Waitrose has taken an unexpected turn for Christmas 2025, unveiling a four-minute mini rom-com called “The Perfect Gift.” The film stars actress Keira Knightley (playing herself) and comedian Joe Wilkinson (as Phil, reprising his role from last year’s “Sweet Suspicion” campaign). In it, Phil meets Knightley at a Waitrose deli cheese counter over a shared taste in Sussex Charmer Mature Cheddar, and a whirlwind romance unfolds – complete with hand-shaped biscuits, candlelit dates, and a climactic turkey pie spelled out “I love you”. Waitrose has even turned the fictional grandmother’s turkey pie into a real product sold in stores. The campaign tagline plays on the fairy-tale ending: “and they ate happily ever after.”
A Fresh, Food-Focused Romance
This romantic-comedy approach is deliberately novel for a supermarket ad. Waitrose’s marketing chief calls it an “industry first” – a full-length rom-com short film designed to cement the grocer’s brand as “the home of food lovers,” with food itself as the “greatest love language”. Compared to the usual 30–60 second spots, this four-minute format is a risk. But early indications suggest it paid off. In the first half of 2025, Waitrose saw record sales (over £4.1 billion, a 6% rise year-on-year), so the retailer can afford to dream big with its festive storytelling. “Food brings people together,” says the campaign’s director – and they literally stage it at the cheese counter, over festive treats, and with Waitrose-branded turkey pie in hand. Even Richard Curtis (the Love Actually director) has reportedly praised the ad as “sweet as pie”, underscoring the feel-good intent. Knightley herself chimed in, saying she “couldn’t turn down” a script where she falls “head over heels in love over a shared love of cheese.”.
Critics admit it’s charming at first view: Guardian columnist Stuart Heritage calls it “sweet and funny and heartfelt,” noting that its rom-com clichés (shared soup, banoffee pie, snowy kiss) genuinely work. Fans agree on social media – one Amazon shopper enthused, “I got completely engaged in this gorgeous story. I forgot it was an advert for a minute”. Online polls quickly labeled it the “best Christmas ad ever,” with viewers begging for a feature-length version. The public reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, with viewers calling it “goosebumps!” material and even dubbing the Waitrose deli meet-cute a festive “BRAVO” moment. In a year of sentimental spots, Waitrose’s light-hearted rom-com has clearly struck a chord of nostalgia and escapism.
Where Critics Raise an Eyebrow
But not everyone is entirely smitten. The ad’s sheer length and style have drawn some wry comments. Heritage quips that an emotional pitch that “works the first time” might turn repetitive on a six-week TV loop. He jokes that being forced to watch this “mini Love Actually” “dozens of times in the next six weeks” would test anyone’s festive spirit. In other words, the ad’s charm could wear thin under heavy rotation. Others note that claiming “industry first” is hyperbole – there have been other rom-com references in ads and even Guinness-record long spots (Old Spice once made a 14-hour ad).
A few critics also question its relevance to Christmas or Waitrose’s mission. Unlike budget-focused adverts, this one never mentions price or prices – it’s pure fantasy. With cost-of-living anxiety still high, some wonder if a rom-com about cheese lovers feels out of touch. By contrast, competitors like Asda have tackled that head-on: their 2025 ad stars the Grinch being grudgingly charmed by “Asda Prices,” explicitly promising to “make Christmas amazing without breaking the bank.” Waitrose’s approach is consciously escapist: it’s not selling bargains but brand affinity. The Guardian’s editorial on this season’s ads noted that John Lewis, for example, went for an introspective father-son story with a 1990s soundtrack, while Tesco showed funny “imperfect” family mishaps. In that landscape, Waitrose’s storybook romance is more about mood than realism. Some viewers have joked that it’s basically a long product-placement film (“food lovers, food is great”) rather than a Santa’s sack of bargains.
Beyond these stylistic gripes, there’s been little outright outrage attached to the ad. It avoids the flash points that tripped up others. For instance, Coca-Cola’s AI-generated 2025 Christmas film was savaged online (one commenter quipped it was “the most profitable commercial in Pepsi’s history” for not hiring animators). Boots’s 2024 ad – featuring a non-binary elf and a feminist Mrs. Claus – provoked a firestorm of “woke” complaints. By contrast, Waitrose has adhered to a straightforward rom-com formula, avoiding overt political or social messaging. Even Sainsbury’s GFG/BFG campaign drew jibes this year (one judge lamented it merely “enriches the estate of [Roald Dahl’s] infamous antisemite” without a clear brand message). Waitrose sidesteps all that; its only real “issue” seems to be consumer fatigue over long-form ads.
Comparing the Christmas Commercial Crowd
Placed alongside the 2025 holiday ads, Waitrose’s effort stands out for its cinematic, narrative flair. John Lewis chose seriousness: a dad reconnecting with his son through a nostalgic dance track, reflecting the modern male experience of loneliness. Tesco went for a sketch-comedy approach, slicing everyday festive chaos into short scenes. Asda took a character-driven gag (the Grinch learns to love low prices). Sainsbury’s again used Roald Dahl’s BFG in an action-comedy about food theft and charity. Aldi kept it light and cartoonish with Kevin the Carrot on a comedic quest. Boots traded fairy-tale candy with Puss in Boots, seeking gifts for friends. Every major retailer picked a distinct tone.
In this lineup, Waitrose’s rom-com is as polished and starry as Burberry’s luxe celebrity montage, but warmer and more whimsical. It’s more story-driven than most, and decidedly untethered from price or deals. That makes it memorable — viewers “felt sorry they weren’t watching Love Actually on loop,” joked The Guardian – but it also risks seeming indulgent. Ultimately, whether “The Perfect Gift” resonates depends on what audiences want in an ad: for many, it’s a cozy escape filled with holiday cheer; for others, it might be a sugar rush that doesn’t quite deliver a stocking stuffer.
In summary, Waitrose’s 2025 Christmas advert has won a legion of fans for its sweetness, star power, and sheer creativity. Its balanced critique lies in recognizing this: it’s an unusual, feel-good departure from traditional supermarket ads – and that’s both its strength and its weakness. While it offers a refreshing rom-com narrative (even sprinkling products like the turkey pie into the plot), it pays almost no lip service to the year’s cost-of-living crunch or to Waitrose’s own grocery offerings. And unlike edgy holiday ads (think Coca-Cola’s AI adventure or Boots’s woke elf) that provoked headlines, “The Perfect Gift” has mostly divided opinions gently – over style and length, not substance. In the end, for a brand confident in its status, a little festive fantasy may just be the perfect marketing gift it wanted to give customers.
