Chef Jeremy Lee creates festive toastie for Fortnum & Mason and StreetSmart charity partnership

Chef Jeremy Lee has collaborated with luxury department store Fortnum & Mason and homelessness charity StreetSmart to create a limited-edition festive toastie, available exclusively in the Fresh Food Hall on the lower ground floor at Fortnum’s flagship Piccadilly store in London from today until 18^th December. The initiative aims to raise funds for StreetSmart, which supports local homelessness charities across the UK.

The sandwich was selected as the winner of a friendly cook-off between five chefs including Tom Brown (Island and Tom Brown at The Capital), Anna Tobias (Café Deco), Karan Gokani (Hoppers) and Andrew Clarke (Acme Fire Cult), who each presented their own take on a seasonal sandwich. Lee’s version, featuring mozzarella and prosciutto in carozza with sage, was ultimately chosen for its simplicity and bold flavours inspired by the classic ham and cheese toasties served at Harry’s Bar in Venice. In carrozza, which translates to “in a carriage,” refers to a traditional Italian method of sandwiching fillings between slices of bread before frying to a crisp finish.

Lee, head chef at Soho’s Quo Vadis, takes a refined approach to comfort food. His smoked eel and pickled onion sandwich has received acclaim, and this festive offering continues in the same vein of culinary craftsmanship. “A great toastie is, in my mind, an elegant balance of bread, ham and cheese and, in this instance, delightfully perfumed with sage,” he said. “You bite through a thin, delicate crust of bread to a soft, yielding centre, served piping hot from the grill – job’s a good’n.”

StreetSmart, now in its 27^th year, partners with restaurants across the UK to raise funds during November and December by adding a voluntary pound to diners’ bills. This year, a record 667 restaurants in 22 cities are participating, supported by LandAid, which covers administrative costs, ensuring all donations go directly to frontline services. In addition to the toastie, Fortnum & Mason will also be supporting the charity by adding an optional £1 donation to all bills at its food counters for the first two and a half weeks of December. The initiative marks the tenth year of partnership between the retailer and the charity, which has raised £308,000 for StreetSmart since the collaboration began.

Food Desk

Jeremy Lee’s festive toastie is availble from 2nd until 18th December 2025 at the Fresh Food Hall, Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER. For further information visit here.

For further information about StreetSmart and other participating restaurants, visit the charity’s website here.

For further information about Jeremy Lee, visit his Instagram here.