Who makes the best Christmas sandwiches in the UK?

How the best Christmas sandwich taste test worked

Four members of the olive team conducted a blind taste test to find the best Christmas sandwich, awarding gold and silver awards to the ones we were most impressed with.

The best meat Christmas sandwiches to buy

Gold for traditional Christmas sandwich: EAT. Festive Full Works Bloomer, £3.99, EAT.

Comments: With tender turkey, smoked ham, crisp spinach leaves, well-balanced sweet and sour notes from the cranberry sauce and creamy mayo – all sandwiched between slices of springy seeded bread – this sarnie is one you could happily eat repeatedly through the festive season.

Gold for non-traditional Christmas sandwich: Sainsbury’s On the Go Christmas Market Sandwich, £3, Sainsbury’s

Comments: This might not sing Christmas to some, but the chunky ham hock, punchy mayo and crunchy pickles in a golden bun gives this supermarket sandwich an deli-style feel and wowed us all.

Silver for traditional Christmas sandwich: Tesco Finest Turkey Feast, £3, Tesco

Comments: A classic turkey feast with squidgy white bread holding plenty of herby stuffing and juicy meat.

Silver for non-traditional Christmas sandwich: GAIL’s Turkey and Cheese on Waste-less Sourdough, £5.10, GAIL’s

Comments: Buy this loaded sarnie, made using GAIL’s ground-breaking ‘waste-less’ sourdough from unsold surplus bread, if you think a sandwich isn’t a sandwich without the addition of cheese. The smoked turkey slices balance well against the swiss-style cheese, chewy sourdough, chipotle aioli and sweet and savoury bacon jam. If you passed this off as homemade, we’d believe you.

Other meat Christmas sandwiches we tried

Lidl Christmas Turkey Feast Sandwich, £1.69, Lidl

PAUL The Festive Pig Sandwich, £4.65, PAUL

Asda Turkey Tower, £3, Asda

Pret Christmas Lunch, £3.95, Pret

Waitrose and Partners Christmas Coronation Turkey Wrap, £3.30, Waitrose

Spar Turkey Feast, £3, Spar

Aldi Specially Selected Turkey with Pigs Under Blankets, £1.99, Aldi

Co-op Turkey Feast Sandwich, £3, Co-op

The best vegetarian/vegan Christmas sandwiches to buy

Gold: EAT. Brie, Cranberry and Nut Stuffing Bloomer, £3.99, EAT.

Comments: The separate elements – creamy brie, crunchy nut stuffing and a layer of cranberry sauce – worked well together in this meat-free sarnie made with springy white bread specked with fragrant onion seeds.

Other vegetarian/vegan Christmas sandwiches we tried

Asda Vegan Roasted Cauliflower and Houmous Sandwich, £2.50, Asda

Sainsbury’s On the Go Vegan Christmas New Yorker, £2.25, Sainsbury’s

PAUL All About the Sprout Sandwich, £4.25, PAUL

Waitrose and Partners Christmas Vegan No Turkey Feast, £3.30, Waitrose

Pret Veggie Christmas Lunch, £3.75, Pret

Marks and Spencer the Nutcracker, £3.30, M&S

Co-op Vegan Feast Sandwich, £3, Co-op

Tesco Wicked Kitchen Festive Feast Wrap, £3, Tesco

Spar Wensleydale and Spiced Chutney, £3, Spar

Lidl Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, £1.49, Lidl

Aldi Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, £1.69, Aldi

Taste test conducted and written by Ellie Edwards