Market & Trends

UK Vegan Christmas: Pre-Orders Up 700% at Waitrose, Tesco Vegan Turkey Sold Out

Supermarket chains in the UK including Waitrose, Tesco and Morrison’s and discount stores Aldi and Lidl are making this Christmas more vegan-friendly than ever before. After a year of reversing trends, vegan food Christmas sales are now experiencing a surge way surpassing that of previous years.

Last week we reported that around half of UK households will be catering for vegans, with 20% even planning to serve a completely vegan Christmas dinner. Notably, 39% said this is the first Christmas they will consider vegan alternatives, which is significantly reflected by the rise in vegan Christmas products and sales across UK’s supermarket chains.

Tesco is the market leader in centrepieces this year – with ten plant-based offerings compared to six last year. The “no turkey roast crown” from the Wicked Kitchen brand, which was established in 2018 and expanded in the same year due to high demand, has already sold out online, as reported by The Guardian.

Morrison’s is expanding its range of meat-free Christmas side dishes. This year’s offerings include no-pigs in blankets, no-prawn tempura, and no-duck spring rolls. The range has been in the pipeline since January following consumer requests for more vegan alternatives in the festive season, according to Kent Live.

Lidl, Image courtesy of Andrew Stone

Morrison’s, Aldi and Lidl are also offering vegan Christmas sandwich options, all with very similar names. Aldi has the Plant Menu Vegan Feast Sandwich; Morrison’s has the Vegan Festive Feast, and Lidl also offers the Vegan Festive Feast.

Charlotte McCarthy, vegan buyer at Waitrose, updated the stand around the biggest vegan Christmas in a statement sent to The Grocer, saying that “We anticipate this Christmas will be the biggest ever for vegan food. We’ve worked really hard to ensure that there is an exciting range available for our customers that is delicious, whether they follow a vegan diet or not.”

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