Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. As the weather gets parky and countless fleeces are demothballed and recruited for their annual service once again, something truly magical happens to the nation’s tastebuds. It’s almost as if there’s an unspoken agreement that, as soon as the first of December rolls around, we must all suddenly — and collectively — develop an appetite for chestnuts, cranberries, and a staggering assortment of ingredients that we neglect for eleven months of the year. Although there’ll be no parties for hosting this time round, one of the greatest culinary traditions surrounding the hap-happiest season of all remains resolute in 2020: Christmas sandwiches.
From Bodega Rita’s burly Deliveroo-exclusive sangers to a rabbity revival of last year’s hottest sandwich trend in the form of Shack-Fuyu’s Christmas “katsu sando”, there’s a load of great Christmas sandwiches in London demanding attention. These are the sort of sandwiches fashioned out of Boxing Day leftovers if the creator had access to the very best produce available. Most are only available for a limited time, though, so be quick to try them all before the year is up.
Honourable mentions:
While 40 Maltby Street and Cafe Deco don’t have explicitly Christmas-themed sandwiches — complete with kitsch names and slightly too much cranberry sauce — on their blackboards, what they do have is an ever-changing range of seasonally influenced sandwiches that make the most of excellent winter produce. Check out their respective Instagram accounts each week to discover what delicious festive feast they’ve got on the board (and between two slices of bread).