Christmas is fast approaching, which means it's time to swap your boring ham and cheese sandwich for something a little more festive.
The fridges at our favourite supermarkets and high street coffee shops are filled with this year's Christmas sandwich offerings, with more choices than ever before.
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's have joined the likes of Costa Coffee, Pret a Manager and Starbucks to go all out for 2022, with no shortage of turkey, cranberry sauce and brie. And there are also some more experimental options, including festive falafel, Focaccia and a beetroot Wellington baguette.
What's your favourite Christmas sandwich? Have your say in the comment section below.
There is also a huge selection of vegetation, vegan, and Free From sandwiches at all of your favourite chains - so there really is something for everyone.
But where do you even begin with all of this?
We've taste tested all of this year's festive sandwiches to see which ones you need to try and which you can probably skip. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it...
Pret a Manger
Festive Falafel and Squash, £5.25
WHAT'S IN IT: Herby roasted butternut squash topped with sweet potato falafel, Christmas pesto, pickled cabbage and carrot, port and orange cranberry sauce as well as vegan sage mayo. The whole thing is finished with peppery rocket and crispy onions.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 4/10
A strange combination of flavours that unfortunately didn’t work for me. At first I was very excited to try this one - it looked great from the outside but after the first bite there was just so much confusion. The flavours and different textures were too much to handle and I couldn’t quite understand what was going on there. Not a great sandwich overall.
Beet Wellington Baguette, £4.60
WHAT’S IN IT: Slices of maple-roasted beetroot on a bed of truffle-flavored mushrooms, Christmas pesto, and vegan sage mayo. Topped with rocket and crispy onions.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
I’m not a vegetarian but I can definitely see myself choosing this as a meat-free alternative. Nutty, fresh, and packed with lots of different flavours, I enjoyed this as it tasted entirely different from all the other Christmas sandwiches. I would eat this all year round.
Boxing Day Toastie, £5.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Cheddar cheese, pulled ham, turkey and herby pork stuffing, and a dollop of caramelised onion chutney and sage mayo, all toasted.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 7/10
A solid option if you're in the mood for a winter warmer. Filled with a hefty amount of meat and cheese. Very filling. My only criticism is that it was a bit dry and it could do with some sauce or something to moisten it up - like Ross Gellar's 'moist maker' sandwich in friends.
Christmas Lunch Sandwich, £5.40
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey with port and orange cranberry sauce, herby pork stuffing, and baby spinach. Finished with a sprinkling of crispy onions and a dab of mayo.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 7/10
This sandwich has a good mix of filling and the elements work quite nicely together. I particularly liked the addition of the crispy onions as they gave a nice texture and were a bit different from what other sandwiches. If I had to make one criticism, it's that there's a little bit too much spinach in there - who wants to be healthy at Christmas?!
Christmas Lunch Baguette, £5.95
WHAT’S IN IT: Thick slices of turkey with a port and orange cranberry sauce, herby pork stuffing and baby spinach. Finished with mayo and crispy onions.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 6/10
The baguette looks very appetising, with a generous and varied filling. However I found the sandwich version much easier to eat and more enjoyable as the baguette is tough to bite into.
Brie and Cranberry Baguette, £5.25
WHAT’S IN IT: Slices of French brie with port and orange cranberry sauce, a dab of mayo, roasted pistachio nuts, and a handful of peppery rocket on a stone-baked baguette.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 9/10
Festive factor - 8/10
A real classic which I really enjoyed. A good amount of filling, generous slices of brie and a hearty amount of cranberry sauce. I enjoyed the added crunch from the roasted pistachios. It was a nice touch, something Pret is good at doing, adding extra ingredients to elevate the ordinary into something special.
Pigs in Blankets Hot Roll, £4.99
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork sausages wrapped in streaky bacon served in a hot crusty roll with a layer of caramelised onion chutney and dab of mustard mayo.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 3/10
This one wasn’t a winner from me and I was quite surprised by how disappointing it was compared to Pret’s usual high standards. I found the roll to be too dry and tough, which didn’t make for a pleasurable eating experience. The pigs in blankets themselves were fine, which scored the product a few points, but the mustard mayo was overpowering and just not very festive at all.
Starbucks
Pigs Under Blankets Roll, £4.95
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork sausage, smoked bacon, sage and onion mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, and cranberry chutney on a Vienna roll.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 8/10
Festive factor - 6/10
After the unimpressive Pret roll, I was apprehensive about this option from Starbucks but I was pleasantly surprised. The bread roll was a little thick, but overall it didn’t negatively impact the quality of the sandwich. There was a generous amount of filling which all tasted really nice. This can be eaten hot or cold, I imagine it would be even better with melty cheese.
