Season’s eatings! Brits to spend £673 million on festive sandwiches in 2021
New research¹ released today by American Express Shop Small has revealed that Brits will consume a whopping 201 million² festive sandwiches this year. The nation is expected to spend a collective £673 million³ on the beloved tradition, and yet only 31% of this will be spent at small, independent businesses.
In a bid to ensure that small businesses don’t miss out on a slice of the action this festive period, TV personality and American Express Shop Small Ambassador, John Whaite, has whipped up a special Shop Small Sandwich recipe for small businesses to recreate and sell to their customers. John hopes his latest creation will encourage Brits to take on new habits when it comes to shopping for their favourite festive treat. Independent retailers keen to feature the recipe on their own menus ahead of Small Business Saturday on 4 December can do so by visiting www.americanexpress.co.uk/shopsmall.
The popularity of the festive sandwich is undeniable, with Brits set to consume an average of six each this year. What’s more, more than half of the country (51%) admitted to wanting to eat them all year round, whilst almost half (48%) of Brits saying they’d eat one for breakfast, and a further third of the nation (33%) controversially admitted they could be tempted to eat a festive sandwich over a traditional Christmas dinner.
Whilst turkey unsurprisingly proved the most popular sandwich ingredient (65%), the poll also revealed that Brits enjoy innovating with the iconic festive staple, with two thirds (65%) saying that they love trying new ingredients. Crisps topped the list of more niche festive sandwich fillings (29%), alongside other ingredients including onion bhajis (15%), mince pies (12%) and even leftover Christmas pudding (10%).
John’s Shop Small Sandwich will feature an array of the nation’s favourite festive ingredients and condiments, including turkey, shredded sprouts, stuffing and parsnip crisps, and a helping of cranberry sauce. These ingredients are then packed between two slices of brown bread spread with sage butter, toasted, then served with a gravy dip on the side. John, famed for his baking skills, unveiled the Shop Small Sandwich at locally-renowned London cafe Deeney’s, and has made the recipe available on American Express social channels and the Shop Small website for use in independent food outlets across the country.
John Whaite is backing the Shop Small with American Express campaign and encouraging everyone to support their local businesses this festive season.
Dan Edelman, General Manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express, said: “Small businesses are at the heart of our local communities and it’s really important that we all support them throughout the festive season, and beyond. We’re urging everyone to shop small, whether that’s snapping up a local version of John Whaite’s tasty festive creation, out celebrating with family and friends or searching for that special gift at your favourite independent business.”
John Whaite comments, “I’m a big lover of the festive sandwich and really enjoy getting a bit creative with the ingredients, like having a side of gravy for dipping! With this Shop Small sandwich, I wanted to create a real crowd pleaser, which small businesses up and down the country can replicate and use on top of all the goodies they already offer to draw in customers during the festive season. I’ve hugely admired the resilience of small businesses throughout the last couple of years especially.”
American Express is the principal supporter of Small Business Saturday and is incentivising Cardmembers to support their local small shops this festive season with its Shop Small Offer, giving Cardmembers a £5 statement credit when they spend £15 or more in any participating small business across the country from 4 – 15 December 2021, up to 5 times, once per participating location.⁴
