Welcome back, loyal readers. It’s Day Four, and December is already pressing in from all sides. The calendar is a patchwork of overlapping plans, each one insisting it’s essential, each one squeezing itself into the margins of the week. The inbox pings with reminders, follow‑ups, and festive urgency. It feels less like a month of celebration and more like a logistical puzzle designed to break me.

The drizzle hasn’t stopped. It’s heavier now, clinging to coats, streaking windows, and pooling in the corners of the driveway. Speaking of the driveway: yes, it happened again. Another deposit, waiting for me first thing this morning. I cleaned it up, as always, but the irritation lingers. It’s becoming less of a mystery and more of a ritual — drizzle, diary, driveway. A trinity of December chores.

Today’s sandwich is Holly & Rye’s Ham & Mustard Winter Bite.

Smoked ham, English mustard, cheddar, rye bread.

The rye bread is dark and nutty, its crust firm, holding together slices of smoky ham and sharp cheddar. English mustard cuts through with a fiery bite, waking the palate, demanding attention. It’s bold, assertive, the kind of sandwich that refuses to be ignored.

The first bite is a shock of flavour. The mustard burns briefly, then settles into warmth. The ham is savoury and rich, its smokiness grounding the sharpness of the cheese. The rye bread adds depth, earthy and slightly sour, a sturdy frame for the intensity inside. It’s not festive in the traditional sense — no cranberry, no stuffing — but it carries its own kind of seasonal strength. A sandwich that insists on being noticed, even as drizzle tries to drown everything in grey.

Eating it while drizzle streaks the glass and the calendar tightens feels almost defiant. The Ham & Mustard Winter Bite is not indulgent, not elegant, but it is powerful. It’s a reminder that sometimes December requires strength more than sweetness. A sandwich that meets the month head‑on, mustard sting and all.

The driveway waits, of course. Tomorrow morning, I’ll step outside again, and I know what I’ll find. But for now, the Ham & Mustard Winter Bite offers a sharp, savoury pause — a sandwich that cuts through drizzle, diary, and driveway alike.