Boots. It's a chemist. Not a place synonymous with baked goods. Here I buy multi vitamins and replacement mascara, and revel in the number of points I can stack up on my loyalty card. I do not generally buy lunch. Unless I am caught short and cannot be bothered to walk anywhere else. Often I forget they have fridges full of sandwiches et al. Crouching behind the shelves of mild medications the fridges lead a gloomy existence and look as though they are turned off. Their food offering is all a bit "health mad" and verging on the bland for me.
Having said all of that, last year their festive sandwich really impressed me. It was so much more than I was predicting from a company who uses a tape measure design on their packaging. I have high expectations for this year's offering.
So onto the sandwich itself. Yet another one named "Turkey Feast" and placed in a red cardboard box with a seasonal design. This is all getting a bit tiring. Is red the only colour associated with Christmas? I notice even my blog is red dammit! Has Coca-Cola brain washed the world? Boots' box has a little robin red breast drawing. Twee but cute. At least they tried.
I open up my sandwich and wait for a smell to waft out. Nothing. Nada. Nil. I place the sandwich directly under my nose. No aroma at all. This is weird. I keep sniffing and eventually give up. This sandwich has the fragrance of a black hole. It looks ok ish. The bread is very brown. Like it has just stepped off a charter jet from Magaluf. The cranberry is scarily pink looking. Almost halloweenesque (think vampire makeup). The stuffing is mixed with the mayo (horror of all horrors!) and some sorry looking spinach is sticking out of its backside. Here's where I have to say that despite containing spinach this is an improvement on lettuce (spinach being closer to a Christmas dinner vegetable) and I can let Boots off the hook a bit for being health conscious as I imagine that's why you are buying one of their sandwiches in the first place. Still, at least the bacon is a vision of crispiness. I am hoping this sandwich tastes much better than it looks.
Half a sandwich later and it isn't bad but to be honest it doesn't taste of much at all, which is partly why it isn't bad. I'm hardly noticing I'm eating anything. It's the kind of sandwich which is offering me a limp handshake rather than a big flavoursome cuddle. I'm disappointed. I read the box again. Whilst it is admirable that they have removed a whole load of calories, fat content and salt, in doing so they have also pummeled most of the flavour and soul out of this thing. It's a sad state of affairs the day you have to eat a festive sandwich bordering on a diet version. Christmas dinner isn't for dieters! It's for the fully fledged foodies of the world. Save the diet until New Year's Day or buy yourself a fruit salad instead. Christmas dinner has rights too you know!
Verdict: Disappointing but edible. Great for dieters but don't expect it to whack you in the mouth with full on flavour.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment