Over at ES Best, there’s nothing that ruins our working day more than a bad lunch.
We look forward to it from breakfast and will be thinking about it all the way til dinner - so it must live up to expectations with the perfect balance of hunger-soothing carbs and tastebud-tickling fillings. With the tail end of the year here, it’s time for our annual inspection of the Yuletide lunch champion: the festive Christmas sarnie!
This is a time when our favourite eateries go all out with their offerings where that first turkey sarn signifies the start of the celebrations and only top-notch midday meals can follow. There’s no need to settle for a terrible supermarket sandwich, especially in the lead-up to the festive season.
Each year, the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose improve their selections, while everyone’s favourite office spots from Pret to Nando’s create mouth-wateringly delicious combinations that bring joy to the darker winter months. Best of all, if you have any dietary needs - be it a plant-based diet or you’re gluten-free, you need not miss out on the festive buffet. There are vegan alternatives and wheat-free wraps to suit all preferences - and they’re good (promise).
But which one is top of the tree, and which sarnie would be improved with a lump of coal as the filling instead?
St Nick and his elves are busy, so we’ve taken on the huge task of sampling the selection of this year’s Christmas-themed sandwiches on your behalf. From classic pigs-in-blankets to hunks of bread slathered with creamy brie and obligatory cranberry jam, the ES Best team is tucking into them all to give you our honest review - whether they're naughty or nice.
See our reviews below and keep checking back as new menu items are revealed.
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Nando’s winter menu
Rating: 10/10
The fans asked and Nando’s delivered. The chicken chain has gone big with the launch of two new sides for winter and it includes PERi-Mac & Cheese - a heavily requested item and given the Nando's twist with a slight spice twist. It is finished off with a garlic PERi-PERi crumb that brings a crunch to the beige classic. Pair this with the Leafy Green Salad with a sweet wild herb balsamic from South Africa to get your greens.
The main event, however, is the return of Churrasco but it is brought to the table in a whole new way: through the Garlic Churrasco Burger. Flame-grilled chicken thighs are coated in the smoky sauce and layered with pickled red onions and sandwiched between two slices of garlic bread. Perfection.
Buy now, Deliveroo
Farmer J Christmas Fieldtray
Rating: 9/10
The Farmer J Fieldtray was a truly filling festive feast. Soft truffle macaroni was complemented by lightly spiced chicken couscous and miso-tousled Brussel sprouts and hispi cabbage. The best part? It didn’t pander to the need for turkey at Christmas, which we were all incredibly grateful for.
Buy now, Deliveroo
LEON Festive Feast Wrap
Rating: 7.5/10
It may be on the periphery of what is socially accepted as a sandwich, but we felt LEON's wrap has enough going for it to earn a spot on our hallowed list.
This year, the flatbread is filled with succulent slices of turkey nestled beside balls of pork and herb stuffing, bacon, cos, spinach and crispy onions. That's already a riot of flavours, but there's more from three more condiments: a tangy cranberry and orange sauce,â¯LEON Aioli for lifting garlickyness and a moreish and meaty LEON miso & porcini gravy.
It was a pleasant mouthful but you've got to work your way through wads of empty bread at either end first. Add a pot of Korean Mayo to your order to help you soldier through it.
Find the entire NOEL menu here.
Buy now £8.49, LEON
Shake Shack White Truffle menu
White Truffle Burger - Rating: 3/10
I had high hopes for Shake Shacks’ beef burger, which is always a surefire way to feel disappointed. Sadly that was the case here, as the burger tasted a bit too meaty and would have benefited from a layer of cheese and lettuce. Caramelised onions did make an appearance which most would like (I find that strong onion taste hard to swallow), but it lingered long into the afternoon.
White Truffle ‘Shroom Burger - Rating: 1/10
I really don’t like truffle, which makes me the worst possible reviewer for the newest Shake Shack White Truffle Shroom Burger. However, I can handle – and sometimes enjoy – dustings of truffle flavour on certain foods. I’d also consider myself one of Shake Shack’s biggest fans, and the iconic Shroom Burger is usually my fast food item of choice. Overwhelmingly pungent, I found the addition of white truffle sauce nauseating. It takes away from the natural umami taste of the crispy, fried portobello mushroom patty, overwhelms the senses and makes the brioche bun depressingly soggy.
Buy now, Deliveroo
Pollen + Grace Stuffing and Winter Veg
Rating: 7/10
Pollen + Grace’s Stuffing and Winter Veg wrap is a refreshing lunch option. It’s light and crunchy, with carrot, red cabbage and lettuce adding some texture to each bite. Don’t be put off by the slightly unappetizing look of the stuffing, it’s surprisingly tasty. The only downside would be the oniony aftertaste as someone who doesn't love lingering onion notes.
