT.
“For 150 years, ADT has protected people, their businesses and their homes” explained Callie’s spokesperson. “With Callie, we wanted to expand that trusted protection to wherever people are, whatever they’re doing.”
A Callie user may trigger an alarm because they’ve been knocked off their bike, because they’re being followed, or because they’re being harassed on a night out, or waling to work or the shops.
Whatever the situation, ADT’s agents are trained to provide support, help the person find a safe route out of the situation and, if necessary, escalate the situation to the emergency services.
Beyond the expertise, one of the key benefits of CalliePlus is having someone available day or night to check in on the user should an alarm go off. This is particularly helpful for people who are working or socialising late into the night and don’t want to disturb those waiting at home.
Privacy and security
A comprehensive study by BMC Public Health has revealed that users of safety apps appreciate the peace of mind they can bring but they are concerned about reliability, price, and privacy.
As part of Callie’s focus on “trust”, they wanted to provide a solution that respected privacy at every level. For Callie, that meant no round-the-clock tracking, no ads, no creepy data mining and no back-door snooping. Whether you use Callie’s free plan or ADT-backed premium plan, your sessions and data will always be private.
A spokesperson for the brand said, “Callie is for those moments when you want someone watching over you –but it’s not a traditional tracking app. When your session is done; it’s done. No one can watch you without your consent, and that’s really important to us”.
In the UK, over 40% of parents use some sort of location tracking on a daily basis. These apps can make parents feel more comfortable but they can be a cause of friction –particularly as kids grow up and want more freedom.
Callie users report finding this compromise more attractive to both parents and kids. With Callie, kids can create a session when they’re walking to school or when they’re cycling to a friend's house, but then check in as safe and leave it off.
For Gen-Z and younger Millenials, who grew up with smartphones and tracking apps, Callie can provide a sense of security and of freedom. For those going to university or moving out for the first time, Callie provides a perfect compromise.
Some of the most vocal support for the Callie app has come from students. At a recent freshers fair, where Callie had set up shop, students turned up in their hundreds to praise what the team were doing. In particular, the freshers liked that they could get benefit from the safety features they’d grown up with, but without feeling like they were being tracked by their parents.
Similarly, many modern couples may appreciate their partner watching over them when they’re walking home from a night out, or when they’re on a long drive, but won’t want to be tracked all day, every day. Callie fills this niche nicely.
Built by experts, backed by experts
As well as being backed by one of the oldest and most recognised security brands in the world, Callie was also built from the ground up by safety experts, Safepoint. This is where the “quality” of Callie’s three-part ethos comes in.
Safepoint protects thousands of workers for household brands such as the NHS, Brewdog, Michelin and Aldi through their dedicated apps and wearables. With Callie, they’ve brought all that experience and made it available to a much wider audience.
An app worth talking about
Despite only launching several months back, Callie has proved incredibly popular on social media –with millions of views and interactions across all channels.
A lot of this success comes from Callie’s community-first ethos. Most of their audience is made up of Gen-Z and Millennials who appreciate Callie’s down-to-earth videos on personal safety.
By talking about the issues and worries that young people (particularly women, girls and members of the LGBTQ+ community) face, Callie have built an incredibly engaged conversation with their audience. These conversations help the Callie team develop the app and provide features their audience genuinely appreciates.
One community-inspired addition is Callie’s “Fake Call” feature, where users can trigger a realistic-sounding, pre-recorded phone call on a timer. If Callie users are feeling uncomfortable, they can simply trigger the Fake Call, wait for their phone to start buzzing and politely make their excuses.
What the future holds
2024 is set to be a big year for Callie. Not only do the team expect to bring on thousands of new users across their free and premium plans, and to reach millions of new viewers across social media, but they will also launch their much-anticipated safety bracelet.
