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Coles serves up plant-based ham (and a whole lot more) for Christmas
Most people have family traditions around the food that they serve at Christmas – there's turkey with all the trimmings, ham and a rich Christmas pudding.
Christmas is about indulgence and treats, but with more and more Australians having to cater for increasingly diverse dietary requirements, people are looking for easy entertaining ideas on a variety of budgets that will satisfy everyone.
So would you swap out the Christmas ham for a plant-based alternative?
This year, Coles is offering Aussies the chance to cut their Christmas meat consumption with Nature’s Kitchen plant-based Christmas ham-style roast with a vegan maple glaze.
This is one of more than 25 festive vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free products aimed at the increasing number of Australians with diverse dietary needs.
That's not all you can impress your family with this Christmas, though.
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Coles and Liquorland have brought out a fabulous new range of Christmas and summer treats including gourmet starters, show-stopping centrepieces, decadent desserts, festive sweets and treats, beautifully designed decorations, fabulous floral arrangements, delicious drinks and gorgeous gifts to ensure you have the best-dressed table this December.
Food highlights include a Christmas Juniper Berry Seasoned Ham made from 100% Australian sow-stall free pork, Coles Finest Luxury Black Forest Bombe Pudding, and Prawns in Blankets.
Also, with cheesecake ranking as one of the top searched items at Christmas on Taste.com.au, Coles has created the first-ever novelty Santa cheesecake with a biscuit base, vanilla cheesecake, and raspberry topping, decorated with a chocolate Santa belt - cuuute!
Adding to the holiday yumminess are new locally sourced sweets including a gingerbread decorating kit, a hand-decorated Christmas Tree shaped fudge brownie filled with chocolate chunks, Jewelled Fruit Cake and the new Luxury Black Forest Crumble Mini Tarts.
“We know that this Christmas more than ever customers will want to have the very best quality products for their family and friends, while also making their household budgets go further,” Coles Ambassador and Michelin award winning chef Curtis Stone says.
“Our festive smoked juniper ham embodies the flavours of Christmas; it’s made from 100% Australian pork and delicious served warm or thinly sliced cold. All of our fresh meat is 100% Australian and we are proud that our range of fresh turkeys have never been frozen. Our prawns are responsibly sourced we can assure customers they will be in abundance and at our very best price when customers are wanting to enjoy them most,” he adds.
Also new this year is a range of low and no-alcohol drinks across all categories, including from award-winning beer label Tinnies. The no-sugar ready-to-drink Just Vodka Soda Black is sure to be popular with people wanting to cut back on unnecessary sugar, but still enjoy a celebratory drink during the festive season.
These are our favourites from the Coles Christmas range:
Entertaining
Coles Pork Bites with Honey Glazed Granny Smith Apple Sauce is perfect for Christmas entertaining.
Crumbed sow-stall free pork, filled with a sweet and tangy Granny Smith apple sauce.
Easy to prepare and will impress your guests on arrival.
Coles Pepperoni Pizza Spring Rolls: are sure to be the talk of the town and Christmas gatherings with crunchy golden brown spring rolls with a rich tomato, pepperoni and cheese pizza filling.
Coles Entertaining Prawns in Blankets: Succulent peeled prawn cutlets wrapped in a crisp and golden pastry.
Super moreish and perfect as a finger food with dipping sauce.
Coles Entertaining Norwegian Cold Smoked Trout: Cold smoked with beechwood chips to give a firm, succulent texture and delicate flavour.
Entertainer-sized product, best served with cream cheese, dill, lemon and a water cracker for a classic canape.
Coles Finest Australian Free Range Chicken Pate is made from Tasmanian free range RSPCA approved chicken livers, this creamy pate is smooth, rich and full of flavour.
Finished with warm, fruity notes of Tawny & Apera fortified wines.
Coles Festive Pretzels: A mix of crunchy and salty festive-shaped pretzels, perfect for sharing and entertaining.
Pretzels come in candy cane, Christmas tree, star, bell and stocking shapes.
Coles Salted Caramel Almonds and Pecans: Utterly addictive, a mixed bag of creamy pecans and almonds in a lightly salted crunchy caramel.
