Christmas sandwich season is again – and there are many choices to do this yr. From traditional flavours to new innovations, there actually is a sarnie to go well with all.
However because the workforce at HuffPost UK know all too nicely, not all festive sandwiches are created equal. Turkey could be pleasant or painfully dry, stuffing can pack a punch or be abysmally bland. And the bread? There’s lots to say in regards to the bread.
That can assist you select earlier than parting together with your hard-earned money, we’ve accomplished our annual style check, sampling a number of the sandwiches on provide from the nation’s largest supermarkets and excessive avenue cafés. Get pleasure from!
M&S Boxing Day Triple (£3.80) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Boxing Day leftovers are the spotlight of Christmas meals for me, so I’m excited to do this triple homage. The packet incorporates three satisfyingly contrasting flavours: turkey and stuffing, ham hock and piccalilli, and Wensleydale with carrot and orange chutney. Every sarnie is moist, completely full of filling and there’s contemporary, mild bread all spherical.
“The turkey combine is my favorite, with the proper quantity of cranberry and wonderful, peppery seasoning. The ham hock screams ‘good high quality meat’ and whereas the piccalilli is powerful, it isn’t as overpowering as others I’ve tried previously. I benefit from the Wensleydale and chutney combo, however the orange is kind of candy, so this one may divide the crowds. General, a satisfying lunch for the value.” – Rachel Moss, Life editor
Waitrose Christmas Smoked Salmon, Egg & Truffle Sandwich (£3.80) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This new Christmas sandwich appears as inviting because it does within the pics and it’s clear to see what you’re getting with every layer. The beneficiant serving of chunky egg mayo topped with the salty salmon together with the mushroom and truffle sauce, which don’t overpower, present a tasty mixture of flavour. For others, it could be a bit wealthy.
“The crispy spinach and comfortable rye bread give it the best texture. For £3.80, I’d say this can be a luxurious sandwich that’s not for the on a regular basis lunch. Extra like a lunchtime deal with on a special occasion.” – Melanie Grant, viewers editor, HuffPost Buying
Sainsbury’s Rudolph’s Christmas Feast Sandwich (£3) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“If Sainsbury’s are aiming for an Instagram second, they positively have it with this sandwich. The bun is formed like a star and appears virtually too fairly to eat. The vegan various to a Christmas sandwich is tasty and filled with flavour and the addition of sunflower seeds provides a pleasant crunch to an total fluffy roll. However for me the flavours lean an excessive amount of in direction of candy than savoury.
“Though the carrot and pumpkin filling give me autumn/winter vibes, as a lunchtime snack it will be nice to have some extra savoury flavours in there. The substances point out a sage and onion vegan mayo that felt non-existent, and will’ve been the saving grace if there have been extra of it.” – Nabihah Parkar, viewers engagement reporter
Greggs Pigs-Beneath-Blankets Baguette (£3.20) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I’m a giant fan of pigs-in-blankets typically, so I’m excited to attempt the Greggs Pigs-Beneath-Blankets creation. The worth is fairly affordable, however the baguette appears just like every other Greggs baguette, with no festive contact, other than the compulsory pork double of bacon and sausage. The whole lot’s coated with a purple sauce – at first look, it appears prefer it could be ketchup, nevertheless it’s truly cranberry and port. I’m somebody who hates any sort of sauce (bizarre, I do know). However I’ve a go and, no, it’s a bit too overpowering, so I attempt to keep away from it.
“The baguette additionally incorporates onion and sage stuffing, which does provides to the Christmasy vibes. The bacon and sausage style first rate, however you may’t go flawed with them actually. General, it’s reasonably fulfilling, however you’d positively want to love the cranberry sauce (and I don’t) to correctly pig out on this one.” – Habiba Katsha, Life reporter
Caffe Nero Vegan Festive Feast Panini £4.60 ⭐️⭐️
“This panini is okay – however it’s largely bread. Whereas I’m positive the pretend turkey ‘meat’ is tasty, I wouldn’t know. It appeared to get misplaced amid all the ciabatta roll and there have been only a few bits of it in the entire sandwich. As a powerful advocate for nearly all plant-based meat substitutes (they’ve actually come a good distance lately), this did really feel like a let down.
“I’ve tried quite a lot of Caffe Nero’s paninis in my time and the bread has all the time been constantly comfortable and seemed fairly appetising. However on this event, it carried the entire meal. The cranberry sauce additionally appeared to get fully absorbed into the roll, whereas the festive stuffing appeared near non-existent.
“To high all of it off, there have been about three spinach leaves in the complete panini. All in all, a reasonably sparse providing and until the panini is stuffed with extra substances, I wouldn’t say it’s price £4.60.” – Kate Nicholson, senior tendencies reporter
Vegan Christmas Flatbread (£5.25) ⭐️
“Pret all the time delivers some solidly reliable festive lunch choices – from the Christmas Lunch sandwich for turkey traditionalists to my private favorite, the Brie, Pistachio and Cranberry baguette. This yr, they’ve added a Turkey & Trimmings toastie (probably for alliterative functions?) to the menu, in addition to a Vegan Christmas Flatbread. I’m making an attempt the latter and it actually appears promising.
“Fillings clever, we have now the vegan bingo of roasted butternut squash, candy potato falafel and spinach, jazzed up with some pickled cabbage and carrot. It’s actually vibrant, however I’m not getting a lot festive flavour. Sure, there’s Pret’s ubiquitous port and orange cranberry sauce and a few vegan sage mayo. However ‘Christmas’ pesto? Hmm. You’d suppose all of the sauce would make for a luscious mouthful, nevertheless it truly leaves me chilly and a tad queasy. In the meantime, the wholemeal flatbread is as versatile and absorbent as cardboard and about as appetising. Not a lot ‘ho, ho, ho’ as ‘no, no, no’ from me, particularly at this worth.” – Nancy Groves, head of Life.