Tis the Season Turkey Sandwich, £4.95
WHAT’S IN IT: Sliced turkey breast, beechwood smoked bacon, sage and onion stuffing with cranberry sauce on malted bread.
Look- 9/10
Taste - 8/10
Festive factor - 8/10
Another nice sandwich from Starbucks, this might be the first festive turkey one that I’ve tried that actually does have a proper ‘roast dinner’ taste to it. It goes hard on the amount of turkey inside, but it’s certainly no bad thing and I’m a big fan of the thick fluffy bread.
Brie and Cran-merry Focaccia, £5.80
WHAT’S IN IT: Rosemary-topped olive oil-based focaccia filled with slices of creamy brie, cranberry chutney, and fresh spinach leaf.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 9/10
Festive factor - 8/10
I believe all the sandwiches in the 2022 range for Starbucks can either be consumed hot or cold. I feel like this one is probably meant to be toasted and the brie would be great all warm and oozy, but untoasted, the bread is surprisingly light and fluffy. The Focaccia made a nice change from the regular bread on all the other sandwiches and it had such a nice flavour. The sandwich did end up being more bread than filling overall, but somehow it works well.
Costa
Veggie Brie and Cranberry Toastie, £4.30
WHAT’S IN IT: Creamy brie slices with a sweet cranberry sauce in bar-marked white bread.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 5/10
The bread was chewy, the cranberry sauce was too sweet (a common theme during this taste test) and the brie was unusually strong. But even so, it didn’t really have much flavor. It wasn’t terrible, but I just didn’t really enjoy it.
Vegan Pigs in Blankets Panini, £4.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Plant-based sausage and bacon with sweet cranberry sauce, sage and onion stuffing, vegan mayo and cheese in a stonebaked sourdough panini.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 2/10
As a non-vegan, this sandwich was an all-around bizarre experience for me. The fake meat looks really weird on this as they’ve tried very hard to make it look like real meat and it’s almost cartoony. The sausage tastes a lot like a frankfurter and the fake bacon is hard to describe. The taste is almost meaty but not quite. Didn’t notice the cranberry sauce or cheese, everything else was so distracting.
Turkey and the Trimmings Toastie, £5.60
WHAT’S IN IT: Cheese-topped toastie with turkey, maple-cured bacon, sage and onion stuffing, and tangy cranberry sauce.
Look - 9/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 7/10
As a cheese lover, this toastie looks like heaven in sandwich form. It’s a carby pillow of cheese. The fillings inside are pretty lost as the whole taste is overwhelmed by the cheese topping, making it essentially an epic cheese toastie. In a nutshell, it’s incredibly indulgent, which feels right for a Christmas sandwich, as the whole holiday is one big festival of indulgence. Could do with a bit more cranberry sauce to balance out the flavours.
Brie, Bacon and Cranberry Panini, £4.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Creamy brie slices with maple-cured bacon and sweet cranberry sauce in a stone-baked sourdough panini.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
I really enjoyed this one as I am a huge fan of Brie. Paired with the bacon and toasted so it’s melting - the perfect combo in my eyes. And the ideal comforting lunch for a cold winter's day.
Pigs in Blankets Panini, £5.60
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork sausage with maple cured bacon, pork, sage and onion stuffing and sweet cranberry sauce in a stonebaked sourdough panini.
Look - 6/10
Taste -7 /10
Festive factor - 5/10
The fact that this is a toastie and the cheese is melted and warm definitely adds to this one for me. It’s a nice addition to the pigs in blankets classic and adds an extra level of flavor that really brought all the ingredients together. The sandwich is nicely balanced here and you can taste a bit of everything, which makes a nice change from others where it was either confusing on the palette or overwhelming.
PAUL
Christmas Turkey Sandwich, £5.15
WHAT’S IN IT: Sage, onion and cranberry baguette filled with sliced turkey, smoky bacon, spinach, and horseradish sauce
Look - 8/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 7/10
A fun twist on the traditional turkey sandwich as the cranberries were actually baked into the bread itself. The turkey inside looked very fresh, but overall wasn’t a winner for me as all I could taste was the horseradish sauce.
Camembert and Red Grape Sandwich, £6.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Camembert, red grapes, cranberry sauce, mayonnaise, and batavia housed in a sesame bun.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 5/10
This one was pretty tricky to eat as the baguette was really tough. When you did manage to sink your teeth into it, the grape halves would burst out of the middle. Despite this, it was very tasty and certainly didn’t scrimp on the cheese inside. Plus the Camembert made a nice change from all the other brie ones around.
