Did you know it was British sandwich week last week? Well it was, and apparently there are some very strong opinions out there about what is and is not allowed to call itself a sandwich. There’s a twitter hashtag and everything: #ThisIsNotASandwich. The mythology goes that a British earl invented the sandwich because he didn’t want to stop gambling long enough to eat his dinner. Personally I very much doubt it took until the eighteenth century for people to figure out you could stuff things between two pieces of bread for convenience sake, but hey, it’s not like it counts if it’s only the peasants doing it right? Anyway, in honour of the week gone by I’ve rounded up some of the best British sandwiches on the internet for your tasting pleasure.
Perfect Cucumber Sandwiches
The most British of sandwiches I am legally required to include it but please, do not ever make this for me because cucumber is the devil’s food.
Beets, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Sandwich
Strawberry Shortcake Sandwiches
Chive Wrapped Egg Salad Sandwich
Roast Beef Sandwich
Salmon & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches Recipe
Healthy Rainbow Sandwiches Kids Lunch Idea
Strawberry–Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches
Summer Tea Sandwiches Recipe
Free-Range Turkey BLT
Smoked Mackerel Pâté and Cucumber sandwich
Smoked Turkey and Cranberry Cream Sandwiches
Grilled Marmite Cheese Sandwich
Warning, marmite is salty evil a wildly acquired taste.
Pear Tea Sandwiches Recipe
The Great British Bacon Butty
Crisp Sandwich Game at the Next Level
Prawn Cocktail Finger Sandwiches
Haggis Sandwich
Roasted Pork Belly Open Sandwich
English Breakfast Sandwich
Who knew that a post about very British sandwiches could give me a momentary pang of nostalgia for Blighty?!
I do however feel culturally obligated to point out that you are missing the classic chip butty in this post….although I commend the decision to include crisp sandwiches!!!
(Unapologetic Marmite lover here. I actually bring it with me from UK. But keep the Vegemite away bleh :P)
CRISP SANDWICHES!
And yes, chip butties conspicuously absent. (I’ve never gotten over the time I went to Brighton and asked for one in a chippy, they looked at me blankly and after I incredulously explained, they informed me they didn’t have bread! Haven’t been to Brighton since…)
Uninformed American here – what’s the difference between a sandwich and a buttie?
Hm I’m not sure after this article. I always thought calling every sandwich a butty was a dialect thing whilst certain things almost always being known as ‘butty’ in British English had to do w how substantial, hot & filling they were. Chip butty is made w a fatter version of what you’d call French fries. Bacon butty is made w fried bacon, sausage butty w sausages. Sandwiches are a lot less filling. They can be posher (cucumber sandwiches) or not (crisp butty which is made w what you’d call chips over there – yes, really – but which in my experience was always made by tossing out the ham or whatever a parent had already put into a sandwich and filling it w crisps yourself. A great nostalgia food but I think invented by kids)
Most things are sandwiches, butties are special but better for keeping you warm & as actual meals.
That was possibly the most convincing adjustment I’ve heard in the sandwich/butty debate!
I think in some parts they do call most sandwiches butties but at least in the South East where I’m from it was reserved for chip butty and bacon butty.
I meant argument not adjustment….damn autocorrect
I’m amused that this was a big enough slight to cause you not to return to Brighton ?
Chippy = fish and chip shop :)
Marmite! That’s one of those things that if you grew up eating it it’s pretty likely you’ll like it as an adult, but if you didn’t, you probably won’t like it. Like peanut butter.
(I once grossed out an entire kitchen full of Brits by spreading peanut butter on an apple slice)
The parents tried to introduce me to marmite as a kid but it wasn’t happening.
Bless sandwiches, this post, and cucumbers. (Sorry not sorry, Siobhan.)
You monster!
Crisp sandwich must be 1 the first food I learned to ‘make’ and 2 the best & most well known food ever invented by children
I genuinely still do this occasionally. And I’m not even sorry about it XD
Yeah I think there’s no shame in it :) We ought to be able to enjoy the good bits of authentic kid culture from when we were kids same as we can with youth culture once we’re not youths anymore.
I still do but I don’t do the immature thing kids do of getting a sandwich someone else made for me, tipping out the filling and putting crisps in it and not eating the filling. I still don’t eat crusts though…
Okay but what about a grim meal deal sandwich which contains only ham which you buy because it’s the only one without mayo
created an account literally just to like this comment because it’s the most relatable thing i’ve ever read
I’ve heard peanut butter with apple is a thing but I’ve yet to try it. I may have to give it a go, peanut butter is good with pretty much anything.
I do like apple with mayonnaise which also seems to horrify people….until I point out the existence of Waldorf salad!
My wife: Who invented the sandwich?
Me: *recounts the tale of The Earl of Sandwich*
Wife: he must not have wanted to leave the poker table because he was on a roll..
Me: ON A ROLL!! ?
I was kind of expecting to see a ploughman’s sandwich on there. I spent a month backpacking the UK(and Ireland) and it was pretty much the sandwich I saw and ate the most(mostly because I liked the one Tesco’s made).
I’m eating a sausage butty right now! But I miss the great British chip butty.
I love how hideous the filter is on the haggis sandwich. A+ food photography. <3
Also, strawberry shortcake sandwiches?? *dead*
Thanks for sharing these amazing recipes.