You might think that making sandwiches is like the easiest job in the world! You can’t possibly even call this ‘cooking’! And yet, I’ve eaten so many bad sandwiches, that I’m not sure that people take the time to master the art of making sandwiches and think that slapping anything between two dry pieces of bread is just about fine!
You see I come from a country where we take our sandwich making very seriously, indeed! Our sandwiches are mainly ‘open’ and often served at special events like festive get togethers, weddings or birthdays. You can even buy them in the deli shops and they have lots of different toppings beautifully arranged on the top.
Since these are ‘open’ sandwiches, they are not that practical for taking with you on a country walk or for having a picnic in the meadows. And this is where the closed sandwich comes in!
Choosing the right bread
First of all, choose your bread, but choose it wisely! I really think that baking your own bread or using artisan bread from your local farmers market goes a long way in improving your picnic sandwich. In fact, I would even say, that by choosing a tangy sourdough bread over pappy white loaf from supermarket will improve your sandwich 150% !
Choosing the right filling
Obviously anything goes here…up to a point! Don’t choose something too soggy, that’s going to squish out as you bite into your sandwich. Leftover meat slices are perfect for sandwiches and of course any cheese or sandwich filler.
My favourite combinations
These are partly based on birthday visits to a posh hotels for an afternoon tea, my walking trips favourites and memories from growing up.
Soft White Bread + Cream Cheese + Smoked Salmon + Dill
Sourdough Bread + Unsalted Butter + Smoked Bavarian Cheese + Pickled Gherkin
White Soft Bread + Unsalted Butter + Cold Cooked Beef slices + Horseradish sauce
Making your sanwich
- Use butter, margarine spread or other spread on both slices of your bread
- Add the main filling (cheese, ham, meat etc) enough for 2 slices of bread (e.g. at least 2 slices of ham)
- Add a complimentary flavour filling (e.g. mustard with ham or onion chutney with cheese)
- Add a suitable vegetable (e.g. salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers)
- Add a fresh herbs like basil leaves, parsley
I hope this blog post helps you in some small way to create a tasty sandwich for your next picnic, country walk or work lunch.
Until the next time
Magdalena
Recipes to help you to create your perfect picnic
Bread & Rolls
- Dark Rye Bread >>
- Kentish Huffkins (Soft Rolls) >>
- Potato Flat Bread (Farls) >>
- Easy Tortilla Bread Wraps >>
Snacks
Sweets & Cakes
- Blackberry Muffins >>
- Pumpkin Pie Spiced Muffins (Gluten Free) >>
- Filled Apple Cakes (Enriched Dough) >>
- Rhubarb & Yoghurt Tray Bake >>
- Poppy Seeds Cookies with Lemon Icing >>
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