Homemade sandwich heaven

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Posted at 2:27PM, 31 July 2008 by Karyn Miller - Journalist

Do you remember when those who took homemade sandwiches into work drew pitying looks from colleagues? The days before Pret a Manger when soggy bread, watery ham and sweaty cheese were the order of the day? Well, it seems that we are now rethinking our lunchtime habits.

This week Sainsburys reported that sales of plastic sandwich boxes have rocketed by more than a third compared to a year ago. Sales of its sandwich bags have risen by a quarter during the same period. The supermarket giant has concluded that the credit crunch in full swing, people are economising by making their own lunches out of leftovers. Those savings can be substantial: around £480 per year, according to one newspaper article.

At the same time the sandwich industry - worth £5 billion a year in Britain - is coming under increased scrutiny. Channel 4's recent Dispatches: Sandwiches Unwrapped documentary went behind the scenes at one London factory. Unhygienic practices captured on film included workers scooping up fillings from the floor.

The programme also raised concerns about the nutritional quality of pre-packed sandwiches. A meatball sub from the Subway chain contains as much salt as 18 packets of ready-salted crisps. A chicken and pancetta sandwich from Marks & Spencer has more fat than a Big Mac and fries. Perhaps it is little wonder that more of us are choosing to make our own.

At lunchtime you would find in us in the hip sandwich shop next door. Now the shop is empty and our fridge is full, with homemade sandwiches jostling for space.

At my own office the communal fridge used to be empty, save for a bottle of milk and a mouldy yoghurt. At lunchtime you would find in us in the hip sandwich shop next door. Now the shop is empty and our fridge is full, with homemade sandwiches jostling for space. I've noticed that these bear little resemblance to the squashed, unappetising triangles of yore. Instead there are ciabattas , rye rolls and more, all prettily wrapped and filled with delicious cheeses, meats and chutneys.

Here are my five top tips for getting the most out of your office lunch:

Try a variety of fillings. If you have your favourite filling every day, you will swiftly tire of it.
Stale, day-old crusts are another no-no. If you are using shop-bought bread, slice it and chuck it in the freezer overnight. When you make your sandwich the next morning, the bread will defrost in minutes and will still taste fresh.
If you don't want your sandwich to go soggy, be sure to butter your bread to the edges. Alternatively you can pack 'wet' ingredients such as beetroot, lettuce and tomatoes separately, then add them to the sandwich just before you tuck in.
Try thinly-sliced fennel in place of lettuce. It stays crunchy.
Take your sandwich out of the office fridge half an hour before lunchtime. Most ingredients taste better at room temperature.

What are your sandwich-making secrets?

Comments

Mrs. Mason-Brown

31 July 2008, 8:32PM
Mrs. Mason-Brown

Suggest a toaster oven for your office kitchen. Anything tastes better toast and warm. Another great fresh sandwich idea is bring an avocado and some crusty bread, and simply cut open, smear on the bread and eat. You can fancy this up by rubbing a bit of garlic on the bread, or adding a squeeze of lemon. This feels very posh and all your co-workers will think you are very health conscience and clever.

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superkat

1 August 2008, 5:00AM
superkat

If you have the office fridge space, try keeping a couple of different fillings (a pack of ham, cheeses, a tub of salad etc) at work - then bring bread/rolls/pitta in daily (or again, if you have the kitchen space - as needed) and make your butties up at work. Means you get to have exactly what you fancy (I know if I make my sandwiches the night before I don't always fancy them by the time it gets to lunch the next day!). Also saves your sarnies getting squashed and sweaty at the bottom of your bag on the way in!

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Twocentsworth

2 August 2008, 11:58AM
Twocentsworth

Although I know this is contrary to earlier suggestions, but I think if bringing in homemade sandwiches is to be cost effective, then it's better to stick to one or two fillings a week. Just make sure you don't buy the same two weeks' in a row or you will get bored. Using different condiements (horseradish or mustard for example) can really change the taste and keep things from getting too dull.

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kipperelli

2 August 2008, 5:00PM
kipperelli

I like superkat's idea, never thought about doing that.

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DEB

3 August 2008, 11:26AM
DEB

If time is a problem think plowmans(sp) roll,chesse and bits. This can be dine the night before and no limp sandwiches. The Sept Good Food mag has some nice ideas cook this to night and use the rest for cols lunch. I think they did something similer last month. If on the sandwich think about all the different types of bead/wraps etc there are to and varity

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DEB

3 August 2008, 11:29AM
DEB

One other thing I find that most office fridges have free raiders, that is when you go to the fridge you find your luch/milk etc has walked.

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Zara

4 August 2008, 10:12AM
Zara

Our office (of 4 people) club together now and on Monday someone goes out to the supermarket and buys the bread, salad and fillings for the week. Then whenever we want lunch we just go and make it in our little kitchen. This makes it cheaper in the long run as we can buy in bulk. Last week we bought a ready cooked chicken - lovely fresh sarnies and it lasted 3 days!

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stevecol

4 August 2008, 10:43AM
stevecol

I used to attend a Slimming World group, and an average pre-packed sandwich had the same number of "Sin" points as a Mars bar. No wonder the supermarkets are all trying to block the "traffic light" nutritional information system.

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James

5 August 2008, 5:55PM
James

The other day I had the tuna & apple mix out, the french bread ready to make a baguette style sandwich, but with the hunger pangs coming on, cut the baguette into slices, dipped them in - using the filling as a dip. Much easier to eat (squahed fillings oozing out a thing of the past). Works with hoummous, prawns m-rose, most things I guess. Chicken coronation (use curry paste which lasts for 6 months in the fridge with mayo). Try toasting the baguette drizzled with olive oil too in the oven. Goes crisp,and stays crisp so could spread 'fillings' on top as you eat (keep them in the office fridge) or dip them. Happy eating.

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Hope

14 August 2008, 2:24PM
Hope

"A meatball sub from the Subway chain contains as much salt as 18 packets of ready-salted crisps." That was a scary statistic! My sister's favourite sub is the meatball one...I'll have to see if a home-made one will tickle her fancy a bit more :) I always found wraps to be better than sandwhiches when it comes to taking your lunch away with you. Not only can you fill them up with more filling, but the filling doesn't fall out of one side whilst you're biting into the other! wafer thin turkey or ham wrapped around carrot and cucmber sticks in a soft wholemeal wrap is amazing, and doesn't go soggy. Chunks of paoched salmon, or tuna and sweetcorn... making me hungry! wrap it all in tin foil and it's even easier to eat

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Nikki

18 August 2008, 2:39PM
Nikki

I was bought a bread machine when I got married 8 years ago and have never really used it. Recently I have started making bread for my lunches and it's really easy. My fav is sun dried tomato and Italian herbs. I spend 10 mins max in the evening whilst making my evening meal putting ingredients in the machine, select a setting and a few hours later delicious bread is ready for my gorgeous sandwiches. It's that simple.

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Viktoria

29 September 2008, 12:56PM
Viktoria

Those "magic" toaster bags are a great invention also - you make the sandwich and pop it into this special toster bag ( I think it is some special heast-resistant polythene) anyway it fits in a regular toaster and makes gorgeous toastie - nice for cold days! And they are reusable . Also keeping pitta breads in the freezer compartment of the fridge in work and toasting them, then filling them with whatever - Pittas keep very well frozen and taste really fresh when toasted !

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