Favourite Christmas Leftovers Sandwiches Revealed

Leftovers are as much a part of Christmas as last year’s tinsel being reused and your grandma falling asleep in front of the Queen’s speech, but it’s how you use them up that counts. Sandwiches are an obvious shout, because when in doubt, us Brits stick what we’ve got to hand between two slices of bread.

But what’s the nation’s favourite Christmas leftovers combo? It’s turkey, bacon and stuffing, apparently. That’s according to Warburtons, which has a lot to do with the inescapable slices of bread we all having lying around.

The bread people did a survey and found we will all be wanting to chow down on thickly-sliced white bread with turkey, stuffing, bacon, cheese, pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce inside. This epic sandwich is then smothered in mayonnaise.

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Other fillings that proved popular were crispy-skinned chicken, roast ham and beef, but they didn’t make it into the ultimate recipe. What goes into a leftovers sandwich does depend on the original meal, however, and how much of it was actually eaten on the big day.  Unequal proportions of some ingredients mean sandwich makers do have to be creative.

Some two per cent of respondents admitted to putting Christmas pudding into their leftovers sandwiches, which certainly is an interesting twist. It seems that anything goes in the hangover-tinged post-Christmas period.

Darren Littler, innovation director at Warburtons, says: “The Christmas sandwich is a national talking point each year and it’s clear that Brits are particular when it comes to what should and should not be included.”

A number of vegetarian and vegan options also appeared in the survey results, with the likes of falafel and roasted butternut squash popular options. Presumably this reflects the alternative Christmas dinners being enjoyed by non-meat eaters. There’s also some avocado in there, because it’s 2018 and when isn’t there avo in a widely enjoyed dish.

It’s as much about what doesn’t go in as what does, with sprouts being voted the most likely ingredient not to be included. It’s not a big surprise and with so many leftovers vying for sandwich real estate, it was always going to be the greenery that got the boot.

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OnePoll conducted a survey that discovered that a third of people believe the Christmas leftovers sandwich is the best sandwich of the year. We’re fussy about it though, with 37 per cent of people saying they’ll only eat one if it’s homemade. Maybe it’s a way of prolonging the dinner experience and evoking memories of happy family times.

And when it comes to best time to enjoy your decadent sandwich filled with turkey and memories of Christmases past, it’s Boxing Day between 1pm and 2pm. Yep, they even asked people that!