Tesco caused quite a stir when it launched its limited edition birthday cake sandwich this week but customers are less than impressed by the novelty treat.
The supermarket’s Victoria Sponge-inspired sweet sandwich, which costs £3, was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Tesco Clubcard.
Since its release on Tuesday August 5, curious Britons have rushed out to get their hands on the birthday cake sandwich and the reviews are in, with consumers sharing their thoughts on TikTok and Reddit.
A number of people have complained about the sandwich being overwhelmingly sweet, likely because each serving contains a whopping 31.5g of sugar – equivalent to 35 per cent of the average person’s recommended daily intake of sugar.
Filled with full fat soft cheese, seedless strawberry jam and vanilla frosting with colourful sprinkles sandwiched between two slices of brioche-style white bread, the sandwich also contains 15.8g of fat, and clocks in at 515 calories.
Some customers said the sandwich is ‘sickly’ and ‘dry’, while others were appalled by the nutritional value – or lack thereof.
TikTok user Anie, who goes by the handle @princessofreinvention, described the sweet treat as a ‘heart attack sarnie’ and called for it to be ‘banned from shelves’.
The fat loss coach also branded the product ‘disgusting and gluttonous’, and slammed the fact that customers can purchase the birthday cake sandwich as part of Tesco’s meal deal.
Elsewhere, TikTok content creator Alif, who goes by the handle @isthatalif1, filmed a video of himself trying the sandwich, only to declare it as ‘horrible’.
‘This is the probably one of the worst things I’ve ever tried from Tesco… Guys, it just tastes weird and bad, the jam, the cream, it’s all too sweet,’ he told his fans.
A third creator, Isabella Hill, said the confetti in the cream cheese and vanilla frosting ‘looks like coleslaw, which is my biggest fear’.
Upon trying a bite of the sandwich, Isabella screamed and said: ‘No. No don’t do that… I had too much cream going on.’
However, she said the aftertaste was ‘quite nice’, and likened the product to the flavours of a Victoria Sponge cake.
Isabella admitted that she is ‘easily influenced’, adding: ‘Now I’m eating this birthday cake sandwich and I don’t even like it.’
On Reddit, shoppers joked that the ‘Earl of Sandwich did not intend this to happen’, adding that he must be ‘rolling in his grave’.
One person wrote: ‘It tasted so buttery and very jammy. Not worth it, especially how sugary it is too.’
Another said: ‘It tastes like the smell of a cheap birthday cake scented candle. Intrigue got the better of me and I am full of regret. And sugar.’
A third added: ‘You could buy an actual cake or multiple delicious cakes for £3. Two slices of bread with sweetened buttercream, jam and sprinkles is ridiculous.’
Some fans have said the newest offering reminded them of Fairy Bread, a popular children’s treat in Australia that consists of white bread slices spread with butter or margarine, with colourful round sprinkles called hundreds and thousands covering them.
‘In Australia, we call that fairy bread,’ one person wrote on Reddit, while another asked: ‘Are they trying to make fairy bread?’
Many commenters decided that buying a slice of cake would be more rewarding to eat than the divisive birthday cake sandwich.
‘Ridiculous, who buys bread with icing in it, save yourself the disappointment and just get yourself cake!’ one person wrote under YouTuber Bald Foodie Guy’s review of the sandwich.
Another added: ‘Just because they COULD, doesn’t mean they SHOULD have made this. Why must we take things too far?? [I would] rather have a bit of cake personally.’
In his video, Bald Foodie Guy told his 126,000 subscribers that the sandwich had an ‘overwhelming flavour of strawberry jam’ and that it was ‘quite claggy’ after eating one half. It’s edible, but I wouldn’t buy another one.’
Tesco’s creation comes two months after M&S launched a strawberry and cream sandwich in time for Wimbledon that quickly went viral.
M&S’s Red Diamond Strawberry and Creme Sandwich, which was inspired by popular Japanese fruit sandwiches, received rave reviews by fans online.
Daily Mail’s Senior FEMAIL Reporter Elmira Tanatarova awarded it three full points and said: ‘With a sandwich where ingredients are minimal, quality is key – and M&S more than delivers on that front.
‘On first bite, I was wowed by how fresh and richly sweet the berries were, cutting through the creamy barrier with a fragrant tang.’
Tesco’s limited edition birthday cake sandwich will be available for just four weeks from August 4.
It isn’t the first sweet sandwich that Tesco has introduced to its prepared sandwiches range, although it is the first that the supermarket has launched in more than 10 years.
In 2011, the retailer launched a limited edition Strawberries and Clotted Cream sandwich for just £1, and five years prior, it created a banana and chocolate sandwich with chocolate-flavoured bread.