Prawn & Marie Rose Sandwich, £6.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Prawns, Marie Rose sauce, tabasco, green apple, batavia, in a sesame baguette
Look - 8/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
As a prawn cocktail lover, this sandwich is a festive win for me. The Marie Rose sauce and soft baguette was decent, so much so I almost ate the entire sandwich in a few bites. With the added crisp of apple and crisp green apple, it really won me over. The trick to a good sandwich is to keep it simple, and Paul has delivered in my eyes. Did it feel like a traditional Christmas sandwich? Not really - but I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.
Greggs
Vegan Turkey-free and Stuffing Baguette, £3.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Sage and onion plant-based goujons with onion gravy and cranberry and port sauce in a freshly baked baguette.
Look - 5/10
Taste -7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
I can’t say anything was wrong with this one apart from the bread being hard, if you get this one warm and fresh - it may be a great meal for someone whos looking for a meat-free option. The vegan turkey and onion sauce went great together.
Pigs Under Blankets Baguette, £3.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork sausages with smoked sweetcure bacon topped with pork, onion and sage stuffing, and cranberry and port sauce in a crusty white baguette.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 6/10
As with all their baguettes, Greggs delivered a good amount of filling inside this festive offering, with hearty amounts of sausage, stuffing and cranberry sauce. However, the bread it was housed in was far too dry and hurt my teeth trying to bite into, so that ruined the whole experience for me.
ALDI
Turkey and Trimmings Toastie, £1.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Béchamel sauce and grilled cheese topped white bread with cooked butter basted turkey, béchamel sauce, pork, sage and onion stuffing, grated mozzarella, chunky cranberry chutney and beechwood smoked streaky bacon
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
Another incredibly decadent cheese-topped toastie, this time from Aldi. This version is a lot cheaper than the Costa one and seems to deliver even more cheese if that’s even possible.
Pigs Under Cheesy Blankets Roll, £2.50
WHAT’S IN IT: White semolina sub roll layered with cooked Lincolnshire sausage, sliced brie cheese, smoked chilli jam, maple cured smoked streaky bacon and cranberry sauce.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 5/10
Aldi was almost on to something with this roll, they’d nailed the right amount of filling, the smoked chilli jam paired with the sweet cranberry sauce gave a unique taste that was traditional Christmas with a spicy kick. Everything was great, until you factor in the sub roll. The choice of bread really let the whole thing down, it did not taste good.
Turkey Feast Sandwich, £2.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Cooked turkey breast, pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, mayonnaise, cooked smoked bacon and fried onion on malted bread
Look - 5/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 5/10
Another poor showing from Aldi, the price is cheap and the sandwich tastes cheap also, with the bacon being quite stringy in texture. The dominant flavour here is onion, from the stuffing and the fried onions, which isn’t ideal. It was also too heavy on the mayonnaise for my liking. Doesn’t live up to the ‘feast’ name it’s been given, very disappointing.
Turkey Feast Wrap, £2.19
WHAT’S IN IT: Butter-basted cooked turkey breast with mayonnaise, pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry and port sauce, cooked diced beechwood smoked streaky bacon, and fried onions with spinach on a plain wheat tortilla wrap.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 0/10
Festive factor - 5/10
If I thought the last Turkey Feast sarnie was disappointing, then things went from bad to worse with the Turkey Feast wrap. On first impression, the wrap looks very tempting, generously stuffed with festive treats, the meat looks good - I’d pick it up if I saw it in the shop for sure. However, I found myself unable to even swallow a mouthful of this monstrosity, it had a strong acidic taste that I wanted gone immediately.
Specially Selected Butter-basted Turkey and Pigs Under Blankets Bloomer, £2.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Butter-basted cooked turkey breast with cooked Lincolnshire pork sausage, pork, chestnut and thyme stuffing, cranberry and port sauce, beechwood smoked streaky bacon with sage and onion mayonnaise, fried onions, and parsley on malted bloomer bread.
Look - 9/10
Taste - 7.5/10
Festive factor - 8/10
While the first few sandwiches in Aldi’s range may have been underwhelming, the budget supermarket certainly redeems itself with this bloomer. The packaging is great, looks more high-end than you’d expect from Aldi and the sandwich itself looks quite fancy, with clearly defined and generous layers of fillings. The malted bloomer bread is nice and thick and fluffy, there’s a good amount of it but it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the sandwich. I’d happily buy this one again - great value for the price!