Buy now £4.00, Sainsbury's
Pret Ham Hock & Festive Sprouts Macaroni Cheese
Rating: 5/10
You're locking yourself in for a food coma when you opt for macaroni cheese for lunch. Typically, anyway. But that is not the case with the offering at Pret. This mainly comes down to the small size that left me wanting more. The taste was enjoyable, especially the crispy top. Ham hock was a welcomed addition to the stodgy nature of the dish. I am not a huge Brussels sprouts fan but it went well in this lunch special for a green touch to an otherwise beige buffet. Points lost down to size.
Buy now, Pret
Pret Pigs in Blanket Hot Roll
Rating: 8/10
A festive remake of the breakfast classic, I found myself nodding in approval to each ingredient in Pret's hot roll. Sausages, yes. Bacon, yes. A slathering of mustard mayo to bring it all together under the roof of a warm crusty roll? Ding, ding! We have a winner.
Why settle for cold sandwiches when you can have hot? My only gripe is that it's on the small side so you'll need crisps or something to go with it. Tbh, any excuse.
Buy now, Pret
BenugoHoHo festive sandwich
Rating: 8/10
There's nothing worse than the bitter taste of regret when you go for the wrong option at lunch. While the high street is a buffet of options - especially at Christmastime - not all of them are good.
Benugo, I'm happy to report, bucks the trend with its 2023 festive sarnie. There are two shining stars here. First, the sourdough, which feels, smells and tastes comfortingly fresh. Then the pork and sage stuffing which added such a deliciously herby, savoury note to the mix that I would have been happy with a sandwich filled with it alone. Crisp leaves stopped the whole thing from feeling too gluttonous. It's not as good as GAILs with her spicy sauce, but it's a worthy runner-up.
Buy now, Benugo
GAIL's Christmas Sandwich
Rating: 10/10
Even if you're a self-confessed sando dodger, GAIL's festive special is the exception you're happy to make. Good news fans: it's back for another year of glory.
Where other brands sit lazily on the stodgy old cranberry/sage stuffing/ pigs-in-blankets equation, GAIL's goes above and beyond. we've chewed it over, and it's down to two things; the quality of the ingredients and the choice of condiments, both make-or-break aspects for any lunchtime bite.
Looking, smelling and tasting lovingly homemade, it starts and ends with thick wedges of slightly chewy sourdough. Inside wafer-thin slices of juicy smoked turkey and Mayfield Swiss cheese mingle with bright greens.
Bringing home the festive party vibes is the chipotle aioli slathered on one side of the bread and the sweet-savoury bacon jam on the other. Just the right level of heat and spice to summon your taste buds back with every delicious bite.
Even Scrooge himself couldn't find fault with this beauty.
Buy now £7.00, Deliveroo
Boots Turkey Feast
Rating: 8/10
Boots sandwiches are yet to be inducted into the Meal Deal Hall of Fame, but this Christmassy take on a turkey sandwich might just be the ticket in. Featuring cooked turkey breast with cranberry chutney, a subtly garlicky mayo, pork sausages, sage and onion stuffing, smokey bacon and onions held together by two slices of soft malt bread - it’s safe to say that I'm a Boots sandwich convert after trying this delight. It’s definitely not a healthy sandwich, and I wouldn’t recommend having it more than once or twice over the festive period as a treat. Your cholesterol will thank you.
Buy now £3.25, Boots
Boots Pigs Under Blankets
Rating: 7.5/10
Boot’s Pigs Under Blankets sandwich was a welcome surprise. I wouldn’t usually go for a Boots sandwich over a supermarket one, but it was very flavoursome. While the onion chutney wasn’t my favourite (purely because the taste of onions doesn’t float my boat), I’m sure this would be a selling point for others.
Buy now £3.25, Boots
Starbucks Brie & Cran-merry Focaccia
Rating: 2/10
Notoriously dry unless heated in that miraculous toastie oven hidden at the back of the barista workstation, we wouldn’t recommend eating this sandwich straight out of the packet. The brie is stodgy and the cranberry is overly sweet. We just wish the Starbucks Christmas food offering was, for once, as good as their festive drinks.
, Starbucks
Starbucks Pigs Under Blanket Roll
Rating: 6/10
Starbucks’ Pigs in Blankets sandwich was definitely the stodgiest of the lot. While the sausage was denser than the Boots variation, the bread was too thick to really get a taste. A fine layer of cheese didn’t add much to the flavour (also - is sausage and cheese a thing?). It was the most filling option. But in a good way, I’m not sure.
, Starbucks
Waitrose Salt Beet and Emmental
Rating: 7/10
If you like beetroot, you’ll like this sandwich. It’s as simple as that as this option is incredibly beetroot-heavy. It’s a lightweight lunch with a distinctly tangy pickled taste, which went down well with some members of the team but won’t be for everyone.
