London’s best Christmas sandwiches 2022

£6.05

Never before has the Time Out office been so effusive in its praise for a Christmas sandwich. This massive meaty lad of hot, hand-carved turkey with crispy bacon, chunky, funky nut roast, chilli jam and onion has the team in raptures. Huw called it ‘glorious.’ Joe said, boldly, ‘it’s the best Christmas sandwich I’ve ever eaten’. India branded it ‘flawless’. Why are you still reading this? Why aren’t you flipping your desk over and bolting to Benugo immediately? 

How Christmassy is it? Relentless tidings of comfort and joy.

£6.05

See above, but for vegans. The turkey is replaced by some kind of ‘chick’n’ and the bacon is magicked away, but the rest is all present and correct; that fabulous nut roast, the tangy sweet chilli jam, crispy onion and hunky ciabatta, of which there is much. You will not miss the meat – though you may miss the sensation of moving comfortably around your office at 4pm without feeling as if you might explode.

How Christmassy is it? The full (vegan) Father Crimbo.

£4.50

If there was a prize for the Most Heavy Metal Christmas Sandwich, this would be the runaway champ thanks to the fact that ‘Contains alcohol. May contain bones’ is written on the box. Brutal. A tasty, tight brioche bun is home to impressively zingy innards, with turkey, hot cranberry sauce, chorizo-style stuffing, cabbage slaw and mayo. Sloppier than a night out with Ozzy c1975. 

How Christmassy is it? If you usually spend Christmas listening to Black Sabbath instead of Mariah Carey, then deeply Christmassy.

£9.90

Dishoom’s cult brekkie roll has levelled up for Xmas, with creamy, steamy brie and cranberry-chilli chutney joining its famed streaky bacon. Poems have been written about the pillowy, tandoor-blasted naan, so we need not go into it again, but the season of excess surely deserves this kind of outrageous, gloopy decadence. Factor in a nice nap after consumption. No work will be done today. 

How Christmassy is it? I mean, not very, but the scattering of sweet crans, as red as Rudolph’s nose, make for a convincing festive flourish.

£4.50

Rather than focusing on the main meal of the day, this Waitrose offering pulls from the morning meal – the blinis, the salmon, the subtle squeeze of citrus. A homage to the elegant breakfast before carnage descends upon kitchens across the country, this is a fine sandwich indeed. Thick-cut salmon nestling next to a hearty smear of cream cheese, this is best munched first thing in the day, while pumping prosecco directly into your pulmonary artery. 

How Christmassy is it? It’s giving baubles, tinsel and fully stuffed stockings. 

£2.75

Fans of M&S’s iconic Wensleydale and carrot chutney sandwich will be all over this high street dupe, which comes with a dash of Blacksticks blue and mature cheddar to round out the overall cheesiness of the offering. It’s tasty, sure, but is it Christmassy? Or is it just a nice cheese sandwich? 

How Christmassy is it? Less Christmas, and more dairy delight.

£12.95

So we still have an issue with the name. We will always have an issue with the name. But let’s address Eggslut’s sandos rather than their absolutely wild branding. Not only is this extremely satisfying to cut and then gaze upon the neat layers of food, it’s tasty too. The fried egg looks almost like a fake plastic egg, which is confusing but, reader, trust us: the egg is real. The sausage is of the American school of sausages, a flat, circular patty that’s nicely spiced, and the cranberry gives it a fruity boost. 

How Christmassy is it? Cranberry aside, it’s just an American breakfast bun.

£5.15

It’s the trademark chewy, meaty bread, bejewelled with cranberries, that sets Paul’s offering apart. Inside the tidy baguette you’ll find double meats – smoky bacon and tender turkey – and excellent portioning; not too much butter, a sliver of horseradish sauce and whisper of spinach. It’s nice. Elegant. But, buyer beware – hungover eaters may want to consider the amount of chewing that it takes to get through the rustic, rather al dente baguette. 

How Christmassy is it? Quite; a small village in the home countries with a nice tree and carol singers.