Brie and Spiced Cranberry Chutney, £2.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Mould ripened brie cheese with cranberry, orange and ginger chutney, mayonnaise, and spinach on malted bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
A perfectly nice sandwich in terms of appearance and taste and once again good value for money compared to similar offerings from other supermarkets and cafes. This one was very creamy with the brie and the mayo. The cheese slices were a good size, not scrimping on the brie at all.
Vegan Festive Feast, £1.79
WHAT’S IN IT: Parsnip fritter with cranberry chutney, shredded apple, sliced cabbage and sultanas with vegan sage and onion mayonnaise, fried onions and spinach on cranberry and poppy seed bread.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 9/10
Festive factor - 9/10
Aldi’s Vegan Festive Feast was an unexpected joy of a sandwich and might just have stolen the whole show - it looked great with all the different coloured ingredients inside and it did actually taste like Christmas in a mouthful. I’m not a vegan, but I’d eat this again and again and again.
Smoked Salmon and Soft Cheese Sandwich, £2.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Smoked salmon with seasoned reduced fat soft cheese, lemon juice and single cream in wholemeal bread.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 4/10
A rather boring and flavorless smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich. The lemon juice that the packet claims is there is so subtle that it might as well be non-existent and the cheese is pretty tasteless. I could barely finish one bite it was so bland.
Tesco
Tesco Finest Smoked Turkey and Truffle Club, £3.35
WHAT’S IN IT: Smoked British turkey breast with a rich truffle mayonnaise, crunchy pickled red slaw, cheddar cheese, tangy cranberry sauce and lettuce in a toasted cranberry and oatmeal bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 8/10
Festive factor - 6/10
For me, the bread is really what made this sandwich. Delicious, thick and toasted, and three layers too! The truffle wasn’t too strong and perfectly complemented the turkey - and the red slaw was a lovely final fresh touch. It’s a good-looking sandwich with a strong mix of fillings and offers something different from your bog-standard supermarket turkey sandwich. I like that Tesco have tried something new here and while it’s not necessarily my favourite, the bougee-ness of the truffle feels perfect for the holiday season.
Pigs Under Blankets Roll, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork sausage, mayonnaise, sweetcure bacon, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce in a white roll with sage and dried fried onion.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor -7/10
The only word I have for this one is: meh. It wasn’t bad but it certainly wasn’t delicious. The sausages were nice but all of the different fillings didn’t quite come together how I wanted them to. So, it was just kind of average. An alright option to grab on the go if you’re in a rush, but nothing to rave about from the rooftops.
Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Sub, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey breast and thighs mayonnaise, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, and beechwood smoked bacon in a white sub roll.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor -8/10
This was tasty and had a good ratio of sauce to meat and stuffing. Although it didn’t appear all that appetising, it was definitely a case of it tasting better than it looked. However, it wasn’t the most exciting sandwich I’ve ever had and I can imagine getting bored halfway through eating.
Plant Chef Roasted Veg and Chestnut Wrap, £3.40
WHAT’S IN IT: Roasted root vegetables and chestnuts with braised red cabbage, cranberry sauce, a pea protein alternative to mayonnaise, sage and onion stuffing and spinach in a beetroot and chia tortilla wrap.
Look - 10/10
Taste - 8/10
Festive factor - 6/10
I’m always pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the vegan offerings when it comes to Christmas sandwiches and this one was another standout. The beetroot and chia wrap is so colourful that you won’t forget about this item anytime soon. The wrap is full to the brim with filling and while it does taste and look great, it loses some points for not being particularly festive in flavour.
Gluten-free Turkey and Stuffing Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey breast, mayonnaise, cranberry sauce with pork, sage and onion stuffing in gluten-free seeded bread.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 7/10
It was really nice to see a gluten-free offering in the Tesco range, as there didn’t seem to be any others on offer for 2022. This was a decent sandwich option, it tasted good,with lots of Turkey in there, nice balance of ingredients and the bread is unique without gluten, not as stodgy as regular sandwiches can be.
Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Brie full-fat soft cheese, cranberry sauce, and spinach in malted bread.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 5/10
A solid sandwich option from Tesco, the brie slices were a tad thin compared to other brie ones, but it didn’t cause too much of an issue as the bread was also noticeably thin.
Plant Chef No beef Wellington Wrap, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Wheat and pea protein, mushrooms and a red wine dressing in a wrap.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 8/10
Beef Wellington - A Christmas favorite dish! And what could be any better then having that all in one bite? But something wasn’t quite right in this wrap, the mushroom and red wine dressings were overpowering the Vegan beef and the flavors just didn’t work.
