Turning tips into memories

Get started Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • About us
  • Tickets
  • Membership
  • Get Started
  • Membership
  • Tickets
Get our exclusive content
+ choose a pair of free tickets from our edit of favourite events
Food & Drink

Taste test: the best Christmas sandwiches, 2018

By Holly O'Mahony on 5/12/2018

The Culture Whisper team took part in a blind Christmas sandwich taste test. 2018 offers all the classics and some welcome surprises – here's what we thought

Wrappers removed: which Christmas sandwiches actually taste the best?
Wrappers removed: which Christmas sandwiches actually taste the best?
Readers, we’ve well and truly done the Christmas sandwich rounds. Before we get into the ins and outs of this year’s offering, we noticed several trends across the board. Firstly, pigs now sit under their blankets (not in them); secondly, cranberry sauce has been replaced with (trendier?) cranberry chutney (at least in terms of labeling); and thirdly, almost all breads we sampled came either studded with cranberries, infused with sage and onion or smothered in cheese. Meanwhile, it’s good news for veggies and vegans – most big name suppliers now cater for both dietary preferences, while several offer gluten-free alternatives, too.

To make ours a fair test, wrappers were removed before we began our tasting, so no prejudices could influence our decisions. Here’s the Culture Whisper team’s verdict of 2018’s Christmas sandwiches.



PAUL's new 'Tis The Vegan Christmas sandwich (£4.25)

PAUL

Price range: £4.25 - £4.65 | Calorie range: undisclosed

Ah, PAUL. The bakery has slowly crept up on the bigger, more established brands over the last few years, winning awards for its Dinde de Noël baguette (turkey, smoky bacon, spinach, cream cheese, horseradish sauce) last festive season. This particular treat has returned, earning our vote for the breadth of different flavours in the filling and for being, quite literally, a feast in a roll. The team were less impressed with the new Festive Hock Feast (hand-pulled ham hock and chunky coleslaw) which was just a bit dry and plain, but PAUL’s new ‘Tis The Vegan won serious points from our in-house vegetarians.

Average mark for range: 4/5


GAIL’S BAKERY
Price: £5 | Calories: 255 per 100g

GAIL’s launched its first ever Christmas sandwich this year and as fans of the bakery, we were pretty excited to try it. Smoked turkey and mayfield swiss cheese came served on malted wholemeal, moistened by a generous layer of chipotle aioli and bacon jam. At £5, it’s a little more expensive than the average offering, but for a quality festive sarnie, it gets our vote.

Mark for sandwich: 4/5



Pret's 2018 Christmas sandwich range includes a turkey, veggie and vegan option

PRET
Price range: £3.50 - £3.75 | Calorie range: 483 - 655

Pret is known for delivering a reliable festive sandwich range, with enough variety to cater for most dietary requirements (although, still no gluten-free bread). The Christmas Lunch sandwich was everything you’d hope it to be and a solid four out of five in our books. Office vegetarians, meanwhile, found the soft chestnuts a welcome addition to the Veggie Christmas Lunch, while the vegan Very Merry Christmas Lunch was tasty, crunchy and made interesting by the port & orange cranberry sauce.

Average mark for range: 4/5


WAITROSE
Price range: £1.72 - £2.88 | Calorie range: 209 - 240

Waitrose certainly wins marks for originality of offering. This year, the supermarket’s Christmas sandwich range features a Prawn, Smoked Salmon & Beetroot Relish sandwich, and a Duck wrap with Bitter Orange and Juniper Relish. The former came served on dissolve-in-the-mouth rye bread, but the double dose of fish was a bit overpowering. The latter, meanwhile, somehow managed to be overly fragrant and plain at the same time. The Turkey, Stuffing and Bacon sandwich was everything it should be though, and the gluten-free equivalent of it was just as tasty; ‘you couldn’t tell the bread was gluten-free’ said one impressed team member.

Average mark for range 3.5/5



M&S's 2018 Christmas sandwich range features a classic turkey feast option (pictured)

M&S
Price range: £3 - £3.80 | Calorie range: 340 - 593

M&S has long reigned as king of the packaged sandwich, so readers might be happy to learn that in our view, the store's 2018 range of Christmas sandwiches delivers on all counts. We loved the variety of the three bird roast – half a sandwich each of Roast Turkey & Stuffing, Roast Chicken Dinner, and Duck & Plum Chutney – while the Turkey and Pigs in Blankets won full marks all round. The Brie and Grape was commendable for its thick, creamy slabs of brie, which were full of flavour, while the grape and Ruby Port Chutney elements were a welcome change to cranberry. The only slight let down was the bread of the gluten-free range, which was a little dry and grainy. Saving the best to last, the star of the show was the No Turkey Feast, a vegan equivalent to the festive favourite. The soya protein was as juicy and as succulent as any good slice of meat, and the overall taste of the sandwich bore the closest resemblance to a real (and decent) Turkey Feast.

Average mark for range: 4.5/5


TESCO

Price range: £2.20 - £3.50 | Calorie range: 411 - 555

Tesco wins points for variety of offering this year, with no less than seven Christmas sandwiches available to choose from. We preferred the meat to the veggie ones and in particular, the Turkey and Trimmings wrap to its sandwich equivalent; the filling-to-wrap ratio was spot-on in our books, as was the contrast between creaminess and tang. The sandwich, on the other hand, was run of the mill. The real surprise, though, was the Tesco Finest Festive Trio – a posh prawn cocktail roll, Turkey and Stuffing role, and sweet (!) Black Forest roll – they divided opinion in-house but made a thrilling change to the usual sarnies.

