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With three major supermarkets offering pre-made Christmas dinners in a box, Mirror writer Cally Brooks put them to the test to see which came out on top ahead of the big day

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Christmas Day is supposed to be magical, but for the designated chef, it often feels more like a military operation. Between the timing, the peeling, and the mountain of washing up, the “most wonderful time of the year” can quickly become the most stressful.

This year, retailers are offering a lifeline. Aldi, Iceland, and Sainsbury’s have all launched “Christmas Dinner in a Box” solutions designed to feed a family of four with minimal fuss. But can a pre-packed box really replace the homemade heroics? And more importantly, are they actually good value? I put all three to the test – judging them on price, taste, portion size, and the dreaded “faff factor” – to find out which retailer deserves a spot at your table this December 25th.

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Iceland’s Christmas Dinner for 4 – £25

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Iceland has launched the only frozen option this Christmas, perfect for those saving their fridge space for other festive foods. The box, which comes very well packaged, features a turkey breast joint, beef dripping potatoes, stuffing balls, pigs in blankets and three types of veg – including sprouts!

The Verdict:

If you have a hungry family to feed on a budget, Iceland is the heavyweight champion of portion sizes. The amount of roast potatoes and parsnips provided was genuinely impressive – you will not run out of carbs. The cooking process is largely hands-off, though the final 20 minutes does require some active pan-frying of the vegetables, which adds a little stress at the finish line. The result? A mixed bag.

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The vegetables were buttery, sweet, and delicious, but the parsnips were a little plain and the roasties lacked that essential crunch. The turkey joint was, admittedly, on the dry side – a common peril of frozen breast meat. However, the gravy was sweet and tasty, and the pigs in blankets were a highlight. For £6.25 a head, you simply cannot argue with the value.

Price 10/10

Taste 7/10

Portion size 10/10

Ease of cooking 8/10

Sainsbury’s Slow Cooked Proper Christmas Dinner Box – £50

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The most expensive of the three, Sainsbury’s offer a fresh ‘Taste the Difference’ experience with slow-cooked turkey wrapped in streaky bacon, beef fat potatoes, chestnut and thyme stuffing, parsnips and carrots in a honey mustard glaze, classic pigs in blankets, and a sachet of turkey and chicken gravy.

The Verdict:

At double the price of Iceland, Sainsbury’s has to work hard to justify the cost. The biggest selling point here is speed: the entire dinner cooks in just 55 minutes. I was also impressed with the size of the box, with all the dishes being vacuum sealed meaning more free space in the fridge – a big bonus at Christmas time. The star of the show is undeniably the turkey. Thanks to the bacon wrapping and juices, it came out incredibly soft, moist, and delicious – miles ahead of the competition. The stuffing was equally impressive, and the turkey infused gravy packed a punch.

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However, there are two major gripes. First, the lack of crispiness on the roast potatoes and parsnips. Second, and perhaps unforgivably for a Christmas dinner… no Brussels sprouts. For £50, omitting the most divisive yet essential vegetable feels like an oversight. But when it comes to taste, this box definitely came out on top. I also appreciated the addition of a foil tray for the turkey, saving on washing on Christmas day.

Price 6/10

Taste 9/10

Portion size 10/10

Ease of cooking 9/10

Aldi’s Ultimate Christmas Dinner in a Box – £29.95

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A nice mid-market option for those wanting fresh while still keeping costs down, Aldi have brought out their very own Christmas Dinner in a Box. Complete with a slow-cooked turkey joint, pigs in blankets, honey-mustard coated parsnips, maple-butter coated carrots, roast potatoes and delicious turkey gravy, I was interested how this budget-supermarket version would compare.

The Verdict:

Aldi lands right in the middle on price, but punches well above its weight on quality. The cooking time is a very manageable 75 minutes, and the instructions are fool-proof. Throw everything in the oven on a timer, and you’re good to go. Like Sainsbury’s, they also include a foil tray, saving on washing up time on the big day. Taste-wise, Aldi gets a lot right. The turkey is delicious – very similar in quality to the more expensive Sainsbury’s option. But where Aldi really shines is the potatoes; they achieved a nice, crispy exterior that the other two boxes failed to master. The pigs in blankets were lovely and a generous size.

