But one festive favourite reigns supreme: the Christmas sandwich. Each year, Britons eagerly await the return of this seasonal staple to brighten chilly lunch breaks in the countdown to 25 December.

Far from a simple slice of turkey and dollop of cranberry on wholemeal bread, well-crafted Christmas sandwiches have the power to transform lunchtimes for the entire duration of November and December.

However they come, it's clear from the latest research, that we really can't get enough of the Christmas sandwich, with Waitrose reporting a 533 per cent spike in searches over the past month alone.