Every Christmas supermarkets find themselves in a pigs in blankets arms race - each competing to come up with a different twist on the festive classic. This year Asda has decided to go big by creating the foot-long pig in blanket that promises to serve ten people at the Yuletide table.
Part of the supermarket's Extra Extra Special Christmas collection, the monster is described as "a Christmas classic turned into the ultimate centrepiece". So it's definitely got the quantity but what of the quality? Reporter Annie Owen made space in her oven and tackled the porky behemoth...
The classic pig in blanket recipe has been finetuned to perfection, so I was curious to see how the jumbo version would fare. I noticed the mammoth pork sausage was completely covered with several rashers of streaky bacon, unlike its miniature cousin. Aside from the bacon-to-sausage ratio, I was also curious how it would taste because pigs in blankets are known for their salty flavour. But after excitedly taking it out of the freezer I was surprised to see a cooking time of 1 hour and 10 minutes.
By the time it finished cooking I couldn't wait to try it - it smelled delicious and I was pleasantly surprised by how appetising it looked. It had a crispy layer of bacon but wasn't greasy. As I bit into a slice, I tasted the familiar saltiness of the bacon but the sausage flavour was more subtle than the regular size.
If the flavours had replicated the miniature version, I think it would've been too salty, so the balanced seasoning of the sausage and thin layer of bacon worked well. I didn't have a Christmas dinner to hand, so I served it with mashed potato and onion gravy for a Christmassy version of bangers and mash.
Pigs in blankets are usually my favourite part of a Christmas dinner (controversially tied with sprouts) so I had reservations about how the jumbo version would compare with the original. However, I was so impressed with the texture and rich flavour that it is a genuine contender to replace the classic version on my Christmas dinner this year.
I'm not saying I'll ditch the classics altogether, but this version brings something new to the table. A slice of the giant pig in blanket brought delicious flavour, but was more substantial and dense than the originals, which would perfectly compliment turkey and all the trimmings.
The foot-long pig in blanket is available from Asda for £6.