Morrisons
Plant Revolution Vegan Feast, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: A vegetable fritter, white bean parsnip houmous, braised red cabbage, spinach, spiced chutney and red cabbage on malted bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 7/10
This winter sandwich looked quite appetising and sounded great, but unfortunately there was no sauce to help bring the sandwich together and make it less dry. There was potential here, but it wasn’t executed well.
Festive Cheeseboard Sandwich, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Topped with Wensleydale cheese, balsamic onion chutney, mature cheddar cheese, seasoned mayonnaise, spinach and Blacksticks blue cheese on malted bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 8/10
The idea of a cheeseboard in a sandwich sounds dreamy, and as someone who really enjoys cheese - I was really looking forward to having this sandwich. The first bite was very enjoyable with the three different cheeses and spinach but for me personally I’m not a big fan of Blue cheese. However, if you love blue cheese, this could be the one for you.
Boxing Day Curry Wrap, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Chicken breast in a coronation mayo with red cabbage, carrot slaw and spinach in a soft tortilla wrap.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 3/10
I was quite excited to try this one as the curry wrap seemed to offer a break from the long list of brie and cranberry and turkey sandwiches everyone is selling. However, it was disappointing. The wrap didn’t have much of a curry flavour, more of a bland mayonnaise taste. It was very creamy, the chicken is lost however, there’s more coleslaw than anything else. The whole thing was too sloppy and goopy for me.
Christmas Lunch Sandwich, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Filled with turkey breast with cranberry chutney, smoked bacon, pork, sage, and onion stuffing, and seasoned mayonnaise on malted bread.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 5/10
The Christmas dinner /lunch offerings have been pretty poor across the board so far and this wasn’t much different. For this sandwich, the sage and onion flavour of the stuffing was the most prominent flavour and sadly it had an odd after taste. Otherwise it wasn’t particularly memorable
Pigs Under Blanket Sandwich - £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Sausages with smoked bacon, cranberry chutney, and seasoned mayonnaise on white bread.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 4/10
All of the pigs in blankets or under blankets sandwiches have blurred together at this point. This was a perfectly acceptable sandwich and cheaper than many of the others. I thought the choice of white bread was a bit dull though, a different type of bread might have made things more interesting.
Boots
Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, £2.75
WHAT’S IN IT: Brie cheese, cranberry and port sauce and spinach on oatmeal bread.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor 5/10
Not as generous on the brie slices as others and the cheese was on the thinner side. This sandwich also wasn’t as consistent with the amount of spinach in each half. However, points scored for a generous amount of cranberry sauce.
Pigs Under Blankets Sandwich, £3.15
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork chipolata sausage with balsamic onion chutney, sage and onion mayonnaise and smoky sweet-cured bacon on malted bread
Look - 4/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 4/10
This sandwich wasn’t particularly festive, the overriding flavour was just very smoky from the bacon. Both the sausages and bacon were very chewy and I couldn’t really taste the balsamic onion chutney. The bread wasn’t dry though, so that’s a plus.
Turkey Feast Sandwich, £3.15
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey breast with mayonnaise, cranberry chutney, smoky sweet-cured bacon, pork, sage and onion stuffing and fried onions on malted bread
Look - 5/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 4/10
All of the filling in each half of the sandwich has been plonked down in the middle, so there’s lots of empty bread at the edges. Again the meat inside this one, the turkey and bacon, was quite chewy. The whole thing was a bit dry overall but not too bad. Probably wouldn’t eat again in a hurry but would grab if there was nothing else available.
Christmas Triple Sandwich, £3.35
WHAT’S IN IT : A trio of Christmas sandwiches containing turkey, stuffing and cranberry; ham, coleslaw and ale chutney; and barber’s cheddar and chutney.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 9/10
With so much to chose from it can be touch making your lunchtime selection, so I loved the idea of this triple sandwich. Each other the three sandwiches is very different, both in terms of ingredients and tastiness. The ham and coleslaw was a very average meal deal sarnie, the turkey one was a little bland, but the cheese one was delicious thanks to the ale chutney. It really elevated the rather basic sandwich into something a bit more special.
Shapers Turkey, Cranberry and Stuffing Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Containing 337 calories and low in saturated fat. Turkey breast with cranberry chutney, pork, sage and onion stuffing, spinach and mayonnaise on malted bread.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 5/10
The sandwich looks really nice in the packet, with a good amount of turkey inside and not too much spinach. However, as it’s a low fat alternative, everything tastes a bit wrong. The mayonnaise and the cranberry chutney especially had an odd flavour to them.
Vegan No Turkey Feast Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Seasoned vegan protein pieces with roasted carrot strips, cranberry chutney, vegan sage & onion mayonnaise, steam roasted and seasoned red cabbage, spinach and fried onions on malted bread.
