My Favorite English Sandwich

Sometimes I find something so basic and so obvious that I wonder why it hadn’t occurred to me sooner. I love sandwiches.  I think America does great sandwiches… hello, (veg-friendly) barbeque riblets,  cheesesteaks, pulled pork, and reubens!

But England does great sandwiches in a different way. Of course they do… after all, sandwiches were supposedly invented by one of their people!  Walk into any grocery store, and even sometimes a Boots pharmacy and there’s wide selection of reasonably priced pre-made sandwiches cut into triangles and packed in little cardboard boxes.  Hit up a Mark’s & Spencer around closing time and they’re often half off. Have I mentioned how much I love England?

Of course being England, there are plenty of veg-friendly options (more love!), like cheese and onion which as far as I can tell is sharp shredded cheese mixed with chopped onions and a bit of mayo.  Or a Ploughman’s… sharp cheddar and “pickle,” which is really more of a chutney than pickle.

I love Branston Pickle almost as much as I love Robert.  One time I had a bit leftover from one of our hotel picnics, so I figured I’d bring it back to Denmark in my carry-on.  Excellent plan, except airport security considers Branston Pickle a “gel.”   I know, right?  So I finished it off with a spoon right then and there in the middle of Stansted airport!

There’s also egg and cress, and egg, tomato, and mayo.  The Ploughman’s is actually my favorite, but I have to ration my Branston Pickle supply between England visits.  Still,  egg, tomato, and homemade mayo with a bit of salt and pepper on whole grain bread is a very close second.

Often, the simplest things are the best, so if you haven’t tried an egg, tomato and mayo sandwich, what are you waiting for?

P.S. I posted last month on my Facebook page about finding a little honor stand on the side of the road selling eggs from a family’s backyard chickens.  There’s a definite difference in taste and quality between those eggs and supermarket eggs.  They’re more flavorful, the yolks are much darker and have a better texture, and the eggs themselves are so big and beautiful!  Now I buy all my eggs from that little stand.