Use Your Loaf

MORE TRIED & TASTED

Alternatives to Cream

Cake Slices

Chocolate Mousse

Tried and Tasted: Sandwiches

This month the Tried and Tasted lunchbox was filled with high street ready made sandwiches. Open to all sarnies below 350 calories, here's what happened when we peeled back the film...

Waitrose Half Fat Prawn Mayonnaise

Very popular effort which seemed quite filling. The tasty, chunky prawns were not drowned by the flavour of the mayonnaise.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	310kcal	175kcal
CARBS	38.3g	21.6g
FAT	9.0g	5.1g
SODIUM	0.85g	0.48g
PROTEIN	19.0g	10.7g
FIBRE	4.4g	2.5g

Marks & Spencer Count On Us Chicken & Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

Opinion was divided on the unique opening packaging but once inside we were more unanimous. The salad and 'proper' chicken chunks displayed quality. Though maybe whole cherry tomatoes were too much for the bread to take.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	235kcal	125kcal
CARBS	30.0g	16.2g
FAT	3.1g	1.7g
SODIUM	0.43g	0.23g
PROTEIN	22.0g	11.9g
FIBRE	6.4g	3.5g

Sainsbury's BGTY Ham & Mustard Salad

Good quality ham, quite filling, a credit to ham sandwiches everywhere. The mustard probably doesn't deserve such a high billing though.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	261kcal	143kcal
CARBS	40.9g	22.4g
FAT	3.8g	2.1g
SODIUM	0.8g	0.4g
PROTEIN	15.9g	8.7g
FIBRE	4.7g	2.6g

Morrisons Eat Smart Cheese & Onion

A solid entry here. Fairly inoffensive to the team. A good strong flavour, though some were unsure they could stand a whole pack.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	259kcal	183kcal
CARBS	39.3g	27.8g
FAT	2.4g	1.7g
SODIUM	0.28g	0.2g
PROTEIN	20.0g	14.1g
FIBRE	4.1g	2.9g

Boots Shapers Roast Chicken & Stuffing

Not the best chicken sandwich around but (ahem) no turkey either. May have benefited (perhaps not commercially) by replacing the mayonnaise with cranberry sauce.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	324kcal	174kcal
CARBS	47.0g	25.0g
FAT	3.9g	2.1g
SODIUM	0.5g	0.3g
PROTEIN	25.0g	14.0g
FIBRE	5.8g	3.1g

Tesco Healthy Living Salsa Chicken

Quite good; not too spicy as you might prefer for a sandwich. May have danced off with a higher score if it was partnered with some crunchy salad.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	300kcal	165kcal
CARBS	42.5g	23.6g
FAT	3.2g	1.8g
SODIUM	0.3g	0.2g
PROTEIN	24.1g	13.4g
FIBRE	3.4g	1.9g

Tesco Healthy Living Ham Salad

The only real challenge left in the ham sandwich world may be to make one even blander and Tesco have had a fairly good try.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	275kcal	150kcal
CARBS	43.0g	23.3g
FAT	3.1g	1.7g
SODIUM	0.7g	0.4g
PROTEIN	17.9g	9.7g
FIBRE	2.5g	1.4g

Boots Shapers Three Cheese Salad

There may be 3 cheeses but none of them show up too strongly on the flavour profile. Seemed to be too stuffed with salad and the most dominant taste for some was the black pepper.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	248kcal	147kcal
CARBS	38.0g	23.0g
FAT	2.1g	1.3g
SODIUM	0.5g	0.3g
PROTEIN	19.0g	11.0g
FIBRE	4.6g	2.7g

Boots Shapers Prawn Mayonnaise

Not as appetising as the Waitrose sandwich and not as flavoursome. When the overriding flavour is 'bread' there's something amiss.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	266kcal	158kcal
CARBS	41.0g	25.0g
FAT	4.2g	2.5g
SODIUM	0.5g	0.3g
PROTEIN	16.0g	9.0g
FIBRE	3.0g	1.8g

Morrisons Eat Smart Egg & Cress

Often seen as the bottom step on the sandwich ladder, this does little to raise the egg and cress profile. Some wondered how you could make an egg so flavourless.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	252kcal	157kcal
CARBS	41.7g	26.0g
FAT	3.2g	2.0g
SODIUM	0.32g	0.2g
PROTEIN	14.1g	8.8g
FIBRE	3.9g	2.4g