There will also be a range of luxury cheeses include the Coles Finest Swiss Appenzeller, Truffle Goats Cheese and Spanish Red Wine Cheese providing a smorgasbord of choice for your grazing boards this summer.
Centre of plate
Coles Christmas Juniper Seasoned Ham is a cured Australian Sow Stall free pork silverside portion, made in Victoria, with a rich sweet Victorian mountain ash wood smoke rolled in a juniper seasoning with Christmas spices and cracked black pepper.
Coles RSPCA Approved Turkey Breast Roast Easy Carve with Sage & Onion Stuffing and Topped with Bacon: Australian RSPCA Turkey breast with sage & onion stuffing and topped with Australian sow stall-free sliced bacon.
Nature's Kitchen Plant Based Christmas Ham Style Roast with Vegan Maple Glaze is made in Australia and has a Hickory smoky flavour that’s paired with a sweet and sticky maple glaze, perfect for serving 4 people.
Coles Deli Salmon Side is a whole-trimmed Tasmanian Atlantic salmon side, ready to be marinated or crumbed and baked for the perfect Christmas table centrepiece.
Desserts
Coles Finest Luxury Black Forest Bombe Pudding: This dark, smooth black forest pudding is a celebration of decadence.
Made with a cherry brandy-infused chocolate sponge, it’s packed with generous pieces of Belgian dark chocolate, with a hidden centre of indulgent Belgian chocolate sauce.
Finish to taste with the sour cherry sauce on top and decorate with freeze-dried cherries for an exquisite experience.
Coles Finest Luxury Black Forest Crumble Mini Tarts: Extending the range of crumble tarts this year, this black forest fruit-filled tart is a bite of pure indulgence.
They feature a decadent chocolate pastry case, luscious sour cherry filling and are infused with cherry brandy for a smooth, elegant finish.
Topped by hand with bitter chocolate almond crumble and a dusting of sugar, you have a festive black forest treat in an enticing crumble mini tart.
Yum!
Coles Fruit Mince Filled Shortbread: An alternative format to the typical fruit mince pie, this buttery shortbread is filled with traditional fruit mince filling, a delicious take on a classic favourite.
The Coles Finest Indulgent Mousse Range is a range of delicious, individually portioned desserts, sold in reusable glass jars.
With four flavours in the range, including Alphonso Mango and Berries & Belgian Chocolate, not only are these desserts pretty enough to serve to your Christmas guests, the individual serving size makes these the perfect solo treat throughout the festive season.
Florals
Coles Christmas floral range has something for all occasions, including a seasonal flower range that has a great selection of bouquets to fit any budget.
There will be the traditional poinsettias and a range of festive potted ranges ideal gifting for Kris Kringle, teachers’ gifts, Secret Santa, home decorating or extra gifts for Mrs Santa.
We will also see the return of the mini-Christmas tree, the woolly bush tree, Colin the reindeer and some new additions, including Colin’s cousin and a Christmas gnome with a plant which is perfect for gifting or decorating your own home.
Grocery
Peppermint Candy Canes: Nothing says Christmas like candy canes!
These sweet and minty candy canes are made with no artificial colours or flavours.
Be sure to add them to your cards, presents and Christmas trees.
Christmas Chocolate Pops: Available in a variety of festive designs from Santa to Reindeer, these Chocolate pops will be a hit amongst your family and friends.
They are made with premium Belgian chocolate with Rainforest Alliance certification, using no artificial colours or flavours.
Coles Christmas Milk Chocolate Coins are also made with Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa and are perfect stocking fillers or sprinkled around the Christmas table as delicious décor!
Christmas Gift Wrapped Ballotin Box: Looking for a last-minute gift?
This beautiful Christmas Gift Wrapped Ballotin Box is filled with 16 creamy chocolate varieties, making gift-giving easy this Christmas.
Christmas Assorted Biscuit Tin: A delicious assortment of your favourite biscuits inside a beautifully designed Christmas tin.
A decorative piece to display in your home to inspire festivities in the lead-up to Christmas.
