Starbucks Chicken & Chorizo Focaccia

The Starbucks Chicken and Chorizo Focaccia costs £6.95 and carries 394 calories with 2.1g of saturated fat and 4.8g of fibre. Seasoned chicken breast with chorizo, red peppers, semi dried tomato red pesto and rocket in a rosemary focaccia.

Two figures here are the best in the sandwich category and neither is what the description suggests. 2.1g of saturated fat is the lowest of any sandwich Starbucks sells, less than half the ham and Cheddar at 4.8g and less than a quarter of the grilled cheese toastie at 9.6g. 4.8g of fibre is the highest.

Chorizo used as a seasoning rather than a filling is what explains it. A few thin slices bring smoked paprika and enough fat to flavour everything around them without contributing much of their own weight, and chicken breast underneath is among the leanest proteins there is. The sandwich tastes considerably richer than 12g of total fat would suggest, which is the trick of it.

Fibre comes from the focaccia rather than the salad. Rocket weighs almost nothing; an olive oil bread made with a proportion of coarser flour carries real fibre, and 4.8g in a sandwich is a genuinely useful figure against a 30g daily target.

Focaccia behaves differently from sliced bread under a filling, and it is the reason this one survives a few hours in a bag. Olive oil worked through the dough waterproofs the crumb to a degree plain bread cannot manage, so pesto and roasted pepper sit against it without soaking in. A sandwich built the same way on a soft white loaf would be unpleasant by lunchtime.

At 394 calories it is the lightest of the cold sandwiches apart from the mini ciabatta, with 19g of protein and 1.4g of salt. Allergens are barley, wheat and milk, with no dietary labels.

It is also the most expensive cold sandwich on the menu, reaching £7.75 on delivery, which is more than either wrap and well above the £4.40 entry point. The chicken and bacon Caesar wrap is the cheaper chicken option at £5.45.