In the news: Barry Williams, the Asda food boss taking on Aldi and Lidl

It was the result of a mishap during an earlier preview of the seasonal range, this time to Asda colleagues.

As one of them passed Williams a turkey crown he caught it the wrong way, resulting in a splint and bandage.

But while Williams may have taken a minor hit on that occasion, he is confident he can take anything his rivals – including discounters Aldi and Lidl, and online specialist Ocado – can throw at him in the grocery battle for control of festive dinner tables.

Williams, Asda’s chief merchandising officer for food, is confident that the retailer’s seasonal offer can see off all comers whether measured by value or quality.

“We’ve put premium into the product but not into the prices”

Barry Williams, Asda

It is “posh food at proper prices”, according to Asda. Some of it was on offer to guests at the Taste of London food festival where Williams hosted a reception.

Sumptuous Serrano ham – a whole leg for £39, which Asda pointedly compared with Aldi’s version at £44.99 – and spiced Persian turkey were some of the items on offer to tickle the taste buds.

The seasonal food assortment also includes a whole lobster for £5. The crustacean seems to have become an emblem of the grocery wars in progress – Iceland also has one at the same price – but Williams is bemused. Asda has been selling them for several years he points out – they are not new.

But they do symbolise the twin dynamics of low prices and high quality that are driving the food retail market at present and which Williams maintains has always been at Asda’s heart.

Christmas confidence

“People used to say to me you can’t have the best quality at the lowest prices. That’s absolutely wrong,” he asserts. “We’ve put premium into the product but not into the prices.

“For the customer it’s nothing but good news, it’s the democratisation of value.”

Asda has introduced 70 new products to its Extra Special Range this Christmas and is making great play of the fact that the products will be available in a large number of its stores.

He is scathing of some of the eye-catching offers combining quality and value available at rivals, which, he argues, are not able to offer shoppers their deals nationwide.

“It’s not just one or two lines and when people get to the store they’re not there,” he says. “We’re the biggest value retailer.”

He is similarly dismissive of the hi-lo pricing sometimes deployed by rivals, which he believes cannot compare to Asda’s every day low prices (EDLP). He says EDLP is not just good for customers but for suppliers, who can plan on consistent expectations.

Fall in sales

Despite Williams’ bullishness, Asda is not having everything its own way. The retailer’s like-for-likes slipped in the most recent quarter and chief executive Andy Clarke described a “shockwave” going through the grocery industry.

But Williams brings to Asda long experience in food retail, including experience at Budgens and Londis owner Musgrave.

And as the countdown to Christmas proceeds, Williams says that while the grocer will refuse to be judged on one festive season’s trading he is upbeat about prospects.

“We are confident about how we have positioned the business,” he says.

While he failed to catch the seasonal bird passed his way by a colleague, Williams seems sanguine that this Christmas will be no turkey from a wider Asda food perspective.