The great Christmas sandwich taste test! FEMAIL tries the high street’s range of festive sarnies

JOINT BEST RATED 

Lidl Turkey Feast Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce

£1.69 

The LIDL Turkey Feast sandwich is like Christmas wrapped in two slices of bread, well-filled and deliciously balanced, the sandwich itself has a nostalgic property to it, transporting you back to all of those Christmas meals you’ve enjoyed over the years. It’s not a Christmas meal, but it’s definitely the next best thing. – Chris Bridger-Linning 

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The One with the Gravy Layer Sandwich 

£4.59 

Ding dong merrily on high! This festive toastie ticks absolutely all of the Christmas boxes – delicious. The pulled ham and turkey are moist and flavoursome and the butternut squash, red cabbage and cheddar cheese compliment the meat perfectly. But the absolute magic comes from the middle layer of gravy-soaked bread. An absolute winner.  – Izzy Nikolic 

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ASDA Pulled Pork &  Stuffing Sandwich 

£2.15 

The sandwich had the perfect ratio of apple sauce to meat which stopped it being too dry. The stuffing also added a great flavour. A definite new favourite.  – Emer Scully

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Waitrose, Christmas Curry Bangers & Brioche

£3.30

I warmed mine up in the microwave. It was Bloody fantastic. The best Xmas sandwich of the new decade. The curry sauce was a delightful festive change and the bread was soft and buttery. Bravo Waitrose  – Jonathan Trillwood 

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PAUL Dinde De Noel

£4.75 

Lives up to its reputation. The bread is pretty thick, but it’s not dry or boring, partly of the cranberries baked into the underside. Once you get a full bite of the filling, it’s pleasantly packed with all the turkey, bacon and cream cheese. The spinach blends well with it, better than some other kinds of salad would. Definitely one to look out for if you get a chance.

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Costa, Turkey & Trimmings Toastie

 £3.50

A moreish cheese-topped sarnie sending you straight to your dining table for Christmas lunch – the blend of familiar flavours really got me excited for December 25 – and even the day after! The delicious treat has turkey and the tastiest sage and onion stuffing pouring out of the sides, while the generous helping of sweet cranberry sauce makes for the perfect accompaniment. Finished off with maple-cured smoked bacon because, why not!? It’s Christmas! All of the elements come together to make a fantastic festive mini-feast! – Jake Buzzing

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HIGHLY-RATED

ASDA Turkey and Trimmings Sandwich

£2.29 

The stuffing packs the biggest punch in this yuletide sandwich, with the pigs in blankets and cranberry and port sauce playing second fiddle in the flavour stakes. An enjoyable, filling lunch, with soft malted bread holding it all together well. – Jo Tweedy 

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Greggs Pigs under Blankets Baguette 

From £2.80 

This festive feast really was like Christmas dinner in a baguette – minus the turkey!

 The sweet cranberry sauce perfectly complemented the saltiness of the cooked pork sausage and the smoked flavour of the sweetcure bacon, while the onion and stage stuffing took the taste to a whole new level! 

If I was being particularly picky, I would have preferred the bacon to be crispier, and for more stuffing to be added – but that’s purely down to personal preference. All in all, a real treat for the taste buds! – Chloe Morgan

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Aldi, Turkey with Pigs under Blankets

£2.29

I had high expectations for this sandwich, it sounded like the perfect combination: butter basted turkey, bacon, sausages and stuffing… And it was so nearly the perfect sandwich. The sausages and stuffing are the stars and you’re hit with the sage’s aroma when you open the packaging. You also can’t really go wrong with bacon and it was a welcome addition for both flavour and texture. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really taste the turkey even though I could see plenty of it in the sizeable sandwich. Disappointingly the cranberry sauce seemed to be poorly distributed with quite a lot having been spread at the back of the sandwich and very little in the main body. This was so very nearly there and still a wonderful sandwich, but not quite perfect! – Sam Baker

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 Boots Shapers Turkey, Cranberry & Stuffing

£2.75 

With this only being 325 calories, I had concerns it wouldn’t be as tasty as a more indulgent sandwich. But I was pleasantly surprised. Boots don’t scrimp on the cranberry sauce which ensured a nice sweet, moist butty – and remarkably un-soggy bread. The turkey meat was succulent and in plentiful supply, and I enjoyed the scattering of spinach leaves. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, as it made me feel like I was being a bit healthier, topping up my five-a-day! If I’m being picky, the stuffing could have done with a bit more seasoning as it was a little bland. –  Hayley Richardson

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Morrisons Brie & Cranberry Sandwich

£2.40 

A tasty treat from Morrisons, at first I thought the brie was a little too strong but as I ate it became nicer, and nicer.

