Sainsbury's holiday fairy tale features a picky countess and lowly chef

Sainsbury's is promoting its twists on traditional Christmas foods in the U.K. retailer's holiday offering, a medieval fairytale set to a 90s classic soundtrack. The spot, by Wieden + Kennedy London, is set in a medieval castle and tells the story of a countess (played by TV personality Alison Hammond) who's picky about her food. When a nervous young cook offers a traditional Christmas pudding, The Countess proclaims: “I’ve never really liked Christmas pudding” and orders him to bring him something different, "or else." He goes to the kitchen and returns with a twist on the original -- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Christmas Pudding. They nervously await her approval, which luckily is forthcoming. A cozy voiceover by Stephen Fry ends the spot, proclaiming "And that’s why you can Taste the Difference”. Directed by Tim Godsall of Anonymous Content, the spot is set to an instrumentalized version of Wheatus' "Teenage Dirtbag" - a touch reminiscent of the use of music in Netflix's "Bridgerton," (and indeed the whole effort, with its fusion of traditional and present day, seems to have a somewhat "Bridgerton" vibe.) As part of the wider campaign, Sainsbury's is opening a pop up cafe called the Pud You Dare Café, where visitors can enjoy a traditional pudding or try the Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Pudding for free. It will be open Nov. 24-25 in London. “We’ve focused on the Christmas pudding specifically because we know it’s divisive – people love it, or they hate it – and that’s why we’ve created the Taste the Difference Caramelised Biscuit Pudding," said Laura Boothby, head of campaigns at Sainsbury’s, in a statement. "Pudding lovers can still opt for the traditional dessert, but those who aren’t fans can try our innovative take on the Christmas classic instead.”

Sainsbury's holiday fairy tale features a picky countess and lowly chef

Featured Stories