Asda has launched a pre-brûléed, frozen crème brûlée just in time to reduce the stress of festive hosting at home. Presented as a “supermarket-first” in the United Kingdom, the Extra Special Classic Crème Brûléeis a fuss-free, value option for lovers of the traditional French dessert.
“We travel the globe tasting and seeking inspiration for new products,” said Sarah Sharples, innovation manager at Asda. “Retro desserts have been on the rise for a few years now, and none more so than the crème brûlée. Our offering allows consumers to recreate this experience at home. It’s a classic French dish, made easy.”
Created with premium ingredients including rich British double cream and Madagascan vanilla seeds, the pre-brûléed demerara sugar gives the dessert its characteristic, satisfying crack when tapped, mimicking a restaurant experience without any of the effort. With no brûléeing needed, consumers just need to thaw out the product for five hours before enjoying the golden, crispy top sweet treat.
With Asda’s Trend Book for 2024/25 revealing ovens are no longer the center of kitchens in the UK due to rising energy costs, the no-cook crème brûlée offers an energy-efficient, low maintenance choice. While a homemade crème brûlée can take up to an hour to prepare, Asda’s freezer-to-table option is convenient for dinner parties where hosts want to impress without spending long hours in the kitchen, or for those looking to seize a moment of luxury at the end of a busy day. With no blowtorch required, money is saved on additional kitchen tools that won’t get much use.
Commenting on the launch, Jemma Copley, product development manager for frozen desserts at Asda, said: “Traditionally, all shop-bought crème brûlées needed to be topped by the customer at home using a grill. The beauty of a frozen crème brûlée is that the product is held in a way which allows the pre-brûléed sugar layer to stay crisp, meaning the customer gets the crack each time with very minimal effort. It is a classic recipe using quality ingredients for the perfect pud.”
Asda’s Extra Special Classic Crème Brûlée is available in-store and online now, and serves six for just £5. That works out at 83p per serving.
