Make Sandwiches Great Again

In difficult times it’s always helpful to focus on life’s minutiae, in this case sandwiches. I am a huge enthusiast of anything slapped between two pieces of good bread and my death row meal would definitely include an excellently constructed sandwich. School packed lunches and service stations have given this cullinary treat a bad reputation : flappy ham, soggy tomato and dry bread. A well- made sandwich can easily take centre stage at supper and need not only be reserved for lunches-on-the go. Is it time to rethink your sandwich game?

The sandwich is officially 263 years old. Although there are earlier accounts of meals served between two slices of bread, the sandwich is named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. As the story goes, he was playing cards and did not want to leave the gaming table to eat. The rogue Earl asked for a serving of roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat with his hands. At the time this was scandalous, as eating with your hands was not considered polite. Other people were probably eating this way, but they weren’t considered important enough to write about. The Earl was considered a ‘daring man’ and probably didn’t know that his snack requests would become a global convenience meal.

According to the British Sandwich Association, in the UK we spend over £8.2bn on sandwiches every year. Marks and Spencers first produced a wrapped sandwich in 1980 for 43p and the industry took off exponentially in spite of doubts that customers would want to buy something that could be easily whipped up at home from leftovers. The average packaged sandwich is consumed within 3.5 mins and people were up for instant gratification during the 80’s convenience foods boom. By the 1990’s, the sandwich industry had trebled in size and sandwich invention became competitive between major retailers.

Sandwich cutters at Katz’ Deli

Fancy sandwiches were championed by Pret-a-Manger in the 1990’s with more daring creations including roast leg of lamb, redcurrant jelly and aubergine. However, the immigrant cultures in New York bought varied deli sandwiches to the city from the 1880’s on wards. Personally, I don’t think that packaged versions can ever complete with freshly constructed elaborate or simple sandwiches. Deli’s such as Katz have up to 8 cutters working furiously to produce phenomenally well stacked sandwiches including aged pastrami, brisket, swiss cheese and pickles with Russian dressing. Here in the UK we are seeing the emergence of shops that are taking the skill and construction of sandwiches more seriously. Great British Chefs have compiled a list of the top 15 sandwich cafes in the UK that would be well worth a pilgrimage.

From Elvis’ fried banana and bacon offering to the Queen’s dainty finger sandwiches, good bread is the ultimate vehicle for your favourite snack. The question of what is more important the carrier or the filling is difficult to answer. Personally, I feel that processed bread is ruiness to a sandwich as is a slimy filling that has been sitting between the slices for too long. Life is too short to eat bad sandwiches, so do yourself a favour and make yourself an epic one this weekend. These are my top 5…

Top 5 sandwiches

1. The Reuben - pastrami, saurkraut, swiss cheese on Rye Bread with Russian Dressing.

2. Crab Sandwich - white crab meat, homemade mayonnaise with crispy iceberg lettuce on brown bread,

3. Smoked Salmon Pumpernikel bagel with cream cheese and capers.

4. Fish Finger Sandwich - goujons with tartare sauce on fresh white bread.

5. Cucumber Finger Sandwich - softened butter, thin slices of cumumber and salt and pepper on brown bread.

Salmon and Cream Cheese on Pumpernickel Bagel (Bagel Bobs, NYC)