Now that Christmas and the New Year’s are behind you, it’s time to turn your attention to the upcoming Chinese New Year season. Besides doing all the requisite spring cleaning, purchasing a new outfit and putting up festive decorations, you’ll want to ensure that you’ve stocked up on all the culinary essentials you may need: be it for hosting a large reunion gathering, or receiving guests for an afternoon visit or late-night mahjong session.

For elevated yet value-for-money treats, make your way to FairPrice Finest, where you can conveniently purchase an assortment of goodies – and look forward to in-store deals and discounts – to help you usher in the Year of the Rabbit. 

Whether you’re on the hunt for auspicious gifts, fuss-free prep ingredients or classic tipples to toast to the New Year with, here are four great ways FairPrice Finest will help you save time and energy when preparing to entertain at home this festive season. 

No-sweat food prep

Hosting a reunion dinner often means spending hours in the kitchen beforehand. But good food doesn’t have to take ages to make, and prepping accordingly can save you precious time that can be better spent catching up with loved ones.

Jazz up your steamboat feast with delicious Chu Collagen soup packs, from $10.50 each, and Chu Collagen Mochi Mochi Noodles, at $6.90 per packet. Broth flavours run the gamut from rich and comforting double-boiled collagen chicken soup, to light and flavourful kombu-based Japanese teapot soup to aromatic laksa soup and umami-rich prawn mee soup, while the artisanal Mochi Mochi Noodles are crafted with high-quality wheat flour mixed with Japanese mochi for a satisfying and slurp-worthy bite. 

Shopper special: Get $1 off when you purchase a bundle of one Chu Collagen soup pack and one packet of Chu Collagen Mochi Mochi Noodles. Valid till Feb 5.

Add a Japanese spin to your snacks with the Fukuya Mentaiko Mayo, at $9.60 (220g), and Bottled Mentaiko with Baby Sardines, at $12.50 (70g). You can mix them together, or enjoy separately – torch the mentaiko mayo over fried food or add to salads, for instance. 

Shopper special: Get $3 off when you purchase both products together. Valid till Feb 5.

Tuck into delightful kueh from popular homegrown heritage brand Chufa, from $9.55 per pack (UP from $10.55 per pack). The family-run brand has been churning out these vibrant Nonya delicacies since the 1960s, which are now exclusively available at FairPrice Finest frozen and individually wrapped for extra convenience. 

There’s the Traditional Ang Ku Kueh that’s stuffed with mung bean paste and wrapped in a chewy coconut-milk-infused skin made with glutinous rice flour, as well as the colourful Rainbow Kueh Lapis that’s sure to be a hit with the kids. For something savoury, go for the Soon Kueh, which is filled with aromatic shredded turnip, dried shrimp and fried shallots. 

Auspicious gifts for loved ones

When going visiting, it’s key to not show up empty handed. This year, delight your family and friends with pineapple cakes from SunnyHills, at $15.70 per box of five. 

These scrumptious bites are made with organically grown pineapples from Taiwan that are cured with minimal sugar in order to retain all that natural pineapple goodness. 

They also feature top-notch New Zealand butter and Japanese flour and boast half the calories and sugar of many other pineapple tarts, making it an ideal present to wish someone an auspicious year ahead.

Tasty snacks to lay out

One of the best parts of the Chinese New Year is having people over for a few rounds of mahjong or catching up with loved ones over an array of delectable treats. As crunchy snacks are always a crowd pleaser, you can grab some Finest-exclusive popiah rolls from Eureka and roasted chickpeas from Peng.

Eureka’s CuiCui Popiah Rolls, at $5.95 (UP $8.58) until Feb 5, are available in three scrumptious flavours – Sour Cream & Onion, Salted Egg and Cheese. They are handmade and properly flavoured to give you just the right amount of tastiness and crunch in each bite.

Meanwhile, Peng’s moreish Roasted Chickpeas, from $3.45 per packet (UP from $4.59) until Feb 5, are offered in a myriad of flavours. These include unique ones like Chilli Nacho, Cappuccino & Dark Chocolate, Fruity & Dark Chocolate, and Coconut & Dark Chocolate, as well as classics like BBQ and Seasalt & Vinegar. 

They’re also gluten-free, suitable for vegans, Halal-certified and contain no artificial colours or flavours, making them ideal for health-conscious snackers or those with dietary restrictions. 

Toast to a good year ahead

Cheers to the Year of the Rabbit with Finest-exclusive liquor offerings, which range from wine to whisky. 

Those who enjoy their wines have to make a beeline for Copower Jade’s Cabernet Franc Reserve, available at a special price of $29.90 (UP $46) until Feb 8. The balanced and highly quaffable wine has notes of blackcurrant and ripe capsicum interwoven with a hint of mint, spice and crisp tannins.

Alternatively, treat guests to a dram or two of The Glenlivet’s Founder’s Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which is also on sale at $70 (UP $95), until Feb 8. 

Made with water from crystal-clear mountain streams and matured in traditional oak casks, the tipple has a smooth, creamy sweetness that mingles harmoniously with the delicate flavours and complex fruity tones already present in the whisky.

Get free personalised chopsticks

To commemorate the New Year, selected FairPrice Finest stores will feature an on-the-spot calligrapher. Simply spend $38 in a single receipt to redeem a free pair of chopsticks in a beautiful satin pouch, and the calligrapher will write an auspicious phrase of your choosing on the chopsticks. 

Available between 1 and 5pm at FairPrice Finest’s Waterway Point and Bukit Timah Plaza outlets on Jan 7 and 8; and Thomson Plaza and Causeway Point outlets on Jan 14 and 15. 

Visit your nearest FairPrice Finest outlet, where you’ll find everything you need for a prosperous and sumptuous festive season.