Average mark for range: 3/5


CO-OP

Price range: £2.65 - £3.50 | Calorie range: 342 - 447

Having witnessed the Co-op being crowned the surprise winner of taste tests in the past, we were excited to try the store’s Christmas sandwich selection. The brand has gone against the grain this year with a Beetroot Smoked Salmon & Dill Cream Cheese – served on rye bread – which was a welcome change from the multiple Turkey Feasts on the table. It delivered, too, winning points for full-bodied flavour and the soft-yet-firm texture of the rye. Veggies in the room were pleased with the Bubble & Squeak Fritter – a wrap which came with a dash of vegan mayo – describing it as 'a refreshing take on other half-arsed, sauceless vegan offerings'. The Pigs Under Blankets, though, was a little underwhelming, losing votes for its lack of seasoning.

Average mark for range: 3.5/5




Aldi's 2018 Christmas sandwich range are all priced at £1.69 (ham hock pictured)

ALDI

Price range: £1.69 | Calorie range: 450 - 488

AldiI’s sarnies certainly looked the part and blended in with the likes of, say, Pret’s offering when all were stripped of their branding and displayed on plates. The Farmhouse Cheddar with Plum & Apple Chutney and Spinach scored more highly in our books than the other veggie offering of Brie and Cranberry, but the Turkey Feast (with stuffing and bacon) was our pick of the bunch. And, with sandwiches priced at just £1.69, we consider the range a bargain.

Average mark for range: 3.5/5


LIDL

Price range: £1.69 - £1.79 | Calorie range: 479 - 613

Unlike its budget competitor Aldi, Lidl’s range was notably heavy on the meat, with both sandwich and wrap stuffed with turkey, bacon and sausage. Still, when unwrapped and presented in a blind taste test, neither fared badly under the scrutiny of our tasters, who preferred the sandwich to the wrap, describing it as ‘full of flavour, but heavy on the stuffing’.

Average mark for range: 3/5


CAFFÈ NERO
Price range: £3.55 - £4.50 | Calorie range: Undisclosed

The office verdict on Caffè Nero’s offering was that the toasties trumped the cold (and small) Ham and Winter Spiced Chutney sandwich, and somewhat soggy Veggie Festive Feast flatbread. Among the hot options, the Brie, Bacon and Cranberry won points for its ratio of salty cheese to sweet berry, meanwhile we thought the cranberry welded into the bread was a nice touch. The Turkey Feast was distinctly average, and the Pigs On Blankets (a notable departure from the more fashionable Pigs Under Blankets) divided opinion, with some giving it full marks and others finding it a tad too greasy.

Average mark for range: 3.5/5



The new Brie and Cranberry Focaccia (pictured) was our pick of the range from Starbucks

STARBUCKS
Price range: £4.25 | Calorie range: 209 - 464

Fans of Starbucks' Turkey Feast Panini will be pleased to hear of its return this year. It tasted drier than usual, but perhaps this was the result of it being pipped against several more sophisticated offerings. The chain’s new offering – a Brie and Cranberry Focaccia – was delicious, though; oozing with cheese and flavoured by a dusting of herbs.

Average mark for range: 3.5/5

COSTA
Price range: £3.50 - £3.60 | Calorie range: 316 - 433

Admittedly, we only sampled the cold selection of Costa sandwiches. Those we tried, though, were small, compact and a little too sweet. The Christmas Lunch wrap had a decent filling-to-wrap ratio but was a little on the soggy side. The Turkey Feast sandwich was heavy on the meat and again, a tad too sweet. The Ham Hock with Piccalilli was our pick of the range: its bread soft, its filling tangy, and the overall sandwich deserving of another mark for breaking the standard Christmas sandwich filling mold.

Average mark for range: 3/5

Overall winner: M&S's No Turkey Feast – an all round 5/5 from us.

And that's a wrap! Or was it a sandwich? (Sorry.)
Share:

Christmas

Christmas 2018

food

shopping

You may also like:
  • Fortnum and Mason at the Royal Exchange

    Fortnum and Mason, Royal Exchange

  • Social Fun & Games Club, Roof East

    Social Fun & Games Club, Roof East

  • Former River Cafe chef Anthea Stephenson takes over Polpetto's kitchen

    Why Polpetto in Soho now has River Cafe elan ★★★★★

  • Pachamama East

    Pachamama East, Great Eastern Street

  • Rooftop ice rink, Skylight, Tobacco Dock

    Rooftop ice rink, Skylight, Tobacco Dock

  • Sushi Samba, Covent Garden

    Sushisamba restaurant, Covent Garden

Your update on what’s on in London from theatre to visual arts, from fashion to pop-ups and more…
minimum six characters
 
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Your update on what’s on in London from theatre to visual arts, from fashion to pop-ups and more…
You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Stay tuned! (And check your email).
  • The Culture Whisper team
  • What is Culture Whisper membership
  • Corporate membership
  • Give a gift membership
  • Retrieve a gift membership
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper plus a pair of free tickets to a London event sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper


Sign up by Email or Facebook.

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we sent newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
TO CONTINUE TO ENJOY CULTURE WHISPER

You’ve clicked to view the best of our content that we
save exclusively for our members.

If you liked what you saw, subscribe from just £15 and get
unlimited access to our unique culture service as well as
all of our membership benefits.

BECOME A MEMBER ×

Want a pair of free tickets every month?
Upgrade to Gold Whisper now
and save 10% with GOLD10.
Become a premium member today.

UPGRADE NOW ×