M&S axes its credit crunch jam sandwiches

"They just weren't selling," a worker in its store in Kensington High Street said. "We had lots left over at the end of the day."

An M&S spokesman admitted that the sandwich might not return to the shelves but said they were in a spring range and it was common for seasonal products to change.

Philip Lowery, the founder of the Real Food Festival, who accused M&S of "losing the plot" in February for introducing the strawberry jam sandwich, was dismissive of the explanation.

"I think this is face-saving nonsense. Clearly M&S wouldn't have dropped them if they had been selling well as it has to deliver good sales figures for its shareholders," he said.

"This shows the sense of British shoppers: they were not willing to pay 75p for something they could make themselves in seconds."

The high street chain launched the sandwich in its "Simply" range to attract recession-hit shoppers. Its food division has struggled as customers turn to cheaper supermarkets, with sales falling by 0.5 per cent from April to June.

M&S also hoped to tap into a surge in demand for "nostalgia" foods with the launch. The store's sandwich specialist Katy Patino said at the time: "For those who haven't eaten one for years, one bite takes you straight back to your childhood."

It has replaced the jam sandwich with a fish finger version.