Waitrose Roast Turkey with Bacon, Stuffing & Cranberry £3.20

I have always considered Waitrose to be a regular shopping haunt for Yummy Mummys married to Hedge Fund Managers or those who own at least one piece of Barbour clothing.  Here I am today in my woolly Barbour hat.  Yes, I dressed for the occasion.  I am excited to be here after a long drought following the credit crunch and subsequent recession.  Gone are the days when I was the care free type who didn't register what the price tag said.  Now I am a responsible adult who has watched far too many episodes of "Spendaholics".  That, and I have a mortgage the size of the national debt of a small Scandinavian country so needs must.

The very essence of Waitrose screams (or should that be gently points out) quality.  From the classic, understated graphics to the spotlessly clean aisles and impeccably dressed staff, it's the sort of place which makes me come over all 1950s house wife, want to crack open my Magimix and get baking bread.

I head for their "Good to Go" section (that's the pre-packed sandwiches and ready made salad refrigerator to you and me).  They have a festive range going on here (including ham hock and brie with apples - swanky!)  The box, thank the good designers of Waitrose, is NOT red but in fact a speckled white with a small cluster of red and green snowflakes in the top right hand corner.  I am suitably impressed.  Even the name has been "Waitrosed" and is simply called British Roast Turkey with Bacon, Stuffing & Cranberry.  Full marks for style.

The sandwich is bursting with filling.  Like a well packed Christmas stocking it is delivering me a visual feast of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, bacon and...  hang on, what's this?  Spinach!  Spinach!  My heart is heavy with dismay.  Just say "no" to greenery in our seasonal sarnies!  Now I am inspecting this sandwich more closely the stuffing looks a tad on the mushy side. 

The smell is certainly there but it isn't rushing out trying to entice me in.  It's much more subtle with hints of stuffing and bacon.  I take a bite and literally 15 seconds later I am hit with a full on peppery punch.  Hmm, perhaps tone down the seasoning a tad?  Another bite and more bad news.  I am chewing on a mouthful of ghastly gristle.  Yuck.  I remove the offending cartilege and promptly chuck it in the bin.  In reality this could be just very unlucky on Waitrose's part but it should never, ever happen.  So far this sandwich is failing to do all the right things.  I WANT to like this sandwich so much.  It comes from a haven of tranquility.  The box was unpredictable.  I let out a dreamy sigh when I saw their grammatically correct "6 items or fewer" aisle.  Even their signage is well spoken!  Come on Waitrose.  Make me a sandwich to impress!

Sadly today's sandwich is a paradox of Waitrose's otherwise perfect existence.  I am struggling to eat the whole thing.  Taking big breaks to read email and sup on a glass of water.  I decide to save the rest for later.  Dismal but true, it's just not doing it for me.  I'm left wondering if this sandwich was swapped at birth?

Verdict:  Disappointing.  That's all I can say.  I'm lost for words <sad face>

Rating: Five out of ten (but I still love you Waitrose!)