While delicious, this vegetarian sandwich could’ve done with an extra layer of the Emmental cheese. Doubling down on this would have given it a more diverse flavour as it was basically non-existent. Overall, it was one of our favourites in the Waitrose selection.
Buy now, Waitrose
Waitrose Turkey & Stuffing
Rating: 8.5/10
Even if you’re not a turkey or cold poultry fan, you will find this sandwich seriously tasty. An absolutely delicious sandwich that is exactly like a Christmas lunch, in the best possible way. Most of us make a beeline straight to the stuffing by the time Christmas family meals roll around, and this sandwich combines all the best elements - turkey, the bacon which comforts those little pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and - of course - scrumptious stuffing.
Plus, there’s an added element of crunch in the form of fresh green spinach. We’ll be grabbing this sandwich daily once it’s available. It was one of the heavier and the messiest of the lot, so would also be ideal for post-Christmas party hangovers.
Buy now £4.75, Waitrose
Waitrose Ham And Festive Slaw Sandwich
Rating: 5/10
While this sandwich may not look the most appetising on first appearance, we chose to feature it as it’s something a little different on the typical line-up of festive feasting. We were surprised by the orange marmalade sweetness as well as thicker chunks of slaw that made it a dynamic eat. The ham taste, despite the many layers, was lacking but this is not necessarily a bad thing as the veggies were the star of the show. The seeded bread was the true star.
Buy now £4.75, Waitrose
Waitrose Pigs Under Blankets
Rating: 8/10
There’s quite simply nothing better than a posh sausage sandwich, and this Christmas edition from Waitrose absolutely takes the biscuit. Slightly spiced sausages are tempered by sweet cranberry sauce and a bit of crunch in this mouth-wateringly Christmassy combo.
It was a close call between the turkey and Pigs in Blankets sandwiches. They tasted very similar, but the turkey was more filling. This option is the least likely to crumble in public, plus the fine layers of bacon and tempting presentation make it a win-win for meat-eaters.
Buy now £4.00, Waitrose
Waitrose Vegan Bubble And Squeak Sandwich
Rating: 6/10
For those following a vegan diet, finding an interesting sandwich to fill the lunchtime void is not easy, but that’s where this option comes in. There is a lot of taste going on and boring it is not. Honourable mention goes to the seeded bread but that’s just where the good stuff begins. Duck fat that typically stars in Bubble and Speak is of course not featured, but the other classic ingredients remain; potatoes, cabbage and swede with the addition of butternut squash and cranberry sauce.
Buy now, Waitrose
M&S Jingle Brie-LT
Rating: 6.5/10
Remarkably burger-like, the star of the M&S x Shelter Christmas sandwich collection is the Jingle Brie-LT. Between the two buttery brioche buns (which aren’t as fluffed up in person, we should add), is a few rashers of bacon, some slices of brie and a Christmassy tomato and cranberry chutney. A festive take on the humble bacon butty, we’d like to see a meat-lover’s option which exchanges slightly dry, chewy brie for some delicious sausages.
Buy now, M&S
Greggs Festive Bake
Rating: 4/10
Returning to Greggs’ Christmas menu once again, the bakery’s Festive Bake is back for 2023. Like the other savoury pastries which are available all year round, the consistency of the filling is a touch baby-food-mush - so when you get a full piece of cooked chicken, it feels like you’ve hit the jackpot. The flavour packs a powerful Christmas dinner punch - mainly because all you can taste is the sage and onion stuffing. The best part? The flakey pastry.
This year there’s also a Spicy Vegetable Curry Bake on offer for vegetarians. Unless you’d like an unusual artificial curry powder tang on your tastebuds all day long, we’d stick to the vegan sausage roll.
Buy now, Greggs
Tesco Pigs in Blankets
Rating: 3/10
This sandwich was the weakest out of the bunch. While there were sweet fruity notes thanks to the cranberry jelly, the taste didn’t complement the meat as well as it should. The sausages were well-sliced, light and would be nice on their own, this was overwhelmed by an odd aftertaste.
Buy now £2.75, Tesco
M&S Turkey Toastie with Turkey Gravy Dipper
Rating: 9/10
The full M&S Christmas sandwich offering doesn’t hit the supermarket shelves till November but in the meantime, we got a taste for a sandwich that will be in the in-store cafes and it’s good. Really good.
Shredded turkey is set alongside shredded ham hock with sage onion stuffing and a slice of Emmental cheese. The cranberry ketchup gives it extra flavour, as does the gravy dipper that is served on the side - a moist maker if you will. It is served warm with the cheese oozing and trust us, you’ll keep going back for more.
Buy now, M&S