Sodasmith is a new mixers brand available exclusively with Coles Group and is taking the Australian mixers industry by storm.
The four core tonics and sodas are locally made using the purest Tasmanian spring water and feature native Australian ingredients like lemon myrtle and finger lime.
Drinks
Banrock Station Eco-Bottle Pinot Grigio: Australia Figs, nashi pear and mandarin flavours abound.
All complimented by a refined acid backbone that balances out the palate nicely.
Taylors One Small Step Eco-Bottle Chardonnay: Refreshing and full of luscious tropical fruits, crafted to be enjoyed immediately
Banrock Station Eco-Bottle Pinot Noir: Soft and velvety, with notes of cherries, red berries and a hint of sweet spice
Taylors One Small Step Eco-Bottle Shiraz: Spicy fruit characters and a long, satisfying finish, crafted to be enjoyed immediately
Canard-Duchêne Brut NV Champagne: Intense aromas of fresh fruit, typical of Pinot varietals.
A golden hue and delicate bubbles. Notes of fruit coupled with hints of buttery brioche
Canard-Duchêne Brut Rosé NV: Beautifully made Champagne with an intense nose of red forest berries & a generous, magically textured palate of complex red fruits & spice aromas
Beyond the Wilderness NV Brut Cuveé Rosé: Fresh redcurrant and cherry aromas on initial approach. Perfumed red florals float seamlessly in the background. Vivid flavours of watermelon and fresh raspberry sit upon a lively thread of cool climate bubbles. Lees ageing delivers textbook richness, complexity, and charm. It's also vegan-friendly.
Beyond the Wilderness NV Brut Cuveé: Complex notes of honeysuckle and candied red apple are elevated by fresh citrus and strawberry aromatics.
The palate is juicy and vibrant with complex nougat, brioche and almond flavours tightly famed by pristine Tasmanian acidity and once again, it's vegan-friendly.
Veuve Clicquot NV Brut 750mL France Smeg Gift Case: Perfect for gifting, your favourite Veuve Clicquot Champagne is consistently rated in the top handful of NV Champagnes from France and delivers a powerful bubbly with a rich mouthfeel.
Housed in a fashion-forward Smeg 'fridge' akin to the iconic colours of the Veuve Clicquot label, this Champagne has a generous freshness and layers of floral and fruity complexity that flows into a remarkably long and powerful finish.
Beyond the Wilderness Pinot Rosé: Crafted from premium hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes.
It displays perfumed aromas of fresh-picked strawberries and rose petals with generous red berry fruit flavours delivered seamlessly across the palate.
Winton Road Barossa Valley Shiraz: Rich and intense, with upfront flavours of dark plums, blackcurrant, strawberries, raspberries and blackberry with a lingering hint of spice.
The ideal accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats such as beef or venison, as well as hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan.
Winton Road Eden Valley Chardonnay: Pale and bright lemon colour with aromas of white peach, nashi pear, nougat and citrus.
The palate is nicely weighted and shows the delicate vanilla-sweet spice of new French oak with a hint of crème fraîche to accompany the orchard, stone fruit and citrus characters.
Tinnies Pale Ale Can: This World Beer Award winner pale ale boasts a light, hazy amber colour that’s pleasing to the eye.
When taking a sip, taste buds are met with beautiful, smooth flavours that exhibit a good balance of biscuit malt and satisfying citrus undertones.
Tinnies Ultra Low Alcohol Can: Bursting with hoppy aromas of bright citrus and fresh pine, with a malty backbone and extra hops offering a generous but balanced bitterness, this excellent low-alcohol beer is perfect for those looking to moderate alcohol over the festive celebrations.
Smithy’s Dry Lager Bottle: Refreshing full-strength lager with a smooth and dry finish.
Smithy’s Dry has 50% less carbs than a standard lager due to its unique brewing process that actively reduces the amount of available sugar.
Full on flavour, low on carbs!
Just Drinks Vodka Soda Black: A classic combination of Australian vodka and soda water. Just Vodka + Soda Black has a stronger serve of vodka and only 105 calories, for a cleaner sugar-free option. Made for easy entertaining.
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