Here at ES Best, we are governed by mealtimes.
After logging onto our computers first thing in the morning, off we trot to the office kitchen for some breakfast and a cup of tea. By the time the clock strikes 11am, the Slack notification bell begins to chime: “what are we thinking for lunch?”, “I’m starved”, “shall we go early today?”
Waiting until 1pm feels like a mammoth task when our stomachs are grumbling loud enough for the entire office to hear. Thus, by the time the Christmas period rolls around, and festive taste tests are a-plenty, the ES Best team are truly in their element. Though mince pies and festive desserts certainly delight the senses, the single-most exciting festive food which truly gets us in the spirit is the humble Xmas sarnie.
Far from a simple slice of turkey and dollop of cranberry on wholemeal bread, well-crafted Christmas sandwiches have the power to transform lunchtimes for the entire duration of November and December.
From meat-heavy options containing aromatic stuffing and perfectly cooked sausages, to vegetable-filled feasts with generous servings of creamy Brie – we’re only treated to these veritable meals in sandwich form for just two months of the year, so it’s incredibly important to make the most of them once they appear.
As always, we’ll be updating this article regularly in the run-up to Christmas, so stay tuned for taste-tests across the board. In the meantime, keep scrolling for the sandwiches and additional festive snacks we’ve scoffed so far.
Pret Chicken Festive Feast
Rating: 3/5
Look, I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas food, let alone sandwiches. Isn't it overkill to have a version of Christmas lunch every day when most of us will sit down to the OG version on December 25? How much dried turkey is one person expected to tolerate?
That said, Pret's Chicken Festive Feast wasn't too hard to swallow. The herby chicken filling felt lifted with pickled cabbage and grilled carrots while a layer of crispy onion offered a satisfying crunch in the same way crisps do out of Christmastime.
The filling ratio needs further examination: around half is made up of plain leaves that tumble out of the malted bread when you try to get a slice out. It's not the first thing I would pick off Pret's shelves, but I wouldn't be too miffed if it was the only option left either.
Abha Shah, Deputy Shopping Editor
Buy now, Deliveroo
Pret Christmas Lunch Sandwich
Rating: 4/5
A pared-back dream, Pret’s full Christmas Lunch sandwich is better than ever this year. Rather than overloading on meat, the sandwich contains a healthy amount of pork stuffing and thickly sliced turkey complemented wonderfully by creamy mayo and tangy yet sweet cranberry sauce. I loved the fact that spinach lined one side of the sandwich for a healthier feel and additional crunch, but the real star of the show was the crispy onions scattered throughout.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Deliveroo
Pret Hog Roast Macaroni Cheese
Rating: 4/5
There's nothing worse than an unsatisfying lunch and the Pret Hog Roast Macaroni Cheese is far from it. In fact, I will likely be in this food coma for the rest of the afternoon. The sizeable portion sets the cheesy pasta with pulled ham, caramelised onion chutney and best of all, crispy breadcrumbs. It's delightful, not stodgy and heart-warming. The ideal antidote to a dreary winter day.
Ellie Davis, Shopping Editor
Buy now, Deliveroo
Pret Christmas Ham Hock Soup
Rating: 3.5/5
Though the sage and bay leaf-infused Ham Hock Soup was certainly a delight, I’m not sure the addition of ham really works to make the dish feel festive. Filled to the brim with healthy kale and split peas, there was added crunch and flavour – but it doesn’t come close to enjoying a classic festive Christmas sarnie. Minus one point for the inexplicable addition of celery.
Albert Evans, Deputy Head of Video
Buy now, Deliveroo
LEON Christmas Cracker Wrap
Rating: 2/5
Billed as a 'big bang of Christmas flavours', LEON's Christmas Cracker wrap does stuff rather a lot into its wrap - but that's not necessarily a good thing.
The flatbread - just shy of £8 without a side or drinks - feels overly packed with watery salad leaves and cranberry chutney, leaving you to hunt for the miso and caramelised onion butter marinated turkey and juicy pork stuffing most of the time.
Once found, these headline fillings do taste quite nice but there's just too much of a palaver to get to them. As for the crispy onions that I presume provide the cracker part of this sarnie, they're also too few and far between.
