Reporter Ellen Jenne went to Aldi’s Pigs in Blankets Restaurant – here are her top picks from the night
Aldi has made a triumphant return to the Christmas scene with its second instalment of its pigs in blankets-centred pop-up. With a new Shoreditch location and brand new menu, could Aldi impress a ravenous crowd of festive fans?
Having sampled its 2023 pigs in blankets (PIBs for short) offerings, there’s no denying that they’d attempt to push the boat out and create some unconventional dishes. The only thing which remains the same as last year is the choice of bottomless PIBs, Aldi’s Specially Selected Pigs in Blankets. These are good to use as a benchmark.
Also greeting us on the table was a bowl of the Specially Selected Pigs In Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps, which really packed a salty punch, in a good way. The top pick from the six course menu may come as a surprise, but personally, you can’t go wrong with a bit of cheese.
Aldi’s Specially Selected Cheese in Blankets were a hit. Tiny squidgy morsels of salty cheddar, creamy mozzarella and soft cream cheese wrapped in crispy bacon made for a welcome change during the overload of pork.
It’s a genius idea to combine Christmas dinner’s favourite snack with elements of a cheese board. If you’re looking for a reprieve from all the traditional pigs in blankets, these Cheese in Blankets need to be on your radar.
Other personal highlights include the Specially Selected Ultimate Pigs in Blankets. Think of your traditional PIB on steroids. I think all pigs in blankets should be chunky and nearly the size of a golf ball.
There’s something extremely luxurious about these PIBs, so choosing these is definitely an upgrade. For a complete flavour overhaul that tastes expensive but won’t make a massive dent in your pocket, turn to the Specially Selected Truffle Chipolata Pigs in Blankets.
Truffle can be divisive as a flavour, but if your taste buds are inclined to a bit of decadence, these pigs in blankets will be a whole new dimension to the traditional PIBs, much like the Ashfields Pigs in Blankets Roulette.
By the time the wheel of pork landed on our table we were well and truly stuffed. We managed one pick of the Roulette each, but to our misfortune, we both picked up a spicy pig.
The Roulette comes offering mild, medium or a grim-reaper-flavoured pigs in blankets. While mine was spicy, I can neither confirm nor deny if I plucked a grim-reaper or not.
However, the course which left me feeling like the Grinch were the Specially Selected Honey and Ginger Candy Cane Pigs in Blankets. Comparison is the thief of joy, and although the PIBs are a visual feast and bring a dash of playfulness, they didn’t quite stand up against the candy canes from last year.
In 2023, Aldi started off strong with a brie and cranberry flavoured candy cane, where the brie was the star of the show. But despite Aldi’s best efforts, there were no discernible flavours of ginger or honey, merely a hint of generic sweetness mottled together with pork.
Novelty is a good thing, but when the aesthetics are more pleasing than the flavour, it feels like a waste of money. This is also true for the Ashfields Loaded Yorkshire Sliders, which is a great idea in principle, but needed more panache in the form of a bowl of gravy.
As a little bonus dish, no matter how stuffed we were at this point in the evening, we were presented with Aldi’s new Footlong Vegan Pig in Blanket, which can only be described as phallic. The dishes at this year’s Pigs in Blankets Restaurant were a chance to try something new and to see how far Aldi has raised its game. Some PIBs were absolute knockouts, while others needed a little sprinkling of festive cheer.
Aldi’s Pigs in Blankets Restaurant will be open on Friday, November 29 and Saturday, November 30. More information can be found here.
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