Christmas shopping can be hungry work, and if a supermarket cafe Christmas dinner doesn’t take your fancy, maybe their festive take on a meal deal will. Supermarkets like Aldi, Tesco and Asda have all released their seasonal offerings, as well as retailers like Boots - making them the ideal way to top off a December shopping trip.
The festive Christmas menus for 2022 sees an array of festive treats, from traditional turkey and trimmings and pigs under blankets, to a spicy take on a Christmas feast - there’s something for everyone, but which one will be our winner?
I visited Aldi, M&S, Boots, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco on the hunt for a sandwich that would really get me in the Christmas spirit
READ MORE: We ate supermarket cafe Christmas dinners and one smashed it
So, which seasonal sandwiches were a festive flop, and which ones scored five gold rings? Here’s what I thought of this years’ Christmas sandwiches from all of the major retailers.
Aldi
At first glance, I thought my local Aldi had either forgotten it was Christmas or had completely sold out of festive butties, but then I noticed this solitary Pigs under Cheesy Blankets sub shoved behind some regular sandwiches, clearly ditched for a better offer, which didn’t fill me with much glee.
The £1.99 sandwich was, however, the cheapest of them all, and one of the largest too, so that was one good thing.
The Pigs under Cheesy Blankets sub contained a neat row of sausages snuggled under a sheet of bacon, topped with slices of brie on a bed of cranberry sauce. For an on-the-go meal, I’m not totally keen on cold sausages and for me, brie is definitely better melted.
Had I been able to take this home and pop it in the oven for a while, this would have been a festive delight - but quick, convenient and… cold - it wasn’t my favourite from this list.
Price: £1.99
Rating: 2/5
M&S
Marks and Spencer have gone big on flavour for Christmas 2022 - particularly with their ‘12 layers of Christmas sandwich. But I decided to opt for the Naughty and Spice Festive Feast roll for a twist on a turkey butty.
The award-winning roll is back for another year, and features a buttery brioche roll filled with peri-peri turkey, hot cranberry sauce, chorizo-style stuffing, Christmas cabbage slaw and mayonnaise, all neatly boxed up in a red box that makes it look like a little gift.
At £4.50, it’s the most expensive on this list, however, 5 per cent of each item sold from Marks and Spencer’s Christmas Food on the Move range goes to Shelter to help millions of people every year struggling with poor housing conditions or homelessness. It’s the 18th year the supermarket has partnered with the charity, having raised £14.6 million since 2005.
In terms of flavour, this one really packs a punch with its various marinades and spices, perfect to bring a bit of heat to the competition, as many of these supermarket sandwiches can be pretty bland. The brioche bun was beautifully soft and sweet, but this one loses one point for being pretty expensive.
Price: £4.50
Rating: 4/5
Boots
The Boots festive menu features no less than six varieties of sandwich, from traditional favourites such as the Brie & Cranberry to the Turkey Feast, but if you really want to get a taste of Christmas, then you’ll want to go for the Christmas Triple.
Priced at £3.35, you get three sandwiches for the price of one, and if you have an advantage card, you can add a snack and drink and pay just £3.60 for the lot.
The Christmas triple includes ‘Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry’, ‘Ham, Coleslaw and Ale Chutney’ and ‘Barber’s Cheddar and Chutney’ to offer a medley of festive flavours.
I also really like that there’s a mix of malted and white bread here, too, whereas a lot of the stores have opted for malted bread. Boots also highlight the calories on the front of the packet, and I really expected there to be more calories in this meal, but at 520, it seems like a great, healthy but filling option. It gets full marks from me.
Price: £3.35
Rating: 5/5
Morrisons
New additions to the Morrisons festive sandwich range this year include a Boxing Day Curry Wrap and a Market Street Christmas Festive Baguette, but festive favourites are also returning including the Christmas Lunch Sandwich and the Pigs Under Blankets Sandwich, along with the Christmas Mince Pie Pastry which is vegan and gluten free.
I picked up the Christmas Lunch sandwich for £2.75, packed with turkey breast with cranberry chutney, smoked bacon, pork, sage and onion stuffing and seasoned mayonnaise on malted bread.
Morrisons Festive Sandwiches are all priced individually between £2.50 and £2.75 and are also available as part of the £3.50 meal deal, where 5 per cent of sales from all Morrisons Christmas sandwiches and wraps will be donated to Together for Short Lives.
The sandwiches was pretty tasty with a generous filling, but for me lacked in chutney, making it a little bit dry - but it still satisfied a shopping induced hunger.
Price: £2.75
Rating 3/5
Sainsbury’s
Coming in at £2.95 is the Sainsbury’s Turkey Feast and I have to admit, it was a toss-up between that and pigs under blankets - but I think I made the right choice.
This butty offers British turkey breast, mayonnaise, maple cured smoked bacon, cranberry chutney and sage, onion and oat stuffing on malted bread, and it tastes like Christmas dinner between two slices of bread. I’d have loved a little pot of hot gravy to dunk it in.
The bacon was really thick on this one, too, and the turkey surprisingly succulent. Again, though, they definitely could have gone heavier on the cranberry - I want it OOZING out!
Price: £2.95
Rating: 4/5
Asda
This year Asda has launched seven Christmas sandwiches and wraps, including a Vegan ‘No Turkey’ Feast Wrap and new Smoked Salmon and Soft Cheese Sandwich. The range comes as part of Asda’s largest Christmas range to date, with 723 new items across the store.
I tried their jolly festive feast and it was essentially Christmas in one bite. Turkey breast, Cumberland sausage and beechwood-smoked bacon are paired with sage and onion stuffing, gravy mayo and cranberry and port sauce – and it’s SO full of flavour. Can Asda please launch the gravy mayo in their stores? I need some all year round.
At £3, I’d say it’s worth every penny. This one definitely got me into the Christmas spirit!
Price: £3
Rating 5/5
Tesco
Last but not least was Tesco’s smoked ham and Wensleydale sandwich, costing £2.75. This one left me feeling a little bit disappointed as it’s essentially a jazzed up ham and cheese butty, but the crumbly Wensleydale was very nice, as was the apple and fig chutney.
The salad was a little limp, and the ham on the watery side, so it made for a pretty sad sandwich overall, and my least favourite of the round up.
I wish I’d gone for their brie and cranberry offering, but at least I know for next time!
Price: £2.75
Rating: 2/5
So, Boots and Asda both scored top marks for their festive sandwiches, but for me, while Boots offered a fabulous variety of flavours, it was Asda who got me as excited for Christmas as Will Ferrell in yellow tights and a green hat.
But with less than two weeks until Christmas, you’ll have to be quick to catch them before they sell out.
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