The Callie safety bracelet is a clever, yet easy-to-use, panic alarm that looks and feels like a premium piece of jewellery. With just a tap of this unique wearable device, users can surreptitiously trigger a ‘smart alarm’ and let their loved ones know they’re in trouble.
Commenting on the big year ahead of them, Callie’s spokesperson had this to say, “Our goal is to empower people. Whatever your goals are in 2024: taking up a new hobby, getting fit, going on that dream trip, or just wanting to meet new people… We hope that Callie can help you get there.”
Try Callie for free
Those interested in the Callie app can download it for free on iOS or Android.
Anyone interested in learning more about the ADT-powered CalliePlus package, buying a package as a Chirstmas gift or the upcoming safety bracelet can head over to getcallie.com.
The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) is inviting as many people as possible to take part in its new winter raffle.
Tickets cost £1 each and participants will be in with a chance of winning £2,500 or one of twenty other prizes. Each ticket purchased will help keep the air ambulance flying.
If you’d like to escape for a night at The Pig near Bath, try gliding, or tear around Silverstone in a Porsche 911, visit GWAAC’s website for details about how to enter: https://bit.ly/gwaacraffle. The full list of prizes up for grabs is:
£2,500
Overnight stay for two at The Pig near Bath
Porsche driving experience at Silverstone
Silver gliding experience with Cotswold Gliding Club
Dyson vacuum cleaner
Weber BBQ
Gift hamper from Cologne and Cotton
Two tickets to Bath Racecourse
Roastery tour and tasting session for two at Wogan Coffee
Spice blending course for up to 10 people with Clifton Chilli Club
Tour for two at Gloucester Brewery
Golf simulator session for two people at Saltford Golf Club
Round of golf for two at Gloucester Golf Club
Two weekend camping tickets to Rock n Ribs festival 2024
Limited edition Andy Council print
One of three Presca cycle jerseys with GWAAC design
One of three hampers of GWAAC goodies
Winter raffle hits retail stores
Tickets can also be purchased from GWAAC’s charity shops, making it easy for shoppers to participate and contribute to the charity’s crucial mission of saving lives across its community. The charity needs to raise over £4 million each year to remain operational.
GWAAC is inviting the people of Bristol, Gloucestershire and surrounding areas to visit their local GWAAC charity shop, grab their tickets and some Christmas gift bargains, and help its crew make a difference this winter season.
Raffle tickets purchased will help people like Stuart. Stuart suffered severe injuries following an accident on his farm at Christmas time, but he wasn’t alone in needing GWAAC’s help that day.
Stuart got to thank the crew who helped him when he visited the airbase
This winter, around five people will need GWAAC’s help every day – from accidents on the road to medical emergencies at home, the charity’s Critical Care Team will be called to the most severe 999 calls in the community. Each mission costs around £2,000 and with no day-to-day government funding, the lifesaving service would simply not be there without support from people like you.
In 2022, GWAAC was called to help 1,808 people in urgent need across its region of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and parts of Wiltshire
Tim Ross-Smith, GWAAC’s Operations Officer said: “2023 is looking to be our busiest year ever, and with the demanding winter months ahead, we’re preparing for a challenging start to 2024! Part of my job is making sure the crew have everything they need – from fuel in the helicopter and cars to lifesaving kit and equipment on board, as well as looking after their wellbeing. These essential resources all cost money. I’m calling on your support because a raffle ticket purchased by you today can save lives this winter.”
GWAAC’s winter raffle draw will take place on Friday 19 January 2024 and the 21 lucky winners will be contacted by post following the draw.
To be in with a chance of winning, players must be 18 years old or over. The draw closes for entries online on 17 January 2024, and if you’re sending your ticket stubs back in the post or purchasing them at a GWAAC shop, the closing date is Friday 12 January. For full terms and conditions visit https://bit.ly/gwaacraffle
Good luck everyone and thank you from GWAAC.
That's Christmas believes that these tickets will make excellent extra stocking filler gifts for friends and family or for Secret Santa gifts.