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The only downsides? Like Sainsbury’s, Aldi has inexplicably ditched the Brussels sprouts. The overall portion sizes were also the smallest of the three boxes – fine for most, but big eaters might want extra sides.

Price 9/10

Taste 8/10

Portion size 9/10

Ease of cooking 9/10

The Overall Winner

• For the Foodie: If budget isn’t an issue and you want the best meat and impressive portions, Sainsbury’s wins on the turkey alone, but cook the potatoes a little longer than the instructions for the ultimate crispiness.
• For the Big Family: Iceland takes the crown for sheer abundance. It includes sprouts, endless potatoes, and costs just £25. It’s the inflation-busting hero we need – and can save a lot of fridge space!
• The Best All-Rounder: Aldi edges it for me. It balances a high-quality, moist turkey with genuinely crispy potatoes for under £30. Just remember to buy a separate bag of sprouts!

Winner: Aldi Ultimate Christmas Dinner in a Box

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Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison was the seventh celebrity to be voted out of the BBC competition last month, after losing the dance-off to EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal

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Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison has reflected on her time on the show with professional dancer Kai Widdrington. The 38-year-old became the seventh celebrity to be voted out of the competition last month, after losing the dance-off to EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal.

Vicky’s exit came after she performed an upbeat Jive to Girls Aloud’s Sound of the Underground, which earned her 27 out of 40 points. Speaking to her friend Pete Wicks, who competed on Strictly last year, Vicky opened up about her struggles with the dance.

“Listen, call a spade a spade, the Jive was not my f*****g dance, I will forever hate that p***k,” she said on the Staying Relevant podcast.

After Pete revealed that his Strictly partner Jowita Przystał stopped him attempting the Jive, Vicky joked she wished Kai had done the same.

“Maybe he just had a bit more faith in us,” she added. “I am actually quite a bouncy person, so I think people would assume I really had the Jive in me like that, but I don’t think anyone anticipated me as being like a dignified ballroom girl, but I really took to ballroom and loved it.”

During the episode, Vicky also admitted that she didn’t stop crying for a week after her exit.

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Sharing the “backstory” about her participation on the show with his listeners, Pete began: “Vic has wanted to do this show for as long as I can remember. To the point you had mood boards or vision boards to do Strictly and I’ve never seen anyone so happy when you actually got the f*****g gig.”

He continued: “Can I just say before we get into this, you were f*****g incredible, like genuinely.”

Recalling the moment Vicky was voted out, Pete went on to tell listeners that he couldn’t understand her on the phone as she was “blubbering”.

In response, the former Geordie Shore star said she “didn’t like being sad” and was grateful to have a good support system, but “couldn’t snap out of it”.

“I was sad for about a week and I think,” she admitted. “I was speaking to everyone, like you, Sara Davies rang us, Ellie Taylor, Tom Fletcher rang us, I had such a lovely support structure.”

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After hearing that one of the former Strictly stars was “sad for a year”, she ensured this wouldn’t be the case for her.

“No I’m sorry, I’m not going to be sad for a year,” she added. “I went on Strictly and had never danced sober, and I gave it everything I could. I’m not going to be sad about trying my best.”

While her exit left her in tears, Vicky has since been announced as one of the celebrities who will be performing on the upcoming Strictly Come Dancing tour.

As for the on-screen show, four couples remain in the running to win the Glitterball trophy; Karen Carney and Carlos Gu, George Clarke and Alexis Warr, Balvinder and Julian Caillon, and Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin.

This comes after actor Lewis Cope became the latest contestant to leave the competition in what was deemed a shock result by viewers.

Made In Chelsea star, Sophie Habboo, gave birth to her first child with husband, Jamie Laing, last week and has shared a photo from the hospital, which has left fans in shock

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New mum Sophie Habboo left fans stunned after sharing a photo of herself in labour before giving birth to her first child. The Made In Chelsea star, 31, welcomed son Ziggy into the world with husband, Jamie Laing, 36, last week and told her followers that the tot had “captured our whole hearts”.

Many mums-to-be would prefer to have their photo taken after their baby is born. However, Sophie has posted candid snaps of herself in labour in which she smiles serenely from her hospital bed with two fetal monitoring straps around her belly. With her arms behind her head, the reality star looks positively serene as she prepares to welcome her son into the world.