£4.15

A baffling trompe l’oeil of a roll, at first I assumed this to be a smoked salmon and egg brekkie bap, but no! That salmon is in fact thinly cut carrot, and the eggs, um, something mushy pretending to be eggs, but which really, really tastes of eggs. There’s also some avocado in there which is actually just avocado. Rosie said of bread: ‘Despite a good crunch from the rye, the general wetness of the ingredients means it’s still a tad soggy’. But overall, pretty decent. 

How Christmassy is it? Avocado is not a Christmas food and we will fight anyone who says it is.

£3.25

With smoked ham, turkey, coleslaw and spiced chutney on classic white bread, this sandwich is retro perfection. It’s sweeter than a savoury sandwich has any right to be, but is pretty well-filled. Soft white bread yields nicely to the luminous innards, which look a bit like a tracksuit an off-duty footballer might have worn in the 1980s.

How Christmassy is it? Co-op is pledging £50,000 from sales of its seasonal sarnies to the Co-op Foundation, which help young people in the UK. Which is pretty damn festive.

£3.50

The true hero of this sando is its cross-section. Geologists would be amazed. The strata of nutty malted bread, followed by waves of smoked bacon, half moons of perky pork sausage and a crimson tide of cranberry and redcurrant sauce. It’s the overly thick layer of mayonnaise which might be its downfall, but overall, perhaps the most visually impressive of the bunch.

How Christmassy is it? The whole ‘pigs in blanket’ sandwich theme is a bit of a reach when it comes to festiveness, but we like this one’s gluttonous energy.

£3.75

Veggie Ellie was impressed by the faux turkey (furkey?), saying ‘It wasn’t as tough as actual turkey but had a similar look and texture.’ She was also into the crispy onions, the nutty brown bread and zingy cranberry sauce, but when asked if she’d buy it again didn’t seem overly keen. Damned with faint praise. But 5 percent of M&S’s festive sandwich sales go to Shelter, so it gets points for that. 

How Christmassy is it? A Christmas where all the turkeys are pardoned and get to live their lives on a nice farm in, let’s say… Dorset, without fear of slaughter. 

£4.89 

A brand new addition to the Starbucks Xmas menu, this is, basically, and quite joyously, simply a sausage-and-bacon bap. Sure, there’s some cranberry chutters in there, as well as a sage-and-onion mayo slick, but what we’re getting is the taste of the burger van first thing in the morning at a carboot sale somewhere on the wrong side of the M25. Which isn’t bad at all, but simply isn’t Christmas. 

How Christmassy is it? It’s not even trying.

£5.95 

If it’s sheer scale you’re after, then Pat Val’s bursting baguette delivers. Flappy folds of turkey! Mega slabs of brie! Stuffing! Cranberry sauce! Rocket! Mayo! It’s the cheese that really secures MVP status here, however, so much so that it’s kind of hard to taste anything else. The rocket and meat are rendered imperceptible by the significant wedges of brie and it’s also a bit too sloppy to eat without splashing at least some sauce down your shirt. 

How Christmassy is it? Santa would get it in his beard.

£4.60

We can only assume that Pret came up with the name for this before they actually made it. The filling is decent; maple roasting stops the beetroot slices from being too earthy, and adds a delicate sweetness, while the truffle flavour (this is Pret, babes, there are no real truffles here) roasted mushrooms add a punch of depth. The concept of ‘Christmas pesto’ is a silly one, but again, it tastes quite good. However, it’s too sloppy to slap in a baguette. Open it up and eat it with a fork, and then have the bread for pudding. 

How Christmassy is it? It’s autumnal, if anything. This is an out-of-season sandwich.

£4.89 

There’s something about heat that automatically gives any sandwich a seasonal edge. This piping panini plays the game well, chucking an unadvertised slice of cheddar in there just because a panini is no panini at all without some melty goodness. The turkey breast really, really tastes like turkey, so if turkey is something you tend to simply accept at this time of year, rather than actively enjoy, maybe swerve this bird bun.

