M&S strawberries and cream sandwich: Japanese fruit sando hits high streets

Serving strawberries in a sandwich might sound unusual in the UK, but it's nothing new in Japan.

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M&S has rolled out a limited-edition strawberries and cream sandwich, made with strawberries, whipped cream cheese and sweetened bread, which it says is inspired by the "viral Japanese fruit sando". The supermarket chain says it was its top-selling sandwich the two days after its launch.

Strawberry sandwiches are available at some Japanese bakeries in the UK, but M&S's offering appears to be the first time they have been widely available on supermarket shelves.

The idea of serving fruit in a sandwich might sound unusual but it's nothing new in Japan. Known as "furutsu sando", they became popular after Japanese fruit shops opened parlours selling desserts for customers to sample their wares.

They recently became sought-after around the world after going viral on social media, with Western tourists on TikTok scrambling to get their hands on the version sold in Japanese convenience store chain 7-Eleven.