Aldi, Tesco, Co-op and Asda Christmas sandwiches put to the test

Forget the Coca-Cola truck and the dustings of snow on the hilltops. Is there truly anything more festive than a slab of turkey and cranberry wedged between two factory-prepared slices of bread and squashed into a plastic package?

For many of us, seeing Christmas sandwiches in the meal deal aisles of our favourite supermarkets is an excitement in itself – and an early sign that Santa is on the way.

For the rest, it’s a grumble at the very least. As has been the case for the last few years, the Christmas sandwich offerings are commonplace now and range from the obvious roast dinner variations to vegan pigs in blankets with gravy mayonnaise.

There’s a lot to process, but it’s clearly something that goes down well at lunchtime.

With Christmas just around the corner, it was decided I would be tasked with taste testing a number of the Christmas sandwiches on offer at some of the leading supermarkets this year – marking two years in a row I have now ended up with the unenviable challenge.

This is by no means a definitive list, and you may well disagree with my opinions, but here’s what I made of the sandwiches I got my hands on.

There were some surprisingly tasty options and some that I’d quite frankly be happy to never experience ever again.

Buckle up!

Co-op Turkey Feast

The Co-op’s Turkey Feast sandwich was satisfactory, but not particularly memorable.

Priced at £3.25 or £4 as part of a meal deal, it includes turkey with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, smoked bacon and mayonnaise on malted bread.

While the bacon and cranberry were enjoyable, the turkey was uninspiring and the bread too heavy for my taste. It’s not a sandwich I’d be eager to revisit.

Their Boxing Day Feast sandwich is an unusual combination of chicken, ham, cheese coleslaw and balsamic onion gravy all packed into white bread. For me, there’s simply too much happening in this sandwich – the pairing of gravy and coleslaw is something I’ve never contemplated and don’t wish to experience again.

The individual components are fine, and the white bread absorbs the fillings better than malted bread, but the combination of gravy and coleslaw is a definite no for me. It’s a culinary misstep disguised as a festive sandwich.

Tesco

Tesco’s Cracking Currywurst sandwich does have a certain Christmas market charm. Featuring sausage and onions with curry ketchup on a white sub roll, it’s available as part of a Clubcard Meal Deal for £3.60.

Despite the rich flavours, the sausage was not overpowering and quite tasty. However, it was a bit messy to eat – so perhaps not the best choice when dining with others.

Gym Kitchen’s Chicken, Bacon, Cranberry and Stuffing sandwich piqued my interest. I was curious to see how a chicken alternative to the traditional turkey feast would taste – and it was surprisingly good.

This might say more about turkey than anything else. With 24g of protein, this sandwich includes chicken breast, mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, beechwood-smoked bacon, and sage and onion stuffing on oatmeal white bread.

Without the cranberry, it would be hard to identify this as a festive sandwich, but it was enjoyable and the protein boost made it more satisfying than some other options. Overall, it’s a solid choice if you want something Christmassy without all the usual trimmings.

Aldi

Aldi’s Christmas Club Sandwich is clearly labelled as ‘inspired by our talented colleague George’. So, if it doesn’t hit the mark, we know who to blame.

Right from the start, there’s a lot happening here. Among six halves of white and rye bread, you’ll find Emmental cheese, formed cooked sliced smoked turkey (quite a mouthful), cranberry sauce, sage and onion mayonnaise, formed cured cooked oak smoked ham (another tongue-twister), lettuce, and Beechwood-smoked cooked streaky bacon.

All this for just £2.39. It’s evident that George has a broad palette, but he might actually be somewhat of a culinary whizz.

While I firmly decline to consume the sandwich in one go, opting instead for half at a time, there is a rich array of flavours to discover. The Emmental and ham side is my favourite – the sweet, fruity taste of the cranberry and the soft, buttery stuffing enhance things quite splendidly.

The second half, featuring the bacon, is also enjoyable and perhaps feels a bit more festive, but I favour the ham side. It’s safe to say that George’s job is secure for another year.

If you prefer fewer toppings on your sandwich, Aldi also offers a Turkey Feast (£1.99). Served on malted bread, it includes turkey, pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, mayonnaise, Beechwood-smoked bacon, and fried onions.

After my first bite, I’m inclined to declare it possibly my favourite of the lot. It’s tasty, soft and not overly dry – a common issue with turkey.

The cranberry chutney is a delight, and the stuffing is equally impressive. However, I must admit that I was entirely unaware of any fried onions in my sandwich until I revisited the ingredients list.

Perhaps there’s too much happening for them to stand out, but I’m confident they were present.

Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer’s Turkey Shawarma is certainly a unique offering – and perhaps too unconventional to resist trying.

It comprises spiced British turkey with a garlic and herb dressing, accompanied by pickled red cabbage, cranberry harissa and fresh spinach, all wrapped in a wheat flour tortilla. The spice really helped to highlight the turkey, which I feel is often overlooked.

The harissa, spinach and dressing also added a touch of sophistication, making it sound more extravagant than your typical options. The pickled cabbage, however, was quite disappointing and lacked flavour.

The MandS Christmas Club, again, does not opt for turkey, instead featuring chicken breast, seasoned mayonnaise, cranberry chutney, pickled red cabbage, pork, onion and sage stuffing, smoked maple-cured British bacon and spinach on toasted oatmeal bread. It claims to be toasted, but I can’t discern any difference when it comes to the bread – I’ll have to trust MandS on this one.

Whatever has been done to the bread, it has resulted in rather dry crusts, which are left uneaten.

The cabbage, stuffing, and spinach innards add a pleasant consistency and flavour to the sandwich, creating a well-rounded meal. Despite having a lot going on, it surprisingly works.

Morrisons

Morrisons’ Pigs Under Blankets sandwich was next on the list. At this point, I must confess that my enthusiasm for Christmas sandwich taste testing was waning.

Thankfully, my editor Jenna stepped in to try the Pigs Under Blankets sandwich. It consists of Lincolnshire sausage with balsamic onion chutney, mustard mayonnaise and smoke-flavoured streaky bacon on white bread.

When asked for her opinion, she immediately said: “I’ve simply switched off my tastebuds to finish it”. Not a great sign.

However, Jenna did mention that the onion gravy added a nice ‘tang’, but found the sausages tough – not ideal considering they’re the main attraction. Next up was Morrisons’ take on the traditional Turkey Lunch classic.

The sandwich features turkey breast, cranberry chutney, seasoned mustard mayonnaise, smoked bacon and stuffing with oats on malted bread. Overall, the sandwich was quite enjoyable.

The oaty stuffing added some heft, so it’s best paired with a drink to help wash it down, but the turkey and cranberry combination was good.

Regrettably, the bread was the downfall of the entire meal – it was excessively dry, lacked flavour and was somewhat difficult to consume. The crusts were left untouched on this occasion.

Asda

Asda’s Christmas Lunch Wrap is a festive treat that includes ‘pork sausage in a calcium alginate casing’ among its ingredients. This wrap contains turkey, sausage, bacon, stuffing, cranberry chutney, spinach, fried onions, and chicken stock paste.

Unfortunately, the multitude of ingredients resulted in an overwhelming taste. The bacon was slightly too tough and left an odd aftertaste, possibly due to the inexplicable inclusion of chicken stock.

It was a bit too adventurous for my liking and not something I would want to try again. During my shopping trip to Asda, I timed it perfectly to coincide with the restocking of the sandwich shelves.

To avoid being an inconvenience to the staff, I quickly grabbed what was available and ended up with another Boxing Day Feast. Unlike other offerings, Asda’s version does not include a gravy and coleslaw combination.

Instead, it features a blend of coleslaw and balsamic onion chutney, along with chicken breast and oak-smoked ham, served on white bread.

Actually, this one was surprisingly okay. I perhaps have no need to ever have it again, but it’s not the worst of the worst.

The ham and chicken go well together, and the coleslaw is nice. I’m just not sure I approve of the onion chutney being there as well.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Pigs Under Blankets, featuring Cumberland sausage, beechwood smoked bacon, cranberry chutney and mayonnaise on malted bread, isn’t great – and it’s down to the main ingredient. While the cranberry and mayonnaise add a bit of welcome moisture to the layers, the sausage has a slight spice to it that is quite unpleasant and leaves an aftertaste that lingered for far too long.

Not a fan of this one.

Again, perhaps with my sandwich-woes clearly showing, I was helped out with this one too thanks to my doting mother.

She took one for the team and tried Sainsbury’s Turkey Feast – and, for all intents and purposes, she appeared to rather enjoy it.

On malted bread, it features British turkey breast and sage, onion and oat stuffing alongside mayonnaise, maple cured smoked British bacon and cranberry chutney. It’s priced at £2.40 on its own if you don’t want to Meal Deal it.

She explained to me that the malted bread was very tasty, with lots of turkey and a ‘quite chunky full slice’ of bacon inside. She described it as delicious with plenty of filling.

She said she was even tempted to rate it as perfect.

And, hopefully, I won’t have to lay eyes on a Christmas sandwich again for the rest of the year.