Snackmas Day 2- M&S Festive Sandwiches

Christmas Is All Around.. As are Festive Sandwiches! Literally, every foodie place will have 1 if not numerous meat offerings as well as Veggie alternatives. I am more than ok with this as a self confessed super fan of such things.. Hark, my favourite place to eat out at is Dobbies, the Garden Centre, purely because you can make your own panini's and they have Turkey, Cranberry and Brie - I like a festive fix all year round! 

It will come as no surprise to hear that when November is upon us and the Festive Sammies are in full swing, not just in Garden Centres, I consume a hell of a lot of the things. Today, we've got a trio of M&S, in aid of the charity, Shelter.

Turkey Feast

Butter basted roast British turkey breast with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, smoked British bacon and mayonnaise on malted brown bread. 

I was concerned at first at the prospect of a NEW recipe as last years was perfect as is but luckily nothing had been compromised.. Just check out that generous, glistening of purply, red cranberry chutney! The remarkably robust capsule of brown bread was perfectly soft with a very much wholesome taste yet only slight malt edge. Inside was a thick filling of tender turkey complimented by the herby stuffing with slightly salted bacon in abundance which was balanced out by the sweet cranberry. The mayo element certainly didn't go a miss even though I couldn't really identify it but it did add another "wet" element to keep things moist. Sweet Little *Jazzy* Jesus Boy, its Christmas in a sandwich - 4.5 out of 5! 

Turkey & Pigs in Blankets 

British pork sausages and smoked British bacon, butter basted roast British turkey breast, cranberry chutney, spiced mayonnaise and spinach on sage and onion bread. 

Next up is the Turkey & Pigs In Blankets because after all.. Whats Christmas without a pig in blanket or 12? Thankfully, a good amount of herby sausage was included which was the main flavour with undertones of the turkey and bacon in the background. The cranberry chutney had the same sweet tang as above even although there wasn't anywhere near as much making it a much dryer sandwich - Not something I'd usually opt for! A taste of cloves was very apparent but not to much to spoil it.. I think. I really don't like cloves (There was a Ham incident last year - Everyone involved was traumatised) but this was barable. Rounding things off nicely was the sage and onion bread which tasted uncanny to stuffing - I would buy it in loaves if they sold it! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Brie & Grape 

Brie cheese and red grapes with a grape and port jelly, mayonnaise and lettuce on oatmeal bread. 

Last but by no means least is the Brie & Grape which was also loaded with a sauce.. Slightly boozy tasting and tangy port jelly! Distributed throughout this was lots and lots of grapes which added a subtle fruitiness and overall made things taste very light and fresh even with the creamy yet strong flavour from the cheese above. I was surprised how generously it was filled - At least 4 slices of cheese were in each half of the sandwich! The lettuce and mayo was the final layer before meeting the oaty bread.. No spices this time thankfully! Its essentially a soft and squidgy version of your Cheese, Grapes and Crackers - 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Overall and as expected, I loved all 3 of these Festive Sandwiches! They are definitely for those who don't mind the 'chuck everything in and hope for the best' way of life as there is a lot going on in each of them and for that, I can't fault them. I can however fault M&S themselves.. Only 5% of the sale of these sandwiches* go to Shelter. Given they are priced at £3.30, £3 and £2.80 respectively, that's a total of £9.10 in which only 45p goes to charity. That is absolutely abysmal. Talk about being a Scrooge! Talk about a Blue Christmas! Sort it out M&S.

*For anyone who is interested there is a Veggie option, Gluten free Turkey Feast as well as a 'healthy' jobbie and Beef - Otherwise known as, EVERYTHING!