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Commenting on the stunning snap, Sophie’s followers were full of admiration. While many flooded the comments section with love hearts, one impressed fan gushed: “How do you still look like a supermodel during labour? Beautiful!”

Among the carousel of photos was one of Jamie in the delivery suite – sporting an eye mask and black pyjamas – as he prepared to become a dad for the first time. Sophie also shared a photo of Ziggy’s little hand as the family of the three started their new lives together.

Announcing their son’s birth, Jamie said on Instagram: “Ziggy, you have our whole hearts.” Celebrity pals including Stacey Solomon and Stacey Dooley were quick to offer their congratulations. Rochelle Humes and Rylan Clark also reached out to the new parents with the One Show’s Alex Jones telling them: “Let the adventures begin!”

Sophie and Jamie recorded the last episode of their Nearly Parents podcast two weeks, with Sophie breaking down in tears as they were surprised with a goodbye party as she went on maternity leave. “Now we get the party started,” Jamie declared as the crowd whooped and clapped before dancing away.

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Sophie revealed during the final podcast that the couple were looking at methods to get her labour moving, joking: “I told you guys, we’re a the stage where we should be nailing the sex.”

Spluttering, Jamie quipped: “Wait, you’ve never told me this.” Sophie replied: “I did, I said we need to be having sex, we really need to wrap this up. You looked at me and went: ‘Pfft you’re just a bit of a unit.'” The couple then fell into laughter as Sophie joked: “As I’m there, with my t*ts hanging on my stomach.”

The pair met on E4’s reality smash hit, Made In Chelsea, before going on to bag coveted hosting gigs on the Radio One presenting team.

After dating for several years, Jamie got down on one knee at the swanky Rosewood London hotel in December 2021 – where he and Sophie shared their first ever date – and popped the question.

A luxury boutique in Los Angeles, which is famous for controversial window displays, has taken aim at the Duchess of Sussex as it dubbed her a ‘Montecito Diva’

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Meghan Markle has been named “villain of the year” in a scathing attack by a luxury boutique in Los Angeles. The Duchess of Sussex was just one of many names who featured in a controversial window display, in which she was branded a ‘Montecito diva’.

The brutal attack featured at high-end department store Kitson, who have exhibited their ‘Holiday hypocrites window display’ each year since 2020. Meghan was featured alongside other “villains” including California governor Gavin Newsom, George Clooney and Katy Perry, as a cardboard cut-out of the Duchess depicted her in a Santa hat surrounded by clips of negative headlines.

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The headlines surrounding Meghan’s images included one quoting that both Harry and Meghan are ‘disliked by Americans’, and another about her recent controversial Harper’s Bazaar interview in which she was allegedly announced by her royal title to an empty room.

It is not the first time the store, which is located an hour away from where the Duke and Duchess live in Montecito, has taken aim at Meghan Markle. After Harry and Meghan quit their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to America, the retailer started offering up ‘Team Harry & Meghan’ and ‘Team William & Kate’ t-shirts so buyers could back their favourite royal couple.

Kitson owner Fraser Ross told the Daily Mail: “It started out with customers asking us if we had anything related to the young royals. They would go on to say why they favoured one couple over the other. There were literally people arguing on the floor with each other about it. I knew it was time to bring back the infamous ‘Team’ shirts.”

The store originally started selling ‘Team’ shirts in 2005 when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston broke up, offering up ‘Team Jolie’ and ‘Team Aniston’ shirts.

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The blistering attack comes just days after Meghan’s Netflix Christmas special was savaged by industry critics , who called the one-hour festive programme “unfathomable” and “pointless”.

The Duchess of Sussex’s Christmas-themed episode premiered on the streaming giant on December 3, in which she was joined by a range of celebrity guests to indulge in festive-themed crafts and cooking.

The show was met with a mix of reviews, with some fans sharing their joy for the episode on social media. However, several media outlets were quick to share their harsh criticisms of the programme, with one publication dubbing it “quite mad and a little bit sad”.