Look - 9/10
Taste - 8/10
Festive factor - 7/10
Big fan of this sandwich and it looked very appetising to bite into thanks to all those lovely layers. The cranberry chutney and vegan sage and onion mayo added great flavour to the roasted cabbage and vegan turkey.
Sainsbury's
Taste the Difference in Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwich, £4.25
WHAT’S IN IT: Hot smoked salmon, mayonnaise, spinach, crème fraîche, onion, lemon vinaigrette, lemon juice, capers, and dill on rye bread.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 5/10
If you don’t like dill then you won’t like this as the dill definitely takes over. Luckily I love the stuff so I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual take on the classic pairing. However, I think I would have preferred it if they stuck to traditional cream cheese rather than swapping it out with a runnier creme fraiche.
Taste the Difference Ultimate Christmas Dinner Feast Roll, £4.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Seasoned and sweetened roasted carrot and parsnip, ham hock, gravy mayonnaise, apple and apricot chutney with orange juice and champagne, smoked turkey, cranberries and spinach in a white roll with gravy granules.
Look - 3/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 6/10
I liked the idea of tucking into a roll amid the dozens of sandwiches and baguettes, and this festive treated was absolutely stuffed full of filling including generous chunks of veg. However, the ham hock gravy filling looks like cat food which is not appealing. In terms of taste, there’s a lot going on here but surprisingly the strongest flavours were the orange juice and champagne in the chutney. It literally tastes like a mimosa. All the other flavours are lost to the citrus taste, which is certainly festive as I drink plenty of mimosas on Christmas day, but it’s a bit weird for a lunchtime treat.
Pigs Under Blankets Sandwich, £2.95
WHAT’S IN IT: British Cumberland sausages, maple-cured smoked bacon, cranberry chutney and mayonnaise on malted bread
Look - 5/10
Taste - 2/10
Festive factor - 4/10
Very dry from start to finish - the bread was dry, the bacon was really crispy and there simply wasn’t enough chutney in there to save this sandwich.
Vegan Boxing Day Curry Wrap, £2.95
WHAT’S IN IT: Seasoned and sweetened roasted carrot and parsnip, vegan spiced mayo, root vegetable patty and spinach in a tortilla wrap.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 7/10
Solid veggie option, nice big chunks of veg in there. Coronation Mayo has strong curry taste, and it certainly looks like curry. Vivid colours. Definitely feels like a sandwich you’d make using up leftovers from your Christmas dinner, which is very appropriate.
Marks & Spencer
Turkey Feast Sandwich, £3.65
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey that’s roasted in stock, a pork, sage and onion stuffing, smoked bacon and cranberry sauce.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 5/10
This sandwich is also available in Costa as part of a deal with M&S, so clearly it must be a popular one. It’s an above average option in my book, with a strong smoky taste from the bacon and the cranberry sauce comes through which is good as it’s lost in so many others. Despite not having a whole lot of sauce inside, the sandwich tastes rather creamy, but the bread is a little dry which helps even out the stodge.
Christmas Club Toastie, £4.50
WHAT’S IN IT: 12 layers of filling, with three slices of toasted oatmeal bread, roast British chicken, maple bacon, tangy cranberry chutney, stuffing, spinach, spiced pickled red cabbage and M&S signature gravy mayo.
Look - 9/10
Taste - 10/10
Festive factor - 8/10
It’s fair to say I’ve been a pretty harsh critic during this taste test and I haven’t exactly had my taste buds wowed so far, but I absolutely loved this sandwich. There’s a lot of bread and it had all been toasted, but it hadn’t dried out or gone too soggy, it was just right. There was a lot of filing, all in nice, neat layers and all the ingredients complimented each other. It was a lot, but in a good way and somehow it tasted really fresh. I’m going to be getting this one again for sure.
Pigs in Blankets Sandwich, £3.50
WHAT’S IN IT: This malted brown bread sandwich with outdoor-bred pork sausage and bacon, along with a gravy-style mayo, a sage, port and red onion chutney and caramelised onions.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
I didn’t dislike the sandwich, but it was quite a heavy eat, verging on stodgy with the chunky sausage and malted bread. The caramelised onions are the dominant flavour but they manage not to be totally overpowering - just.
No Turkey Feast Vegan Plant Kitchen Sandwich, £4.35
WHAT’S IN IT: Roasted soya protein with cranberry chutney on soft malted brown bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste -: 7/10
Festive factor - 8/10
The flavors in this sandwich really pulled through, with a strong and sweet cranberry chutney that pulled together the sandwich deliciously. The vegan turkey wasn’t to dry and added a good amount of protein to sandwich. Definitely would get this one again, and it would be good throughout the whole year.