Much more satisfying is the Turkey Christmassaman curry-in-a-box with spices like galangal, cardamom, ginger, and lemongrass revving up bite-size pieces of turkey, roasties and carrots. Aside from hitting the spot, this dish inspires visions of what your own Christmas lunch leftovers could look like.
Abha Shah, Deputy Shopping Editor
Buy now £7.99, Deliveroo
Gail’s Smoked Turkey & Swiss Cheese
Rating: 3.5/5
With thick, doorstop pieces of sourdough and lashings of subtly-smokey chipotle aioli and sticky bacon jam, there is a lot to like about Gail's Smoked Turkey & Swiss Cheese sandwich. They have successfully avoided the much-feared dryness that turkey can so often fall victim to.
It’s an undeniably tasty sandwich, but the real question is: what about it screams Christmas? Is the inclusion of smoked turkey enough to justify it as a festive offering? We’re not sure, especially when the dominant flavour is that of the smoky chipotle sauce. This sandwich did not disappoint, nor did it fill me with any special Christmas cheer.
Maya Glantz, Shopping Intern
Buy now, Gail’s
Costa Pigs and Blankets Toastie
Rating: 4.5/5
Why did no one tell me that Costa’s selection of hot sandwiches has not only increased tenfold from the simple ham and cheese options of ‘ole - but that they now taste absolutely delicious? The chain coffee shop has had a bad reputation for sad sandwiches in the past, but It’s safe to say they are well and truly past those depressing toastie days.
The array of seasonal delights on offer includes a Turkey & Trimmings Toastie, Turkey Feast Sandwich, Brie, Bacon and Chilli Jam Panini, Hog Roast Toastie and a veggie Brie & Cranberry Toastie – but I opted for the ever-popular Pigs & Blankets Toastie.
Sandwiched between two soft slices of white bread, I enjoyed juicy sausages, thick slivers of bacon and perfectly sweet caramelised onion chutney. The most remarkable element which will certainly keep me coming back for more is the melted and crispy cheese on top, complete with a sprinkling of sage and garlic, which made the sandwich feel like a posh croque monsieur.
Though not necessarily overtly Christmassy in terms of flavours, anything pig and/or/in blankets-themed gets a big tick from me.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Costa
Costa Brie, Bacon and Chilli Jam Panini
Rating: 4.5/5
Costa’s Brie, Bacon and Chilli Jam toastie is a perfectly comforting interpretation of this classic holiday flavour profile. Less obvious than turkey and sage, while still undeniably festive, Costa delivers a surprise sleeper hit in this seeded panini.
The brie is oozy and not overwhelmingly funky, and the salty bacon is delightfully offset by the sweet cranberry and chilli sauce. We wouldn’t mind seeing this offered year-round!
Maya Glantz, Shopping Intern
Buy now, Costa
Costa Turkey & Trimmings Toastie
Rating: 3/5
A treat that felt slightly too heavy for lunchtime, this toastie felt like a combination of a classic Christmas leftover sandwich and a croque monsieur thanks to the cheesy top. I would say, however, that the bacon could definitely be crispier, and I’d have appreciated more cranberry sauce. It’s the kind of thing I can imagine enjoying on an alpine retreat by a cosy fireplace, though I’m not sure it’s worth the calories.
Claudia Cockerell, Diary Editor
Buy now, Costa
By Amazon Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Sandwich (in-store only)
Rating: 4/5
The smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich from Amazon Fresh is a delicious, light lunch option. While it didn't taste particularly Christmassy, you won't be disappointed with it as a midday meal.