The cranberry is well distributed and the spinach adds a nice edge without being overpowering. The malted bread is gorgeous. – Bridie Pearson-Jones

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Starbucks The ‘Tis the Season Turkey Sandwich  

From £3.59 

Lovely and moist, you could really taste each individual flavour and the stuffing was a nice touch but not overwhelming, the smoked bacon complemented the cranberry sauce perfectly – Alex Vincent  

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Tesco Turkey & Trimmings

 £2.75

Nicer bread than most supermarket offerings with  lots of meat which filled the sandwich up. The bacon and turkey complement each other well, I would say it’s a little peppery but that beats an overwhelming salty sensation which is a trap it could have easily fallen into. – Alex Vincent

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PAUL, Festive Fromage Sandwich

£4.30

This was amazing. The quality of ingredients is the best you’re going to get at a high street chain and the brie was perfectly creamy with the baguette had a soft texture yet crunchy crust.

It’s probably my favourite Christmas sandwich this year, I only deduct a point as the sesame on the bread was a little strong and overpowering  and the cranberries were all crushed into the side meaning they didn’t get into every bite, but the Camembert was exquisite and it was overall an excellent effort. – Bridie Pearson-Jones

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 Costa Vegan Turkee, Cranberry & Stuffing Bloomer Toastie

£3.50 

While I’m not Vegan, I opted to try the Vegan Turkee, Cranberry & Stuffing Bloomer Toastie and was pleasantly surprised to find it filled to the brim with vegan turkee, vegan sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce and fresh spinach – with a mouthful of each in every bite. The tangy cranberry sauce is the ideal addition to prevent the seasonal treat from being too dry, while the delicious stuffing left me licking my lips! While I must admit I’m partial to the classic version of the festive toastie, this vegan alternative offers the perfect twist for any vegans out there! – Chloe Morgan

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ASDA Boxing Day Sandwich

£2.29 

While this sandwich wasn’t going to beat a homemade sarnie filled with Christmas Day leftovers, it had a strong Boxing Day lunch vibe.

Soft bread, tasty turkey and a tangy condiment all put me in the mood for Christmas. Although, a little more filling would’ve increased this from an OK sandwich to a great one. – Jessica Green

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Costa Pigs Under Blankets Stonebaked Panini 

Price varies, part of £5 meal deal 

Take out the cranberry sauce and this could be a go-to sarnie all year round! A seriously flavoursome creation filled with pork sausage, maple-cured bacon and cranberry sauce – and it definitely left me wanting more!

My only criticism is that it could be filled with a little more of everything…it is Christmas after all! An overall great tasting sarnie, but it didn’t quite get the jingle bells jingling ALL the way this time! – Jake Buzzing 

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Sainsbury’s Ultimate Christmas Feast Sandwich

£2.70

This was nice and not too heavy, and the stuffing was very tasty and the bread very soft. It also had a nice sweet cranberry twang. -Siofra Brennan 

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THE WORST 

Co-op Boxing Day Lunch

£3 

Turkey breast and oak smoked ham with coleslaw and spiced chutney. Although the name of this sandwich came with a lot of promise, I was left bitterly disappointed after tucking into this Co-op number. The coleslaw really saved the day in what was an otherwise slightly underwhelming and dry Christmas sarnie. And the spiced chutney was almost non-existent – Izzy Nikolic

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Co-op GRO Vegan No Turkey Feast

£3 

I could immediately tell this wasn’t turkey,  I took a few bites but couldn’t finish, initially I didn’t mind the taste but it really built on me after a few bites to the point where my mouth was dry. I’m not vegan but wouldn’t wish this upon anyone – Danny Hussain 

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ALDI Brie and Cranberry sandwich

£.169

Being a cheese lover, I had high expectations for the Brie and Cranberry on malted bread offering from Aldi. Unfortunately, it left me hungry for more and won’t get any gourmet ratings. The amount of cheese was indulgent enough, but the cranberry did not go as well with it as it could have. It gave it a weird after taste after I was a few bites in. In spite of the cranberry jam, the sandwich taste quite bland and felt dry. Others have done better – Claire Toureille  

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ASDA Festive Bubble and Squeak Sandwich

£2 

This Asda offering went the way on many festive vegan sarnies, just too many contrasting flavours to make and altogether soggy sarnie.  I love some festive flavours, but the very soft sage & onion  bread was overpowered by sage in the sandwich – individually all the flavours  nice but not good together. 

