For all that it’s still the most popular supermarket in Britain, Tesco seems a bit nonplussed at Christmas time. Its adverts have long been upstaged by the posh end of the market – and this year it got the unwelcome attention of racist idiots too – and nobody makes much fuss about its sandwiches compared to the PR juggernauts of Pret or even Greggs. The store does its bit over Christmas, sells everything you’d expect, and I suspect makes most of its money by being open later than anyone else on the 24th – by which time its sandwiches are the last thing on anyone’s mind.
Still, it has a festive range, including two turkey options – the standard sandwich (untested so far) and the Turkey Feast, which comes as part of its Finest range, including the fussy plastic holder to ensure the two rectangles of sandwich don’t touch. The packaging suggests a rather anal attention to detail: this is a sandwich where correctness of ingredient and construction is paramount.
The packaging doesn’t lie. The Tesco Turkey Feast is a formidably well-constructed sandwich – not an ingredient out of place and none of the crumbliness and stray bits of stuffing and onion you get elsewhere. The bread is tasty, the stuffing plentiful, and the turkey slices temptingly thick. It’s a bit too salty, and you will never be surprised by a Turkey Feast bite, but it’s reliable. The sensible traditiionalist’s sandwich choice.