Welcome back, loyal readers. I’m genuinely glad you return every December to join me in this strange ritual of festive sandwiches and seasonal chaos. It’s comforting to know that, year after year, a few of you are here to follow along as we unwrap, taste, and document the sandwiches of the season.

December is the month when everyone suddenly wants to catch up. Meetings, drinks, lunches, coffees—it’s already filling up, and it’s only Day One. The inbox pings relentlessly, each new message demanding attention, each calendar invite squeezing itself into an already crowded week. It feels like the whole world has conspired to remind me that time is short, that the year is ending, and that we must cram in every possible gathering before the holidays arrive.

Recently, something—or someone—has been pooing on the driveway. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why it’s chosen my driveway. All I know is that every morning, before I can even think about sandwiches, I have to clean it up. It’s become part of the routine, a strange and unwelcome task that sets the tone for the day. The drizzle today has not helped with this—it’s the kind of grey dampness that makes everything feel heavier, the kind of weather that seeps into your clothes and your mood. December has begun!

Today’s sandwich is the Festive Fried Feast by Loaf Lords.

Fried chicken, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, lettuce, seeded multigrain roll.

It arrives in its triangular packet, dense and chaotic, daring me to believe mashed potato belongs in bread. The packaging is neat enough, but the contents press against the plastic, a jumble of textures waiting to be unleashed.

The first bite is a clash of sensations. The fried chicken is crisp and golden, its seasoning carrying a faint warmth that cuts through the drizzle outside. The mashed potato is cool and heavy, a surprising presence in a sandwich, soft against the crunch of the chicken. Cranberry sauce bursts through with sweetness, sticky and bright, determined to remind me that this is festive. Lettuce adds a whisper of freshness, though it feels slightly out of place. The seeded multigrain roll holds it all together.

So here I am, biting into fried chicken and mashed potato in bread. It is indulgent, messy, and a great start to this year’s reviews.