The make-up of the perfect Christmas dinner can often be a contentious topic - mash or no mash, sprouts or no sprouts, is cauliflower really traditional? But in recent years, an altogether new trend has emerged of stuffing your whole roast dinner into a sandwich - or even a wrap made of Yorkshire pudding.
In my house, turkey sandwiches are a Boxing Day staple, but the idea of eating one in the run up to Christmas seemed blasphemous. Love the idea or loathe it, they are undeniably far more convenient to eat whilst out and about than a traditional roast, the perfect snack to eat whilst browsing the festive markets.
At this year's Christmas in Cathedral Square market in Pigeon Park, you can get your hands on traditional turkey or pork rolls for £7 - or £9 for a large. Are they worth it - here’s what we thought.
You can usually judge the merits of a good eatery by the length of the queue to get in. The line here at Cathedral Carvery was a good five or six people strong, and had been for most of the afternoon, immediately filling me with confidence. They’d even run out of tissues, that’s how busy we’re talking.
As I stood in line, I had a look at the different options on offer. There are two different sizes to choose from. The regular - which I went for - comes in a roll about the size of a classic burger bun. The larger option comes in a fluffy hot-dog style bap.
After handing over my cash (yes, cash is preferred here) I was handed a turkey bap filled with meat, stuffing and gravy. To my disappointment, I was not given any cranberry sauce in the sandwich - a crime in my opinion.
However, I eventually realised the cranberry sauce was served in a little bowl next to the stall for customers to help themselves. While I appreciated the addition, the gravy oozing from the sandwich meant the idea of opening it to add more sauce was a risky task. Instead, I camped out by the sauce station and dolloped a bit of sauce on before every bite.
Onto the sandwich itself. The quality of the meat was second to none, and it was seasoned to perfection. Juicy and moist, every bite was a dose of seasonal goodness.
The gravy was a bit thinner than I prefer, but it was soaked up gloriously by the bread. The bread itself was arguably the highlight of the whole experience. The brioche bun was soft and fluffy and brought a welcome sweetness to the sandwich. The stuffing too was perfectly seasoned with thyme and rosemary.
What let the sandwich down, in my opinion, was the lack of any vegetables. A carrot, some onion or even a couple of parsnips would have really elevated the whole experience. Not only would it have helped to bring some variety in texture, it would have made it a far more festive experience.
This was the only thing that held this sandwich back - but I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Cathedral Carvery brings together the best elements of a traditional Christmas dinner in a convenient (and tasty) handheld form, making it a perfect on-the-go treat during the festive season.