Ellie Davis, Shopping Editor
Buy now, Amazon
By Amazon Fresh Pigs Under Blanket Sandwich (in-store only)
Rating: 5/5
A rather unexpected unsung hero, Amazon Fresh’s sarnie felt remarkably… well, fresh! In fact, it felt as though my mum had packed it for me that very morning – with its comforting, uber-soft malted loaf and horizontal rather than diagonal slice. It had the perfect ratio of tangy cranberry on one side of the bread, and onion mayo on the other, as well as aromatic and delicious Lincolnshire sausages and maple smoked bacon.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Amazon
Oranj Christmas Sandwich - 48-hour Festive Jambon Brie-urre
Rating: 5/5
The fatal flaw of many Christmas-orientated sandwiches is their inherent lack of Christmassy flavours. Sorry people, bacon and sausage do not a Christmas sandwich make. Thankfully, the chic Shoreditch winery Oranj has entered the Seasonal Sarnie running this year and saved it in the process. Featuring a freshly baked baguette spread with Brie de Meaux, smoked ham leg that has been cooked in two stages over 48 hours with festive spices and a tangy cranberry-infused brown sauce – it’s the ham and cheese of festive kings.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
It tastes like it’s designed to be a delicious sandwich that you have on boxing day among other lovely leftovers. It’s got a really good crunch, and you can certainly tell it’s been cooked for 48 hours.
Jessica Landon, Head of Design
Extremely tasty: rich brie, sweet cranberry and salty ham. A winning mix. I was sad when it was over.
Robbie Smith Comment Editor & Literary Editor
A very grown-up ham-and-cheese toastie - molten brie, incredible ham, a baguette with the perfect crunch - elevated to festive hero status by a touch of not-too-sweet cranberry sauce. Perfection. All other Christmas sandwiches are now ruined.
Fiona Roberts-Moore, Head of Production
Buy now, Oranj
Starbucks Tis The Season Sandwich
Rating: 4.5/5
It’s rare to come across a cold coffee shop sandwich that truly delights the sense. Thankfully, Starbucks have come through with a winter winner this season. I thoroughly enjoyed the hearty 'Tis The Season Sandwich which – thank goodness – includes sliced chicken breast instead of turkey. It’s complimented by crunchy smoked bacon and spinach on a layer of mayonnaise and cranberry chutney, with aromatic and oh-so Christmassy sage and onion stuffing. The malted bread was soft and wholesome – a brilliant alternative to a stodgy panini.
Buy now, Starbucks
Starbucks Pigs Under Blanket Panini
Rating: 3.5
Starbucks’s festively named Pigs under Blankets panini finds its inspiration in the much-loved holiday tradition of pork, wrapped in more pork. This panini offers a deconstructed version of the appetiser, with layers of bacon laid atop sliced sausages, cloaked in melted cheddar and slathered with a too-sweet caramelised onion mustard. The moreish quality of the miniature bites is lost within this sandwich, as is any of the satisfying snap of the sausage. The addition of a vegetable, or indeed any kind of acidity or freshness would not go amiss in this dish, though the comforting combination of melted cheese and processed pork does make this a hearty winter lunch.
Maya Glantz, Shopping Intern
Buy now, Starbucks
Pizza Express Christmas Menu
Mushroom & Truffle Pizza
Rating: 4.5/5
Despite being the least obviously festive option on offer, I’d pick Pizza Express’s Mushroom and Truffle pizza over a dry turkey any day. With a bechamel base, a thick layer of mozzarella and a few generous heapings of ricotta to finish, this is not a pizza for the faint of heart – or the dairy intolerant.
Garlic-covered mushrooms offer a slight nod towards the concept of health, a welcome addition to the triple-cheese beast beneath, and truffle oil adds a delicious, nutty complexity to the bite. Unlike other high-street truffle items, this pizza has none of the synthetic artificial flavour found in many truffle oils on the market. This pizza is worthy of a spot at any Christmas dinner.
Maya Glantz, Shopping Intern
Christmas Feast Pizza
Rating: 5/5
If only this pizza could be on the menu year-round. Featuring perfectly cooked pulled turkey, sage, spinach and Gran Milano cheese, it felt as though all the best parts of a hearty Christmas meal had been deconstructed and placed on everyone’s favourite suppertime vessel for nourishment: the humble pizza. Though some may find the dollops of cranberry to be slightly too sweet, I think they cut through the acidity of the tomato base beautifully.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Pizza Express
Paul Christmas Sandwiches
Rating: 4.5/5
Paul’s Christmas Club Sandwich
Be still my Vegetarian teenage heart, for Paul’s Christmas Club Sandwich is an absolute feast. What sets Paul apart from the rest every year is that freshly baked, oh-so Parisian baguette which never disappoints. Pillow-soft yet crunchy where necessary, it's the perfect shell for the slightly tangy, cranberry-infused dream that is Christmas Club.
Paul’s Brie and Flaked Almond Sandwich
Rating: 5/5
The sheer size of the brie slices in this sandwich was intimidating - but it couldn’t have been more delicious. Perfectly mild and slightly tangy, it was complimented beautifully by the crunch of flaked almonds, spinach and the slightly sweet raisin baguette. It's my favourite of the veggie Christmas sarnies that I’ve tried by a country mile.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Paul
ASDA Christmas Lunch Wrap
Rating: 3.5/5
Asda’s self-proclaimed ‘terrific’ Christmas Lunch Wrap sets itself a high standard to live up to. Stuffed to the brim with a trifecta of meats – turkey, as expected, alongside bacon and sausage, an extremely sage-forward stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a few rogue spinach leaves to prevent the wrap from entering the forbidden food territory of beige, the wrap is unmistakably festive in flavour.
The first few bites start on a high, though the construction of the sandwich means that the further down you eat, the sloppier it becomes. By the time you reach the end, you’re met with a bite of pure cranberry sauce barely contained by the neatly folded wrap, resulting in a high probability of getting a Christmas-special stain all down your top. Not one to eat in your winter whites.
Maya Glantz, Shopping Intern
Buy now £3.00, ASDA
Benugo Turkey Ruben Bloomer
Rating: 4/5
Proclaimed by the vast majority of the Shopping Team as one of the best sandwiches thus far, Benugo’s classic Turkey Ruben Bloomer has been a veritable fan favourite. Described as “a festive twist on the classic Reuben” feauting turkey, Emmental, slaw, and spinach with a perfectly spiced sriracha aioli and subtly sweet cranberry sauce on malted bloomer bread - this is exactly what festive sarnies should be.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now £6.95, Benugo
Island Poké Pumpkin Crunch Bowl
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Rating: 4/5
Here at ES Best, unlike some, we’re very much partial to a subtly Christmassy dish. It needn’t be filled to the brim with turkey and stuffing in order to have a wintery, festive feel - and that’s exactly where Island Poké comes in this season.
The result of a rather exciting collaboration with chef Jesse Jenkins, the delectable Pumpkin Crunch Bowl features both steamed and pickled pumpkin for a sweet yet acidic kick, ginger, avocado, cucumber, and jalapeño. It’s served on fluffy sushi rice and is 100 per cent vegan - but my one qualm is that it could’ve definitely done with the addition of mango or pineapple to really complete the flavour profile. I also think I would’ve preferred if the skin hadn’t still been on the pumpkin, even if it was super soft.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Island Poké
Shake Shack Festive Menu
Rating: 5/5
Shake Shack has well and truly never failed me. The addition of wonderfully festive white truffle to the beloved menu elevates an already mouth-watering smashed or shroom burger tenfold, and I really enjoyed the sprinkling of posh parmesan and truffle sauce atop those classic, moreish crinkle chips (the best texture for chips, and I won’t be told otherwise). Though the Yule Log shake is a bit sickly, it still tastes delicious; rich and ridiculously chocolatey with a hint of creaminess. I just wish it came in a slightly smaller size, as I could only really handle a few sips.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
, Shake Shack
Ole and Steen The Turkey Toastie
Rating: 3/5
This crispy option received mixed reviews across the team. Our Editor and Intern both declared it to be the best sandwich they had tried in this round of festive feasts, but my taste buds weren’t entirely tingled. The focaccia was strangely too crispy (I think it should always be soft – plain and simple) which meant that when biting into the sandwich – the top layer crumbled away and caused quite a mess.
The filling was overly sweet for my liking too – the cranberry sauce overwhelmingly so. I would’ve preferred the cheddar, chilli jam and crispy bacon side to be heavier. Perhaps I just had a slight dud in the batch.
Saskia Kemsley, Shopping Writer
Buy now, Ole and Steen