How Christmassy is it? As Xmassy as a gaggle of reindeers eating mince pies.

£4.50

There is A Lot going on here. When Sainsbury’s says ‘ultimate’, it means it. Smoked shredded turkey, ham burnt ends, chunks of caramelised parsnip and carrot, miso-marinated cranberries and bucks fizz chutney all piled into a gravy roll. A lot of wet. Not enough dry. Filling looks a touch like somebody has regurgitated an entire Christmas lunch.

How Christmassy is it? Is there such a thing as too Christmassy? This is that.

£4.65

After smashing it with their ciabattas, Benugo obviously put their Uggs up when it came to creating this vegan nut roast and grilled carrot wrap. It’s way too soft, due to the combo of roast squash and houmous. Huw called it ‘textural chaos’; Chiara was offended by the mushiness. Ignore this and get their ciabatta instead. 

How Christmassy is it? An ignored plate of Boxing Day leftovers.

£3.50

Cheese crew, it’s your lucky day. This brie-based sarnie is so cheese-focused that we’re struggling to taste either the cranberry and redcurrant chutney or the spinach that’s also tucked away in here. Depending on your stance on dairy, this could be an incredible thing. 

How Christmassy is it? Unsatisfying yet overwhelming at the same time. A lot like Christmas, actually.

£4.75

Some rules. Brussels sprouts shouldn’t be in a sandwich. Neither should chestnuts. It’s textural trauma – both are too soft, and too similar to the bread that surrounds them. The result is a crumbly crunch rather than the required sharp, crisp crunch. There is, however, a delightful stuffing hidden within, which we love. But it needs to be set free from its breaded prison. 

How Christmassy is it? It’s Tiny Tim before he gets the turkey – there is hope, but it’s hard to see it right now.

£2.95

For a true test of this sarnie’s veggie credentials, office herbivore Ellie sampled the goods. ‘It felt more like a sausage and bacon sarnie with a bit of cranberry sauce in there – not a festive sando,’ came the response. The ‘bacon’ itself was also a rather alarming shade of pink, and a touch too slimy to pass for the real deal. 

How Christmassy is it? Apart from the vaguely festive cranberries, this is just a normal sandwich, isn’t it?

£4

As with so many Christmas dinners, here the stuffing is king. It might look a little weedy, but this stuffing provides a light, munchable foil to the pretty intense meat feast within. Bryan said it would be better with crisps in it. We did not have any crisps to hand in order to test that theory, but he may well be right.

How Christmassy is it? Add some crisps and it’s basically the Trafalgar Square Xmas tree of sandwiches. According to Bryan.

£4.50

This towering triple-decker was scaled by India, who was left unimpressed. ‘The smokiness was odd, like the sandwich had been cooked on a bonfire. How did they achieve this? And why? Chargrilled barbecue flavours should be for summer, not Christmas. The outside was toasted which was strange for a cold sandwich.’

How Christmassy is it? The crust was cardboard-y and made the last bite an unpleasant mouthful of crust drier than Santa’s old boots.

£12.95

This is a simple seasonal update of the US import’s already popular Fairfax sandwich, meaning they have popped some salmon into their eggy bun. This is a sloppy number, but they know that – they give you a fork to eat it with. 

How Christmassy is it? Adding smoked salmon to a sandwich you already make is about as Christmassy as re-gifting a pair of socks.

£2.75

Again, Morrisons might have strayed somewhat too far from the brief. In their attempts to broaden the Xmas sandwich remit, they’ve ended up making a wrap that bears no particular relation to the festive season. Coronation mayo chicken breast with red cabbage, carrot slaw and spinach in a tortilla wrap doesn’t say Crimbo to us, alas. 

How Christmassy is it? Simply not at all.

£3.25

Bryan from the office was keen to get his hands on this meaty number, but was left disappointed, largely due to the lack of festive spirit. Bacon, sausage and not much else. 

How Christmassy is it? It’s a soggy fry-up in some bread, which isn’t Christmassy one little bit.