A British Obsession: Sandwiches

A few months ago I blogged about lunch time and sandwiches. Still, I am often asked ‘just a sandwich for lunch again today?’ ‘Oh, another sandwich?’ It wasn’t until I moved to Germany that I faced these kind of questions on a daily basis. Are the British really that obsessed with sandwiches that the rest of the world think we are crazy? A simple answer. Yes.

I recently read an expat guide from Greg Gutfield, ‘Lessons from the land of Pork Scratchings.’ Gutfield is an American who has moved to London and his account of British life is hilarious. He grows to love London and even the little things that he still finds bizarre. In his chapter ‘Chicken and Stuffing Sandwiches’ he calls them a “dismal affair but kind of heartwarming”. For lunch he has ended up most days visiting 1 of the 100 sandwich stores along the street.

Another blog I came across was someone else amused by Brits and sandwiches. http://journeytolondon.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/he-brit-and-the-sandwich-my-pret-a-manger-sandwich/ Speaking about Pret a manger (one of many sandwich chains in the UK) this bloggers claims that “I like this shop because you can run it, grab a sandwich, coffee and treat during a lunch break”. This is exactly why I love having a sandwich. I don’t want to spend money and time every lunch having a sit down meal. I also don’t want to have to buy a doener just to eat it in the office. Or to order sushi for 10EUR and not leave the office? If I go out for lunch – I go out. Other than that a sandwich is something quick and easy to enjoy for those who have their main meal in the evening. Especially in Berlin where my boyfriend and I frequently eat out for dinner.

This is something I really miss about lunch time. Just grabbing a sandwich with any kind of filling (not just salami and kase .. yawn). Sandwich fillings range from the basic cheese or ham salad, to chicken curry, roast beef and mustard, pickle, prawn mayo, egg mayo, salmon and cream cheese, egg and watercress, hummus, guacamole and mexican chicken, cajun chicken, lamb and mint… the list can go on. Basically, you can put anything in a sandwich! You can also try it with my Coronation Chicken recipe. A real British treat!

Here is a recipe to a classic sandwich filling:

Egg Mayonnaise to serve 2 people

2 eggs (hard boiled)

4 tbpsn mayonnaise

half a cucumber (diced)

1 tomato (diced)

1 tspn dijon mustard

4 slices of bread

butter