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The festive programme got a one-star review by The Independent, as writer Hannah Ewens dubbed it a “predictably insipid festive special”, as she said: “It’s not a real special by any stretch, but some YouTube content or the radio that you might put on in the background as you do your tree or wrap your presents. White noise to dull the senses. It’s all a little Stepford Wives; not informative, fun, enjoyable or even aspirational. Because the people watching this, including me, will never have a Christmas like this.”

The Times’s Hilary Rose was also highly critical of the episode, saying: “It’s unfathomable: four pointless crafts, three random ‘friends’, two unseen kids, one English prince and a duchess in a pear tree, or at least making pear syrup.”

Adult content star Bonnie Blue is awaiting her fate after being detained in Bali on alleged violations of Indonesia’s strict ‘morality’ laws. Nearly 20 male tourists were thrown into custody after cops raided the star’s accommodation

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Controversial adult star Bonnie Blue has been detained in Bali for allegedly creating pornographic content in violation of Indonesia’s strict ‘morality’ laws.

The British sex worker, real name Tia Billinger, was thrown into custody on Thursday afternoon alongside 17 male tourists, aged between 19 and 40 from Australia and the UK. Cops swarmed in on Bonnie’s accommodation in Badung after a member of the public called the police. As a Muslim-majority country, Indonesia takes a tough line on distributing, producing or publicly displaying adult content, and the star could face up to 15 years prison and a fine of about £270,000 if convicted.

The 26-year-old, who rose to fame for organising extreme sex “challenges” with general members of the public – including ‘barely legal’ teenagers – had travelled to the holiday hotspot on a tourist visa to take her ‘Bang Bus’ tour international.

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When police raided the Nottingham-born star’s rented studio, they seized several cameras, 19 outfits labelled ‘School Bonnie Blue’, lubricant, nine pink necklaces, a box of condoms, flash drives, two sheets of Viagra pills – some used, and her ‘Bang Bus’ van along with the ownership certificate, according to reports.

Arif Batubara, Badung’s Police Chief, told local media on Friday that he had made the arrests after a report from a member of the public. They had raised concerns after “suspected pornography or the creation of indecent video material”, they said. Pornography is strictly banned in Indonesia, with those found on the wrong side of the law facing heavy penalties, including hefty fines and jail stints. There is no suggestion that any minor was involved.

Bonnie is said to have sourced a van locally as part of her ‘Bang Bus’ project, in a bid to attract Australian students in the country celebrating graduation, known “Schoolies”. She recently travelled around the UK to attend various Freshers events as part of the same ‘challenge’. After landing in Bali, she wrote on social media: “Hey boys, those that are going to Schoolies and to those who are barely legal, cannot wait to meet you and I’m in Bali, so you know exactly what that means.”

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Video footage showed 14 Aussie men walking out of a detention centre covering their faces with T-shirts and even a McDonald’s bag shortly after they were arrested on Friday. It’s claimed that the group were released together after being interviewed as witnesses and will likely be allowed to head home in a matter of days. An immigration official from Ngurah Rai told the Daily Mail: “They (the 14 Australians) will be allowed to go back to their country after we finish the examination.”

Bonnie, along with two Brits and an Australian, were detained for longer, with the adult content creator eventually being released on Saturday morning, the publication reports. But the nightmare wasn’t over, as the viral sex star was then handed over to immmigration officers and is set to be interviewed over Tuesday and Wednesday.

Police Chief Batubara said on Saturday: “We have handed them over to the Immigration for further investigation on alleged breaking Immigration law. Police investigation are still ongoing. We jointly conduct the investigation with the Immigration.”

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Bonnie’s fierce rival Annie Knight has slammed the star’s decision to travel to Bali in a scathing interview. “It’s really not surprising, she told news.com.au. “You go to a country where sex work is illegal and you do sex work, you’re going to get arrested. I tried to warn her on the Kyle and Jackie O show and she decided to go ahead with her plans… she made a decision and it hasn’t paid off.”

Chaos also erupted in September back on home soil when Bonnie was reportedly punched in the face at a student nightclub in Sheffield. Police arrived at the scene but shortly after, they confirmed to The Mirror that incident was settled “through an outcome of restorative justice.”