Asda
Smoked Salmon and Soft Cheese Sandwich, £2.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Oatmeal bread with smoked Atlantic salmon, creamy soft cheese and lemon juice.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 4/10
Sorry, but this was just boring. It’s hard to miss with smoked salmon and soft cheese but this was flavourless and one-dimensional. The soft cheese was pretty much tasteless and the salmon was, well, just salmon. In fact, I think I fell asleep mid-mouthful.
Festive Feast Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey breast, pigs under blankets, stuffing, gravy mayo, and a cranberry and port sauce on malted bread.
Taste - 6/10
Look - 5/10
Festive factor - 6/10
A perfectly enjoyable Christmas sandwich, with lots of filling inside. No real complaints about this one, it’s just very similar to a lot of other festive offerings, but I liked the addition of the gravy mayo, which added creaminess to avoid the whole thing drying out.
Festive Feast Wrap, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Tortilla wrap with turkey breast, pork sausage in beet casing, mayonnaise, cranberry and port sauce, beechwood smoked bacon, pork, sage, and onion stuffing, spinach, chickens stock paste, and fried onions
Look - 6/10
Taste - 1/10
Festive factor - 6/10
This looked great, it comes as a triple so you know you’ve got loads to eat and each wrap is bursting with filling and good-sized pieces of meat. However, this one definitely looks better than it tastes, with a gross acidic flavour hitting from the first bite.
Plant based Festive Feast, £2.49
WHAT’S IN IT: A bar-marked wrap with soya protein pieces, sage and onion stuffing, braised red cabbage, vegan sage and onion mayonnaise, cranberry and port sauce and spinach.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 6/10
Another vegan one that I didn’t mind, the soya protein pieces were a good alternative to turkey, though they were quite chewy. But they were a hefty size and there was a nice mixture of colours inside the sandwich, which looked quite festive.
Boxing Day Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: With turkey breast, pigs under blankets, stuffing, gravy mayo and a cranberry and port sauce on malted bread
Look - 4/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 5/10
Its name definitely alludes to its amalgamation of fillings - exactly like putting all your Christmas Day leftovers into a sandwich the next day. But somehow, Asda made it work and I was pleasantly surprised by this one - and really like the addition of the coleslaw to spice up the traditional turkey.
Pork, Apple, and Stuffing Sandwich, £2.50
WHAT’S IN IT: White bread with pulled pork, seasoned mayonnaise, and Bramley apple sauce, with pork, sage, and onion stuffing, fried onions, and parsley.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 2/10
This was a decent sandwich, with a nice taste, like a chilled version of a hog roast. The white bread was a little boring, so it might have been improved with malted bread or a roll. Nothing about it particularly screams Christmas, but for any other time of the year it’s a winner.
Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, £2.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Malted bread with French brie cheese, cranberry and port sauce, spinach and seasoned mayonnaise.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 6/10
Another perfectly average supermarket sandwich, nothing out of the ordinary to rave about. It had nice thick slices of brie, they weren’t being stingy with that which is a big tick in my book. I’m still not a fan of the spinach in these sandwiches though.
Co-Op
Turkey Feast Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: With pork, sage, and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, smoked bacon, and mayo on malted bread.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 4/10
This sandwich looked pretty good, with nice thick cuts of meat, crispy bacon and a generous slathering of mayo. However the lingering taste was definitely onion, so not exactly a feast for the senses.
Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Brie and cranberry with spinach and mayo on malted bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste -2/10
Festive factor - 6/10
The mayo sauce with the brie and cranberry made a horrible mix of flavors that were clashing with each other. Not a pleasant experience, would definitely not recommend it.
Pigs Under Blankets Sandwich, £3.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Pork Sausage, smoked bacon, and stuffing with cranberry chutney and mayo on fibre enriched white bread.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 1/10
Festive factor - 4/10
This might have been one of the worst sandwiches we tried, it just had nothing going for it. The taste wasn’t nice and one mouthful of it was enough for me, I couldn’t force myself to eat anymore.
Boxing Day Feast Sandwich, £3.25
WHAT’S IN IT: Cooked oak and beechwood smoked turkey and oak smoked formed ham with red cabbage coleslaw and spiced fruit chutney on fibre enriched white bread.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 3/10
Festive factor - 4/10
The Boxing Day feast isn’t one of the cheaper sandwiches on the list, but if the taste is anything to go by it certainly should be. This tastes cheap, it’s heavy on the coleslaw, especially the mayo. It’s essentially a mayonnaise sandwich, with a little bit of meat inside.
