Digital Media Centre

TEN THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ALDI AT CHRISTMAS 

• Supermarket reveals its festive secrets as part of brand-new one-off show, Aldi at Christmas  
• The programme will air tonight (Thursday December 15) 8pm, on Channel 4  

Aldi is offering a unique glimpse into the world behind the shelves ahead of what it anticipates will be its best ever Christmas in a brand-new TV show, Aldi at Christmas.  

Hot on the heels of its first ever TV series, Aldi’s Next Big Thing, where British suppliers pitched their products in the hope of landing a life changing supermarket contract, Aldi is once again opening its doors to the nation. This time, viewers can expect an exclusive behind the scenes look at the process of preparing for Christmas.  

As part of the one off special, which airs at 8pm on Thursday December 15, the discount supermarket invites the nation to step into Aldi. From a London based butcher, to the world’s oldest Cheddar farmhouse, it follows four suppliers on their journey from inception, to seeing their products land on shelves nationwide.  

Ahead of the show airing, here are just a few of the things that shoppers may not have known about Aldi at Christmas:  

1. This year is expected to be Aldi’s biggest ever, as it gains over 130,000 new customers each week 

• Aldi’s bestselling pig in blanket last year was a giant two-metre-long version which sold out in under 24 hours. 

• The supermarket’s famous mascot Kevin has his own body double for the advert – the ‘real’ Kevin is the last element to be added. This year’s ad has already amassed over 21 million online views. 

• Christmas starts as early as January for Aldi, when its food and drink development teams begin to work on new and exciting twists on customer classics.  

• This year, their Barber’s Cheese supplier are making Aldi over 800,000 packs of cheese, which will need 10 million litres of milk – enough to fill four Olympic swimming pools 

• That cheese comes from one of the World’s oldest Cheddar producers, Barber’s Farmhouse in Somerset. Having started almost 200 years ago, they now make over 20,000 tonnes of cheese a year. But whilst a lot’s changed over the years, the business is still run by the same family, including seventh generation farmer Alfie Barber. 

Alfie says: “My great, great, great, great granddad started producing cheese, making around enough to feed 30 people for one or two months of the year. It’s just amazing how we’ve built through the generations and now we’re producing huge amounts of cheese for Aldi.” 

• Demand for Kevin the Carrot toys has only grown over the years, leading to Aldi implementing a two toys per customer policy.  

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK says: “Kevin the Carrot soft toys remain one of the most popular Specialbuys ever. Last year on the day of launch, we saw over 75,000 people queue online to get their hands on the new toys.” 

• Aldi’s new Panna Cotta Star is made by hand and it takes the supplier three weeks to complete the order.  

• Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny Champagne is the second most popular in the UK behind Moët & Chandon. 

1. Products from over 5,000 British suppliers must make their way to customers across almost 1,000 stores. Aldi is expecting to sell over 50 million mince pies, 38 million pigs in blankets and over 1,700 tonnes from Brussel Sprouts. 

AS SEEN ON SCREEN: THE PRODUCTS THAT FEATURE ON ALDI AT CHRISTMAS  

Specially Selected Heritage Raspberry & Madagascan Vanilla Panna Cotta Star (£8.49, 900g).

A refreshingly light raspberry jelly topped with a smooth and creamy Madagascan vanilla panna cotta made using British cream. This star-shaped dessert makes for a perfect dazzling centrepiece.

Giant Yorkshire Pudding with Pig in Blanket (£4.99, 380g)

A whopping 60cm pig in blanket made from British pork, sits inside a large, delicious Yorkshire pudding for the ultimate quirky festive side.

Specially Selected Speciality Cheeses (£2.59, 220g).

A curated selection of sophisticated English cheeses including Coastal Cheddar blended with Italian ‘Tarufata’, creamy Wensleydale combined with dried fruits and soaked in sherry, and a sweet aged Red Leicester, blended with honey, habanero powder and chilli flakes.

Specially Selected English Sparkling (£15.99, 75cl) 

Crafted in South Devon at Lyme Bay Winery, this fresh and fruity sparkler is the perfect drink for those extra special occasions, and pairs beautifully with light seafood treats. A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Reichensteiner, Seyval Blanc and Solaris give a good balance of citrus and toast flavours.

Aldi at Christmas airs on Channel 4, tonight (Thursday December 15) at 8pm 

-ENDS-