Britain's Biggest Contribution To Gastronomy

I love a good sandwich, extra mature Cheddar with crunchy, tangy pickle on crusty bread or egg mayonnaise with lots of peppery cress, warm fish fingers which melt the butter inside the sandwich, seasoned with salt and pepper and a splodge of tartar sauce, and lets not forget the chip butty, there aren't too many things that taste better than the mixture of hot chips, melted butter and nice fresh white bread.

The sandwich is considered to be the namesake of John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. The story goes that he asked for meat to be served between two slices of bread, to avoid interrupting a gambling game.

The easiest quick lunch option is a sandwich and here in Britain we eat a staggering 3.25bn bought sandwiches each year making it a £6.5bn industry.

I have a visceral suspicion of pre packed food and have heard horror stories regarding the production of commercially made sandwiches: poor handling and sanitary conditions, cross contamination due to lack of hygiene stanards, not to mention dodgy ingredients. Many factory produced sandwiches contain high levels of salt and lots of other nasties like saturated fat. Invariably, once opened, the commercial sandwich will give off a nasty odour, regardless of its contents, and the texture will be soggy, from the damp bread to the limp lettuce!

Ironically the wall street journal has described the sandwich as Britain's biggest contribution to gastronomy! As with a lot of food we eat, we have expediently accepted standards that are lower than is desirable for the sake of convenience.

This next recipe delivers one of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever eaten and despite its fat-laden reputation, brie is less fat-rich than Cheddar and has good levels of calcium, the soft rind is also rich in vitamin B1 so don't throw it away!

Brie and cucumber toasted sandwich

Recipe
Per person
2 slices of bread, either wholemeal or thick white bread
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Brie, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan, add cucumber slices, season and cook until browned at the edges

Lay slices of brie on bread and top with cucumber

Place sandwich back in pan and dry fry for 2-3 minutes on each side

Serve immediately

The combination of sautéed, caramelised cucumber, oozy cheese and crispy bread is delicious! I'm keen to know about other novel ideas for sandwiches so please send me your comments, I also have a Donna's pink kitchen Facebook page where you can send me your comments and photos.

'You don't need a pack of wild horses to learn how to make a sandwich.'
-Phil Mcgraw

Love Donna xxxxx