A new bread frontier

Britain keeps testing what can go between two slices. The latest entry is an apple crumble sandwich, already nicknamed the dessertwich.

“Just when you thought there must be a limit to what we British will eat between two slices of bread”

Sainsbury's follows M&S

Marks & Spencer's strawberries and cream sandwich landed before Wimbledon and worked. Sainsbury's is answering with an apple crumble version in November.

What is actually in it

Brioche bread holds fresh apple slices, fruit compote, creme fraiche and crumbled biscuits. That is the whole build.

No custard, on purpose

Custard was left out, presumably to spare shoppers the dry cleaning bill after a lunchtime spill.

“though there's no custard, presumably to help avert jacket dry cleaning bills”

It lands in November

The sandwich reaches shelves in November, timed to the run-up to Christmas rather than to summer.

A snack, not a lunch

It joins the meal deal range, but slots in as the snack pick rather than the main item, according to The Observer.

“as part of the supermarket's meal deal range, but as a snack, rather than a main”

The idea came from Japan

Fruit sandwiches are a Japanese staple called furutsu sando, not a British invention.

How the original works

Slices of kiwi, mango or berries are layered with whipped cream between pieces of shokupan, a fluffy sweetened milk bread.

Social media did the rest

The Japanese sandwiches went viral online last year, which is when British retailers started paying attention.

M&S moved first

Marks and Spencer put out a strawberries and cream version at £2.80, timed to Wimbledon.

Eyebrows up, tills ringing

Shoppers found it odd and bought it anyway. It sold 75,000 units in its first five days on shelves.

“While the product raised eyebrows, it was hugely popular, selling 75,000 in the first five days”

Aldi took the mickey

Aldi mocked up a vegetable version online, riffing on the famous M&S ad line to poke at the whole trend.

“This is not just any sando… this is a Carrot and Creme Sando, 500,000 likes and we'll make it happen.”

M&S went again anyway

Scepticism did not slow it down. A second £3.50 sandwich arrived with chocolate, strawberry and pistachio creme on cocoa-enriched bread.

Tesco's birthday cake sando

Tesco launched a £3 version modelled on a Victoria sponge, with strawberry jam and cream cheese on brioche.

Tied to the Clubcard

Tesco's entry doubled as a marketing prop, celebrating 30 years of the Clubcard loyalty scheme.

Prices are creeping up

The M&S original was £2.80, Tesco's came in at £3, and the next M&S release hit £3.50. Novelty is not getting cheaper.

Part of a wider Christmas push

The crumble sandwich sits inside Sainsbury's festive range, alongside fox-themed bao buns and mince pies made for dogs.

Readers are being asked to judge

The Mail put the question to its audience directly: have supermarkets gone too far with dessert sandwiches?

“Have supermarkets gone too far with dessert sandwiches?”

Copycats are the real signal

When M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury's all ship the same format within months, the joke has become a category.