# Sainsbury's is putting apple crumble in a sandwich > Britain's dessert sandwich arms race now includes fresh apple, compote and crushed biscuits on brioche. - Title: Sainsbury's is putting apple crumble in a sandwich · Dailymail - Summary: Britain's dessert sandwich arms race now includes fresh apple, compote and crushed biscuits on brioche. The dessert sandwich is not a gimmick that flopped… - Keywords: food, supermarkets, sainsbury's, japan, christmas, news, entertainment, putting, apple, crumble, sandwich, Dailymail - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16127781/Sainsburys-apple-crumble-sandwich-Christmas-strawberries-cream.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-13T14:47:19+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: food, supermarkets, sainsbury's, japan, christmas, news, entertainment ## 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. ## Key takeaway The dessert sandwich is not a gimmick that flopped, it is a Japanese import that sells fast enough for every big supermarket to copy it.