Weight Watchers Triple Pack Chicken Salad, Smoked Ham Salad & Prawn Mayonnaise

Attempting to pack more punch in the 350kcals and under category, Weight Watchers went with three different fillings. Maybe they should have stuck with one; any sense of variety lost among "chemically" prawns, tasteless meats and limp lettuce.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	337kcal	133kcal
CARBS	52.3g	20.6g
FAT	3.0g	1.2g
SODIUM	1.14g	0.45g
PROTEIN	25.3g	9.9g
FIBRE	5.0g	2.0g

Asda Good For You! Chicken Salad

Like many other brands, adding mayonnaise to liven up the standard chicken salad, but with a bland watery mayo and strangely tangy chicken this was just too unusual a taste.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	272kcal	130kcal
CARBS	35.6g	17.0g
FAT	3.1g	1.5g
SODIUM	0.71g	0.34g
PROTEIN	25.1g	12.0g
FIBRE	5.4g	2.6g

Tesco Salmon & Cucumber

Not representing a healthy eating range but still under the calorie limit for this division. This had a lot more fat than the others. With "cheap" and (almost predictably) "fishy" tasting salmon the team were keen to throw this catch back.

	Per Pack	Per 100g
CALORIES	320kcal	208kcal
CARBS	35.6g	23.1g
FAT	11.9g	7.7g
SODIUM	0.7g	0.5g
PROTEIN	17.9g	11.6g
FIBRE	1.1g	0.7g

Conclusion

The world of low calorie sandwiches, though not empty, doesn't seem to be a very busy, daring or inspiring place. We did see that it is possible to make great sarnies without needing huge amounts of fat or calories. It seems no one flavour is necessarily going to make a good sandwich and similarly there can be no great leaps forward if we stick to the same safe set of fillings.

One factor in the industry could be that some larger chains may find it easier to shift their own sandwiches and can use less preservatives and fresher ingredients. This may mean own brand sandwiches can taste better than their more widely available cousins.

Though some of these are great choices when you need something on the go, you could do a lot better taking the time to prepare your own low calorie sandwich to your own taste.

Click here for free trial

Contact Us	Free Trial	Membership	Newsletter
Privacy	Help	Press Office	Site Map

FIND LOW FAT FOOD

Calorie and nutritional information for 21,000 foods

Email this page

Print this page

Try It Free

You can use the tools in Weight Loss Resources to look up the calorie and fat content of over 40,000 foods. Keep an online food diary that adds up fat and calories each day and find out how many calories you need to lose or maintain weight. Try it free for 24 hours

Published: 20/12/2007

The tools and information on the Weight Loss Resources site are intended as an aid to weight loss and weight maintenance, and do not offer medical advice. If you suffer from, or think you may suffer from, a medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting a weight loss and/or exercise regime. If you decide to start exercising after a period of relative inactivity you should start very slowly and consult your doctor if you experience any discomfort, distress or any other symptoms. If you feel any discomfort or pain when you exercise, do not continue. The tools and information on the Weight Loss Resources site are not intended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, or for any person under the age of 18.

Copyright © 2000-2008 Weight Loss Resources Ltd. All product names, trademarks, registered trademarks, service marks or registered service marks, mentioned throughout any part of the Weight Loss Resources web site belong to their respective owners.

Tried and Tasted: Sandwiches

Waitrose Half Fat Prawn Mayonnaise

Per Pack

Per 100g

CALORIES

310kcal

175kcal

CARBS

38.3g

21.6g

FAT

9.0g

5.1g

SODIUM

0.85g

0.48g

PROTEIN

19.0g

10.7g

FIBRE

4.4g

2.5g

Marks & Spencer Count On Us Chicken & Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

Per Pack

Per 100g

CALORIES

235kcal

125kcal

CARBS

30.0g

16.2g

FAT

3.1g

1.7g

SODIUM

0.43g

0.23g

PROTEIN

22.0g

11.9g

FIBRE

6.4g

3.5g

Sainsbury's BGTY Ham & Mustard Salad

Per Pack

Per 100g

CALORIES

261kcal

143kcal

CARBS

40.9g

22.4g

FAT

3.8g

2.1g

SODIUM

0.8g

0.4g

PROTEIN

15.9g

8.7g

FIBRE

4.7g

2.6g

Morrisons Eat Smart Cheese & Onion

Per Pack

Per 100g

CALORIES

259kcal

183kcal

CARBS

39.3g

27.8g

FAT

2.4g

1.7g

SODIUM

0.28g

0.2g

PROTEIN