Very generous on the cheese, which oozes out seductively. The cranberry flavour was strong, and the bread decent, but the main let down here was the flaccid bacon which needed a bit of flavour and texture. A decent effort and a solid combination overall.
Calories: 520; Fat: 20.4g (9.8g sat); Carbs: 57.2g (8.6g sugars); Fibre: 3.5g; Protein: 25.3g; Salt: 2.4g
Verdict: 3.5/5
Costa turkey trimmings toastie, £4.25
Essentially a Christmas croque monsieur, which is absolutely a welcome addition to the Christmas sandwich canon. It’s undeniably an overwhelmingly rich toastie, with a thick splodge of melted cheese all over the top. It’s crunchy, gooey, and pleasingly sweet from the chutney. The bacon, soft and pallid, is a let down, and the cheese could be mature for more punch.
Calories: 440; Fat: 14g (8.3g sat); Carb: 55g (9.9g sugar); Protein: 21g; Salt: 1.7g
Verdict: 3.5/5
Sainsbury’s beef wellington special, £3.50
Decent thinly sliced layers of roast beef and a strong but not overpowering mushroom pate. The soft spongy bread isn’t bad, and the crunchy red cabbage is a nice touch. A well-balanced roll let down by its size (very small) and under-seasoning. Do they know it’s Christmas?
Calories: 434 calories; Fat: 23.1g (6.5g saturated); Carb: 40.3g (6.5g sugar); Protein: 18.7g; Salt: 1.22g
Verdict: 3.5/5
Aldi Specially Selected butter basted turkey with pigs under blankets, £2.29
A very meat-centric sandwich, with large chunks or turkey, sausage, stuffing and bacon. The stuffing is powerful, and slightly shunts out the other fillings (the bacon doesn’t come through) but the turkey is pleasingly buttery. A carnivorous doorstep of a sandwich with thick granary bread.
Calories: 642; Fat: 22.4g (6.4 saturated); Carb: 77.2g (14.7g sugar); Fibre: 7.2g; Protein: 29.5g; Salt: 2.63g
Verdict: 3.5/5
Aldi vegan festive feast, £1.69
Made with good poppyseed bread, the crunchy parsnip fritter filling is divisive, and the vegan sage and onion mayo could be stronger, as it’s a little dry overall. The cranberry sauce, however, is decent, though there could be a lot more.
Calories: 418; Fat: 10.3g (1.7 sat); Carb: 67.5g (18g sugar); Fibre: 6.7g; Protein: 10.7g; Salt: 1.22g
Verdict: 3/5