Bubble and Squeak is a wonderful yearly fry up for a Boxing Day sandwich, but this honestly tasted soggy and cheap. I couldn’t taste much beyond the sage and onion bread.  – Bridie Pearson-Jones

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 Co-op Pigs under Blankets Sandwich

£2

For 2,000 years, all of Christendom was in agreement: Pigs in blankets are the best part of the December 25 dinner. Sadly, the festive treat is tarnished somewhat by this unremarkable handheld version. While one can forgive the clumsiness of the sandwich – which tend to fall apart with chunky ingredients a la sausage – the fatal flaw here lies in the pure lack of imagination emanating from within the two meagre slices of milquetoast white bread. The packaging screams ‘Christmas’, but the taste buds groan for ‘mercy’.  – Henry Martin

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Pret Christmas Lunch Baguette

£3.99

Stuffing overwhelmingly porky and masked all the other taste, I would have loved to have the crispy onions but they’re completely drowned out, a miss for me. – Alex Vincent

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Lidl Christmas cheeseboard

£1.59

The bread was soggy from the chutney in the sandwich and the cheese was thin and lacked flavour, it tasted really processed and cheap, I’d avoid.- Bridie Pearson-Jones

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 Tesco Pigs Under Blankets Sub Roll

£2.50

There was a good amount of sausage in this but bun, but for me the bread was too soft. I liked the sage and onion flavourings that came through, but the texture of the sub, alongside meat which is basically glorified cocktail sausages put me off.  – Alex Vincent 

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Lidl Three course feast (triple) prawn mayo, turkey feast, cheeseboard

£1.99

Cheap and not cheerful, the prawn mayo lacked any distinction in flavour, just a creamy mess while the turkey tasted like paper.  – Alex Vincent 

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Waitrose The Festive Chicken Feast

£3.30

 The chicken sandwich was a disappointment. No real hints of thyme and the sauce was bland. The potato and parsnip bread felt stodgy and it needed something extra like cranberry sauce instead of the turkey mayo. Give this one a festive miss! – Jonathan Trilllwood

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Starbucks Very Merry Vegan Wrap

£2.99 

I’ve just realised that I tested this wrap last year and although I gave it three out of five at the time, it didn’t linger in my memory and I can see why! The butternut squash fritters and roasted red cabbage are fine, but not especially exciting, and it could really do with some more crunch. 

I appreciate Starbucks to smother it all in cranberry sauce like other vegan or veggie Christmas sandwiches, but it was definitely quite dry and could have done with lots more of the vegan mustard mayo. Overall a bit bland – but will fill a gap if you’re hungry.  – Siofra Brennan

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AND THE REST 

ALDI Turkey Feast Wrap

£1.99 

As much as I enjoyed the pork, sage and onion stuffing, it did give this wrap a strong sausage-like taste which detracted a little from the turkey. I can’t say I could really taste the port in the sauce, but perhaps that’s not such a bad thing for a lunchtime treat. As I often find with wraps, towards the bottom it’s a little more wrap than filling, so I did peel away a few layers to make the most of the flavoursome filling. All in all, a satisfying bite but it didn’t blow me away. – Hayley Richardson 

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Boots Turkey Feast

£2.85 

A treat for the meat-lovers out there, this sandwich is filled with succulent sausages and crispy bacon. But while the mayonnaise and cranberry prevents the sandwich from being too dry, it could’ve done with a lot less to prevent the flavours from being as overbearing as they were. 

