Festive Collabs & Boundary - Pushing Launches

Welcome to this week's GRATE!

After last week’s festive round-up, even more brilliant collaborations and standout seasonal launches have landed — thank you to everyone who continues to send these in. Across retail, hospitality and premium food brands, a clear picture is emerging of how Christmas 2025 is evolving, and what this means for 2026 NPD and innovation teams.

What’s Different About Christmas Food & Drink This Year?

A set of powerful macro-trends is shaping the season, marking a shift from traditional cues to more expressive, globally influenced, and texture-driven indulgence:

> Elevated nostalgia — childhood classics remade with couture craft, premium ingredients and hyper-visual presentation.

> Hotel & hospitality-led collaborations — partnerships with luxury hotels and restaurants signalling indulgence, heritage and gifting authority.

> Global flavour crossovers & unexpected twists — matcha, miso, yuzu, bergamot, maple, chestnut and rum rising as festive disruptors.

> Umami moving mainstream — creeping into sweet formats, bakery, condiments and even beverages.

> Toppings, layering & texture as differentiation — the new visual and sensory shorthand for indulgence.

> Heritage ingredients being modernised for younger audiences — from Italian baking traditions to classic French pâtisserie reimagined.

> Fermentation as a premium tool — not just functional, but a marker of craft and depth of flavour.

> Gifting as a discovery mechanism — hampers, boxes and seasonal edits presenting curated experimentation rather than safe tradition.

With that in mind, here are five standout products and collaborations shaping this year’s festive food landscape.

Enjoy the read,

Annie x

CEDRIC GROLET'S NOSTALGIC FESTIVE CREATIONS AT

LE MEURICE

Grolet continues to lead the charge on luxury nostalgia, reworking familiar childhood favourites into sculptural, hyper-precise pâtisserie pieces. The result is a Christmas range that feels both emotionally comforting and visually avant-garde.

Consumers crave emotional connection, but expect elevated craftsmanship and storytelling. Premiumised nostalgia will remain a powerful innovation lever.

SECOND STREET BAKERY X HAYFIELD MANOR - ROASTED ALMOND TOFFEE BRITTLE

A standout Irish collaboration where artisan meets luxury hotel indulgence. The limited-edition Roasted Almond Toffee Brittle blends Second Street’s handcrafted touch with

Hayfield Manor’s high-end cues. Exclusively available at Brown Thomas Cork.

What brands can learn: Hospitality-led collaborations can deliver instant gifting credibility, anchoring small-batch makers within a premium narrative.

DAYLESFORD ORGANIC - FERMENTED FESTIVE RANGE

Daylesford is pushing boundaries with a premium fermented Christmas trio: fermented cranberry relish, mulled kombucha, and miso-ginger brined turkey preparations. It blends indulgence with functional flavour trends in a way that feels modern, health-aware

and still luxurious.

What brands can learn: Fermentation is moving from niche to premium festive flavour enhancer. It offers depth, complexity and a wellness halo — a compelling angle for 2026 innovation.

LOVE IRISH FOOD FESTIVE CHEESE BOX (TESCO)

This curated box by Love Irish Food celebrates the best of Irish artisan producers: Folláin, Cashel Blue, Knockanore, The Traditional Cheese Co. and Hassetts crackers. It’s accessible, regionally rooted, and perfectly timed for the hosting season, and available in Tesco. 

What brands can learn: Consumers want to support local makers, but value curated discovery. So opportunity to come together with other brands and offer something different.  Retailers can win by elevating regional ecosystems into simple, ready-to-gift formats.

FIRST-TO-MARKET WHIPPED CREAM MINCE PIES - CHILLED (ASDA)

Asda has launched the UK’s first-ever chilled mince pies, putting a modern twist on a festive classic. The new Whipped Cream Mince Pies (2 pack, £3.12) combine golden flaky puff pastry with rich mincemeat — sultanas, currants, glace cherries and cranberries — topped with light British whipped cream and a sweet dusting. They tap directly into Asda’s “Indulgent-hybrid” trend for 2025, bringing fun and familiarity with a touch

of luxury.

FLAVOUR SPOTLIGHT: BERGAMOT

AROMATIC, MODERN, AND VERY ON-TREND IN PREMIUM NPD

Why it's interesting?

Bergamot is showing up far beyond tea — in chocolates, marshmallows, panettone, festive spirits, cordials and buttercreams. It's a bright, elegant, aromatic flavour perfect for winter.

Why it’s compelling:

• The rise of floral–citrus hybrids

• Aligns with the luxury/patisserie trend

• Already showing momentum across bakery, chocolate and drinks

  
  

  Story angle: Citrus, but couture — the rise of bergamot.