Ham, Cheese, Spread, Bread: A Simple Formula?
Ham, cheese, spread, bread: it’s a classic combination, but our chef-tester found that not all supermarket ham and cheese sandwiches meet expectations. Despite the simplicity of the ingredients, many products fell short in flavour and provenance.
This evaluation was particularly challenging for me as a wholefood chef committed to quality. My primary concerns were animal welfare, provenance, and processing methods, areas where transparency was notably lacking. While some sandwiches claim to use British pork—a term that offers little clarity regarding traceability, sustainability, or welfare—others assert higher welfare standards without any official certification. Consequently, the sandwiches deemed best bargain and best overall are acceptable but not outstanding.
Most sandwiches contain reformed ham, which is ham bulked out with phosphates and water. However, some higher-quality options use real ham—sliced meat without added water—and a few of the best include shredded ham hock. Additives are present in every product tested. In terms of flavour, most sandwiches are sufficient to satisfy hunger but lack distinction. A few, however, are genuinely enjoyable: moist, flavourful, and fresh. A final note: supermarkets should consider buttering their bread, as mayonnaise does not serve as an adequate substitute.
The Best Supermarket Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Best Overall: M&S Honey-Roast Ham & Cheddar Cheese
This sandwich features light brown oatmeal and malted barley bread, neatly filled with a double layer of ham and cheddar. One side is spread with soft cheese, the other with mayonnaise. It is the only product in the test with clear welfare standards and contains the fewest additives (three). The sandwich does contain palm oil.
Best Bargain: Aldi Specially Selected Ayrshire Cured Ham Hock with Farmhouse Cheddar
A thick, square-cut doorstep sandwich made with malted bread, filled with shredded ham hock, cheddar, spinach, mayonnaise, and sweet chutney. It offers a meaty taste and good value. There is no animal welfare data beyond the claim that it is made with British pork, and it contains additives.
Other Sandwiches Reviewed
Waitrose Oak-Smoked Ham & Cheddar Cheese
This sandwich consists of sturdy malted bread filled with multiple layers of powerfully smoked British formed ham, one slice of mature cheddar, and a generous amount of mayonnaise. It contains seven additives and lacks welfare certification.
Morrisons The Best Ham Hock & Farmhouse Cheddar
A thick malted wheat bread doorstep sandwich stuffed with pulled ham hock, cheddar, spinach, mayonnaise, and apple and pear chutney. It has a handmade feel and balanced flavour but provides no animal welfare information and contains five additives.
Tesco Smoked Ham & Mature Cheddar
This classic malted bread sandwich is filled with a generous amount of formed ham smoked over beechwood, imparting a mild, sweet, and nutty flavour. It is soft and moist, with a generous spread of mayonnaise, a thin slice of cheese, and a hint of mustard. The sandwich contains six additives and palm oil, with no animal welfare information provided.
Asda Oak-Smoked Ham and Cheese
Made with standard malted brown bread, this sandwich contains a liberal amount of cheddar, medium oak-smoked formed ham, and mayonnaise. It offers a firm bite and moist texture but only subtle smokiness and somewhat dry bread. It contains several additives and no welfare details.
Morrisons Smoked Ham & Cheese
A utilitarian sandwich with malted bread, sparsely filled with a few layers of subtly oak-smoked formed ham, mature cheddar, and a thin smear of mayonnaise. It contains five additives and no welfare information.
Sainsbury’s Smoked Ham & Cheddar
This sandwich features malted brown bread filled with a decent amount of wafer-thin formed ham and a good slice of medium mature cheddar, moistened with mayonnaise. It contains four additives and no animal welfare details.
Co-op Ham & Cheese Sandwich
Fresh malted bread generously filled with British oak-smoked formed ham, mature cheddar, and a thin spread of mayonnaise. The sandwich is overpriced, underwhelming, and contains six additives.
Unearthed Spanish Serrano Ham & Cheese Rosca
This doughnut-shaped, cook-at-home pan de cristal “sourdough” sandwich contains multiple additives and a scant amount of ham, smoked bacon, cheese, and tomato sauce. It is an elaborately awful and costly product that is nearly inedible. There is no animal welfare data, and it contains five additives.
“Elaborately awful and all but inedible”