Subway
Festive Turkey Stack, prices vary
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey breast, maple smoked streaky bacon, hash browns and fresh veggies, with a pot of dipping gravy to go with it.
Look - 4/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 2/10
This sandwich was a beast, absolutely huge and rammed with so many different fillings it was hard to make heads of tails of what you were eating. All of the ingredients were competing with each other, it was overwhelming. Plus they’d added jalapenos, sweetcorn and hashbrowns inside, which didn’t work together and gave a spicy kick. It wasn’t overly festive, but did feel like a ridiculous Boxing Day creation. I might order this again if I could simplify the inside.
V.I.Brie SubMelt, prices vary
WHAT’S IN IT: Brie, American-style cheese, maple smoked streaky bacon, caramelised red onions and sweet onion sauce. Pressed, toasted and filled with melted cheese.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 5/10
A good contender here and a welcome change from some of the other brie sandwiches. This felt like it had been Americanised, with lots of streaky, smoky bacon. The melty cheese was delicious. Would tuck into for a greasy, hearty Christmas lunch.
Waitrose
Turkey, Stuffing and Bacon Sandwich, £4.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey breast, pork and chestnut stuffing, turkey stock mayonnaise, cranberry and redcurrant chutney, and smoked bacon in sliced malted bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 4/10
Festive factor - 8/10
The cranberry sauce in this one was too overpowering for me and tasted so sweet it was almost bitter. I could barely taste the other fillings, which is a shame as the Turkey was moist and really tasty. The stuffing? Not quite as good as the homemade stuff.
Pigs Under Blankets Sandwich, £3.50
WHAT’S IN: Pork sausage, cranberry and redcurrant chutney, smoked bacon and mayo in malted bread.
Look - 5/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 8/10
Another take on everyone's favourite Christmas dinner element - what more could you ask for? Well for me, it just didn’t hit the spot. I think there could have been more cranberry and mayo to make it more moist and the sausages were, well, bland.
Christmas Brie, Cranberry with Spinach Sandwich, £4.00
WHAT’S IN IT: Brie cheese, cranberry and redcurrrant chutney, mayonnaise and spinach in malted bread.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 2/10
Festive factor - 5/10
This sandwich is pretty simple so it shouldn’t be too hard to do right, but this one just seemed to get everything wrong. The taste was off and I probably wouldn’t get this again.
Smoked Salmon and Soft Cheese Sandwich, £4.50
WHAT’S IN IT: Scottish smoked salmon, reduced fat cream cheese with black pepper and lemon juice in sliced oatmeal bread.
LOOK: 8/10
TASTE: 9/10
FESTIVE FACTOR: 4/10
You can’t really go wrong with smoked salmon and cream cheese, its a classic! And Waitrose did it well here. The perfect amount of lemon really added an extra dimension of flavor to this oh-so-simple sandwich - so good I went back in for seconds!
Benugo
Brie, Cranberry and Bacon ciabatta, £6.05
WHAT’S IN IT: Brie, cranberry sauce and bacon in ciabatta bread.
Look - 8/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor - 5/10
The simple answer with this one is that there was just too much bread, the bread roll is bigger than my face and overwhelms the filling so you barely know it’s there. Would be nice with less bread. Surprisingly bread isn’t dry though, which is a plus.
Nuts About Christmas Wrap, £4.65
WHAT’S IN IT: Vegan nut roast and grilled carrots in a wrap.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 7/10
Festive factor - 6/10
Liked this one a lot, a very good taste and lots of big chunks of vegetables inside. It was a welcome change from everything else I’ve tried and had a nice little spice kick to it.
Brie, Beetroot, Spiced Pear & Spiced Apple Chutney Sandwich, £3.95
WHAT’S IN IT: Slices of brie, beetroot and a spiced pear and apple chutney on malted bread.
Look - 6/10
Taste - 5/10
Festive factor - 3/10
Generous slices of brie inside this sandwich and it was nice to see the beetroot with the brie, gave a pop of colour and certainly looked fun, but it wasn’t a winning combo for me. Cranberry is a classic for a reason.
Turkey & Trimmings Ciabatta, £6.05
WHAT’S IN IT: Turkey, bacon, nut roast, chilli jam and crispy onions served in a ciabatta.
Look - 7/10
Taste - 6/10
Festive factor 2/10
This one had a definite smoky bacon taste to it and there was more filling than the other Benugo ciabattas, but despite the attempt it was still all lost to the bread. It was hard to work out what you were eating.
Have you tried any of these? Do you agree with our thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below.
