THE countdown to Christmas has begun – and it starts during your lunch break.
Festive sandwiches have hit the shelves everywhere from Aldi and Pret to Starbucks to M&S, with retailers hoping to lure customers in for a takeaway festive treat.
There are returning classics such as M&S’ naughty and spice turkey feast as well as some new, innovative flavours.
And your festive favourite could set you back anything from £1.89 to £4.75 – so which will most delight your taste buds?
We asked mum-of-three Lynsey Hope, 41, from West Malling, Kent, to taste a traditional sandwich and something a bit more quirky from some top Christmas sandwich sellers, which even include Amazon this year.
Here she reveals her favourites of the alternatives:
Tesco Yule Hog Wrap
- £2.75
- Calories: 476
Lynsey says: “A lovely soft wrap containing pulled pork in a hickory style marinade with rosemary and turkey gravy mayonnaise, lettuce, sage and onion stuffing and fried onions.
“The real winner in this recipe is the Kentish cider apple sauce which finished it off nicely. Very meaty and filling.”;
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 7/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 5/10
- OVERALL: 7/10
Sainsbury’s Boxing Day Veggie Curry Wrap
- £2.95
- Calories: 442
Lynsey says: “A lovely veggie wrap with carrots, parsnips and coronation vegan mayonnaise.
“It’s a great price and a lovely flavour from Sainsbury’s, who have managed the flavours perfectly.
“Not very Christmassy but if you’ve had your fill of turkey this could be a good option.”;
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 10/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 5/10
- OVERALL: 9/10
Lidl Brie and Cranberry
- £1.89
- Calories: 446
Lynsey says: “This looked a little sad to be honest, like Christmas decorations that have lost their festive sparkle.
“I love brie but I found this quite dry and a bit disappointing. It’s a good price but it won’t fill you up.
“The cranberry didn’t taste quite right either.”;
- TASTE: 4/10
- VALUE: 4/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 3/10
- OVERALL: 4/10
Pret Festive Falafel and Squash
- £4.45
- Calories: 527
Lynsey says: “The falafel is delicious and it goes perfectly with the roasted butternut squash and pickled veggies inside.
“Pret’s special Christmas pesto is delicious too. But don’t be fooled into thinking because it’s veg, it’s good for you.
“It may not be rammed full with turkey and sausage, but it’s still one of the highest in calories and contains a staggering 21.1g sugar.
“This should definitely be reserved for a special Christmas treat.
“It doesn’t scream Christmas either and lacks a festive feel.”;
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 6/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 5/10
- OVERALL: 6/10
Starbucks Brie and Cran-Merry Focaccia
- £4.89
- Calories: 445
Lynsey says: “A delicious amount of brie and cranberry chutney, this is a lovely option if you don’t like meat and the foccacia topped with rosemary was delicious.
“If anything the lovely bread overpowered the other ingredients a little, but it was a good option and had a lovely festive feel.”;
- TASTE: 8/10
- VALUE: 7/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 8/10
- OVERALL: 8/10
M&S Naughty and Spice Turkey Feast
- £4.50
- Calories: 481
Lynsey says: “A brioche roll packed with turkey breast, hot cranberry sauce, spicy chorizo style pork stuffing and a creamy red cabbage slaw.
“This first hit M&S shelves last year and’s a real winner, so I’m not surprised it’s back.
“It’s very hot and spicy but still manages to pack a festive punch with its flavours.
“My only complaint is it’s rather sloppy to eat.”;
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 7/10
- ESTIVE FEEL: 9/10
- OVERALL: 9/10
Amazon Pulled Turkey Brie and Cranberry Baguette
- £4
- Calories: 520
Lynsey says: “Not an instant win as this has to go in the oven for 20 minutes when you get home.
“The filling was nice and the pulled turkey tasted good but there wasn’t enough of it and would definitely have liked more.
“The cranberry and brie were both flavoursome and it felt like a nice Christmassy lunch.”;
- TASTE: 9/10
VALUE: 8/10
FESTIVE FEEL: 9/10 - OVERALL: 9/10
Costa Coffee Pigs and Blankets Stonebaked Panini
- £4.75
- Calories: 514
Lynsey says: “This had an impressive amount of sausage and once warmed, the panini was really delicious.
“It’s a whopper and you won’t need to eat much else if you have this for lunch. Delicious.”;
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 9/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 9/10
- OVERALL: 9/10
Waitrose Christmas Pigs Under Blankets
- £3.50
- Calories: 509
Lynsey says: “I ate a ton of these last year so was excited to see this sarnie back on Waitrose shelves.
“The pork sausages in this are lovely and taste great quality.
“The cranberry and redcurrant chutney is subtle and delicious. The bread is soft and tasty.
“A real winner from Waitrose. I’d eat this all year round.”;
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 9/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 10/10
- OVERALL: 10/10
Asda Brilliant Boxing Day Sandwich
- £2.50
- Calories: 406
Lynsey says: “Turkey breast and oak smoked ham with a cheesy coleslaw and balsamic onion chutney on white bread, which I have to say, made a nice change from all the malted bread options on offer.
“I wasn’t a huge fan of the cheesy coleslaw and found it made the sandwich quite wet.”;
- TASTE: 5/10
- VALUE: 5/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 4/10
- OVERALL: 5/10
Morrisons Boxing Day Curry Wrap
- £2.75
- Calories: 398
Lynsey says: “Loved this delicately flavoured wrap, which contains spiced chicken breast in a coronation mayo with red cabbage and carrot slaw and spinach all neatly compressed into a soft tortilla wrap.
“It’s not huge but for the price it’s not bad.
“It’s not terribly festive either but the flavours are sound.”;
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 9/10
- FESTIVE FEEL: 6/10
- OVERALL: 9/10
In other news, shoppers are going wild for a giant Asda mince pie
And M&S fans are rushing to buy a £10 Christmas essential.