Bonnie has become notorious for taking part in extreme sex stunts, including sleeping with 1,057 men in the space of just 12 hours. In recent months, her troubling career ambitions escalated to the point where OnlyFans barred her from the sex site. The final straw came in June, when the 26-year-old announced her plans to hold a human “petting zoo challenge”. The stunt would have seen Bonnie locked in a glass cage as strangers came to do “whatever they wanted” to her, sparking complaints from fellow sex workers and women’s rights activists that she was glamourising rape culture.

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In Channel 4’s recent documentary ‘1,000 Men And Me: The Bonnie Blue Story’ – which sparked hundreds of Ofcom complaints – Nottinghamshire-born Bonnie boasted: “I am going to be completely helpless, tied down, gagged, choked”. OnlyFans had concerns about the stunt, which it claims was in violation of their Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service, and issued a permanent ban. Campaigners have long called for the website to take action against Bonnie’s content but it continued to platform her until very recently.

Away from the sex site, Bonnie has also been banned from foreign countries and even a football stadium back in the UK. She often brags about being barred from certain places – a tactic that fuels her self-confessed rage-bait strategy and drives views on social media.

Earlier this year, she told the Daily Star that she’d been marched off the premises of Nottingham Forest Football Stadium last October and permanently barred. She claimed: “I didn’t understand why, because I’d not actually done anything… when you go to football, you’ve got football hooligans, people fighting, drinking, you’ve got so much bigger things to be concerned about, and they were just like – no, you’re banned.”

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Bonnie is also banned from Australia and Fiji after her plans to sleep with 18-year-old boys for content during ‘Schoolies Week’ infuriated Aussie parents. A 20,000-strong petition ensued, and her visa was revoked. However, last month, she brazenly bragged about the ban and insisted that she was still planning to go ahead with her controversial ‘Schoolies’ event despite the uproar.

“Every year the government and the middle-aged mums try to ban me from Schoolies,” she said in a video. “But this year it is impossible to ban me. With good lawyers, a lot of money, flights, villa, and the boys lined up, I cannot wait to do Schoolies 2025 bigger than ever.”

Titanic star, Leonardo DiCaprio, has spoken candidly about the reality of fame and how he stays sane as one of the world’s most recognisable actors

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Hollywood heartthrob, Leonardo DiCaprio, has revealed why he always covers his face in public as he reflects on the pressure of fame as one of Tinseltown’s biggest stars.

The Titanic icon, 51, who shot to fame as a teen in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? now boasts a CV most actors could only dream about – with a string of awards, including three Golden Globes and an Oscar to boot.

However, his stellar success has come at a price, with the star frequently seen in public wearing a face mask or a low-slung baseball cap as he humbly admits he wants to ‘disappear as much as you possibly can’.

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Opening up about his extraordinary life outside his work as one of the planet’s most recognisable stars, Leo says he hopes his career will last longer if fans don’t see him all the time.

Claiming he was also going incognito for the sake of his career, he continued: “I was like: ‘OK, how do I have a long career?’ Because I love what I do, and I feel like the best way to have a long career is to get out of people’s face.”

Leo said he feels it’s best to ‘disappear unless you have something to say’, telling TIME magazine: “It’s been a balance I’ve been managing my whole adult life and still I’m not an expert.

“I think my simple philosophy is only get out there and do something when you have something to say, or you have something to show for it. Otherwise, just disappear as much as you possibly can.”

The Talented Mr Ripley star never seems to be seen out in public without concealing his identity with the help of a hat or a face mask. He started wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and has kept up with the practice to this day.

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At Amazon boss Jeff Besos’ wedding in the summer in Venice, Leo was only papped with his baseball cap, which was worn low over his face as he maintained his bid to go incognito.

In August, the star opened up about his one regret when it comes to his career as he spoke candidly about turning down “a profound movie of my generation”.

The Oscar winner, who is best known for roles including The Wolf of Wall Street, This Boy’s Life, The Revenant, and Catch Me If You Can, revealed that his biggest regret when it comes to his movie past is turning down a role which Mark Wahlberg later got cast for.

Wahlberg’s performance in the 1997 box office hit Boogie Nights earned him global notoriety, and Leo couldn’t help but be remorseful after watching the flick, which he turned down.

Speaking to Esquire, Leo admitted: “My biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights. It was a profound movie of my generation. I can’t imagine anyone but Mark [Wahlberg] in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece.”