Aldi - Christmas in July

On Wednesday 9th July I got to attend Aldi's Christmas in July event! These events are held by companies to showcase the products & range they have coming out for Christmas! I was very excited to be asked to attend.

The event was held in a London hotel. The set up was a room by room basis. The first I entered was the homewares section. The team talked about Aldi's theory of seeing Christmas through in luxury from start to finish! Not a bad idea I think. They will be stocking luxury duvets & towels so you can wake up feeling great & starting Christmas Day with smile on your face! Luxury at a great price!

They will be selling real & fake Christmas trees this year to suit everyone tastes. They have cute reindeer planters, plants, candles, to name a few things!

My favourite in this room was the wrapping paper selection, they have something for everyone, from the luxurious looking black & gold Christmas tree design paper, cute kid designs, and my personal favourite, the Nordic designs. Lovely reindeer & tree patterns, I'll definitely be buying!

Then onto the next room. The first stand was beauty. And here's a NEWS FLASH - Aldi are going to start doing make up!!! Quality make up at bargain prices! I spent ages talking to a lady there who is a make up artist to the stars & she has added a number of the products to her box! What an accolade for Aldi! Why spend top dollar on the big names when you can get quality from Aldi! Not many brands manage to cater for my pale complexion, but she showed me a tinted moisturiser & powder that both worked great for me, I'll definitely be in there stocking up when it hits the high street!

The next stand was their weekly specials / gifts section. There's ton coming your way! Things for all the family. If you didnt get in there last year, they are bringing out another tablet! The spec has been promised to be greater than the last, but as always will keep to Aldi's great price strategy! I can't wait to see it! There was loads of tools for the men you love. And my fave, tons for the kiddies! Some awesome character pyjamas (for the Frozen fans there was a lovely set to make a little girl very happy!). And some fab character onesies! I know Mstr J will love a super hero one!  I loved the little soft dollies too. Miss Iz would love one of those!

From the first 2 rooms I was buzzing in a Christmassy excited bliss! I couldn't wait to see more of what Aldi had to offer!

The next room was the wines & spirits! Mmmmmm I couldn't wait! Most people wouldn't know the number of awards that Aldi have won for its excellent wines & spirits selection! I tried a sample of a cocktail called Cranbellini. It was not what I would have put together, but tasted scrummy! If you'd like to try it yourself you can by following the recipe below .....

The next I tried was Ballycastle! Aldi's version of baileys. It tasted lush!!! In my eyes you would never know the difference. And at only £4.29, it's a mere snip of the price of alternatives!  I also liked the look of the amaretto, I'm a big amaretto & coke fan. Only £4.99 a bottle, bargain! 

I was very lucky to meet the famous Olly Smith at the event. As not a real wine drinker I asked for him to talk me round their selection of wines & what I might enjoy! You can see from talking to him and his enthusiasm, that Olly is a big fan of Aldi wines. He suggested I try the Toro Loco rosé, at only £3.79, I'll be popping to pick one up! 

He explained how the Caversham cream sherry tasted like Christmas puddings! Im not fan of xmas pud, but at only £5.25 I will be buying a bottle for my pud loving hubby to try!

He told me about the Philippe Michel Cremant Du Jura Chardonnay (£7.29), which can stand up against others stores bottles of champers!  

The last he suggested to me was the Prosecco (£7.49). He suggested adding it to some elderflower cordial. Once we were done chatting I headed to the bar to sample it myself. True to Aldi form, it was yummy! As I said I'm not a wine drinker, but this delight will definitely be making an appearance in my home!

Aldi also have a new range of wines called the Ventura collection. These are Aldi's mid range wines, but at a mere £4.99, I call them a bargain! Worth a try if you fancy something different.

The final room was the food room! Where was hubby when u need him, he would of devoured the lot I'm sure! I spotted Jean Christophe Novelli but wimped out on talking to him! The thing that wowed me the most was the selection! I truly believe Aldi are giving other stores a real run for their money! They have it all! The luxury of five bird roasts, caviar, lobster! Down to the mini buffet items the likes of you and me would be proud to dish up to our families! Outstanding!  Talking of the buffet items, I tried my fair share! I was so impressed with the innovative creations they had come up with! I don't know about you, but I get bored of dishing up the same old spring rolls etc every time. Well, get your bottom to Aldi when they bring out their Christmas range! I got to sample duck straws, chicken pyramids, and mini Chinese steamed buns!! The likes of which I've never seen before, and I can tell you now, you will not be disappointed!

I'm feeling a little like all I'm saying is how great things tasted, but I can't lie, they really were great!

Dessert wise they have an extra special Christmas pudding coming out. Not my thing, so I didn't try it! They have some great desserts too. They have joint the trend in people wanting individual mini servings. Left in pic below. I tried the the chocolate mousse. For me it was a winner. I love chocolate (there's a shocker!), but I do find a lot of chocolate based desserts a bit rich & over kill. This was delightful! Smooth, creamy & just the right about of chocolate. Perfect in my eyes! I'll definitely be getting these, just for me! Lol. They also have the new favourite macaroons coming out. I tried a couple, & these were very tasty!

I also noticed a range of make at home cakes. I great selection. I'll definitely be trying some out with Mstr J.

I brought home some gooseberry & elderflower pies. I tried a bite & these were not for me at all. I found the flavour very odd, but hubby loved them, and destroyed the box full, so each to their own on this one.

At the end they had an example of the Christmas flower bouquet. For a mere £10 you got a huge bouquet of beautiful flowers! I just hope they can get such beautiful flowers still in season by the time it gets to Christmas.

I had such a lovely time at the event and was pretty wowed by what Aldi had to offer. I think shops like Aldi get a bad running as people see them as a bit 2nd rate & bargain shopping. But they are definitely giving their critics a swift one round the chops! They're bringing out all the stops & screaming from the roof tops, 'we're here & we can offer what other stores can & more, & all for a great wallet saving price!'  All I can say is, "go Aldi!"   

Keep an eye out for on sale dates & get to the stores!