That aside, it remains a tasty lunchtime treat. The filling proportions were surprisingly good. My sandwich was full enough without anything dropping out. – Jessica Green 

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Boots Turkey, Stuffing & Cranberry; Ham Hock & Pear Chutney; Barber’s Cheddar & Plum Chutney triple pack 

£3.00 

Christmas is all about being full to the brim, nursing your aching stomach as you lie motionless infront of Royle Family re-runs. 

Unfortunately the Boots Christmas sandwich will not leave you feeling satisfied – the flavours are reminiscent of Christmas’ past but the lack of filling in each of these sandwiches means this particular three-pack relies on quality over quantity. The Ham Hock and Pear Chutney was the standout, but I won’t be climbing down any chimneys to grab these again. – Chris Bridger-Linning

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Paul Vegan Sprout Sandwich  

£4.45  

There’s just too much going on in this sandwich. While the effort to shove all the trimmings into  a sandwich is admirable the sprouts aren’t well cooked and honestly they just seem a cumbersome mess to manoeuvre out the way.

I was looking forward to the potato rosti in there, but being cold it doesn’t give you a festive warming experience. Paul’s baguettes are usually great – but this was a miss for me. – Bridie Pearson-Jones

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ALDI Plant Menu Vegan Feast Sandwich

 £1.69

Fragrant, floral and festive. On appearance I was expecting it to be dry but it was good and a great level of moistness.  I’m not the biggest fan of fruit roast, but the slice of apple between the cranberry  sauce and poppy seed bread, really made the sandwich pop and gave the sarnie the perfect Christmas sweet yet savoury kick. I could have done without the sultana, but I love the idea of a parsnip sandwich, and will be definitely rustling one up on Boxing Day – Bridie Pearson-Jones 

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Waitrose Vegan Roasted Roots with Carrot & Parsnip Falafel 

£3.30

The vegan roasted roots wrap was better than I thought it would be – and had a tough audience as I’m not a fan of parsnips or carrots – the main part of the fillings. However it tasted fresh, festive and healthy- a decent vegan option.  – Jessica Rach

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 ASDA Brie & Cranberry Sandwich 

£2.00 

I fear I’ve become a bit of a bread snob in lockdown, treating myself to loaves of sourdough while whipping up my own on weekends, and for this reason, this sandwich was a disappointing experience for me. The bread was  very very soft and couldn’t hold up the filling, which too were disappointing.

The brie was mild while the cranberry was very strong. – Bridie Pearson-Jones

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ASDA Christmas Triple Sandwich (Prawn Cocktail / Turkey and trimmings / Cheese board)

£2.50 

I dutifully ate these in the right order. The prawn cocktail was a little sauce- heavy but did feel like a decent starter to the main event, a turkey and stuffing sandwich, which was packed with meat and made moist with a sage and onion mayonnaise. I’ll admit I was pretty full by the time the cheese course entered the equation but the West Country mature cheddar proved pretty easy to devour. – Jo Tweedy 

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 Pret Vegan Nut Roast

 £3.79 

As much as I’m usually a strong advocate for a double carb- load, the butternut squash in cold bread doesn’t quite work for me. This isn’t too dry which is always a fear with vegan nut roasts, and the flavours are more subtle than a lot of high street offerings. In my personal taste, the overall sandwich has too many floral flavours, but it’s a solid option for anyone who enjoys an explosion of Christmas in a few bites as there’s nuts, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, parsley, rosemary but disappointingly these cloak arguably the best bits of the crispy onions and caramelised pecans. – Bridie Pearson-Jones

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Pret Brie, Pistachio & Cranberry baguette

£3.75 

I respect the boldness of Pret to add the pistachio into the infallible Christmas classic of a Brie and Cranberry baguette.

The bread was soft, chewy and excellently French and the brie was wonderfully creamy but there wasn’t nearly enough cranberry as it seems to disappeared  halfway down the baguette.

The rocket inside is very peppery and completely overpowered the other ingredients, I love rocket in a salad but the strength of the ingriedients here took away from an otherwise excellent lunch.   

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ALDI Hog Roast Sandwich

£1.69

There’s plenty of piggy filling in this festive sarnie, with the added bonus of strong flavours from the tangy apple sauce and sage and onion stuffing. The bread is extremely soft and tastes fresh. However, the seasoned mayonnaise and fried onions meant the flavourings were sometimes unusual – and not the taste often expected from a Christmas offering. – Jessica Green

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