British Sandwich Week: Five unusual sarnies to perk up your WFH lunch

Is there a better way to celebrate British Sandwich Week than to plan to eat a sandwich every day for the rest of the week? We don’t think so.

The sandwich is an incredible invention, made better by the fact you can put just about anything between two slices of bread and no matter which way you slice it, it will be satisfying. Rushing somewhere? Sandwich on the go. Got a whole afternoon to waste? Think about how you can create your personal masterpiece.

As a creative outlet, sandwiches are an excellent sandbox for testing new flavour and texture combinations and inventing new ways to use up leftovers. Sometimes that means getting a little weird, but that’s okay. We’re not judging.

To get you started, we’ve rounded up five unusual sandwich combinations from top chefs and food writers you can try at home to make WFH lunches more exciting.

Leftover Sunday lunch sarnie

Created by Max Halley of Max’s Sandwich Shop, this is a Sunday lunch sandwich with all the trimmings, and the extra-crunchy addition of Walkers Marmite crisps.

This sandwich uses leftover roast chicken; roast potatoes; stuffing balls; cooked carrots; half a raw onion; horseradish sauce; mayonnaise; juice of half a lemon; gravy; a mini ciabatta; and crushed Marmite crisps.

Our biggest question is: How does he fit all of this into a sandwich? The secret appears to be in mashing the potatoes, stuffing and carrots together to make patties, like bubble-and-squeak.

You can find the recipe and instructions here.

Monster Munch sandwich

This recipe comes courtesy of Andy Canter, from cooking blog Cooked Best, and starts with the phrase: “Please don’t judge me…”

He told The Independent: “First, you are going to want to get some soft white bread, none of the fancy sourdough stuff. You are going to want to butter both sides with copious amounts of butter, edge to edge. Leave no crumb unbuttered.

“Here is when we go off-piste a little. Grab yourself a packet of Pickled Onion flavour Monster Munch and smash the hell out of it until you are left with a breadcrumb like consistency.

“Mix the ground-up Monster Munch with Philadelphia full-fat cream cheese until completely combined. Season with some pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

“Spread the mixture onto one slice of bread - use it all. Leave no Munch behind. Then chop thin slices of apple and layer them on top of the Munch mixture for a hit of health and freshness. Whack on the other side of the bread and away you go.”

We did say “unusual combinations”…

Caramelised tofu, antipasti and pesto open sandwich

This tofu sandwich recipe from Hortense Julienne, founder of snack company Miss Nang Treats, is just the ticket to get more plant-based food into your day.

Blend fresh basil, garlic, silken tofu, walnuts, walnut oil, salt and pepper into a paste for the pesto and set aside.

Then cut a block of smoked tofu into 1cm-thick sticks, like fries, and sprinkle with salt, thyme and pepper. Put some brown sugar into a frying pan to melt and caramelise before adding the tofu sticks, turning to make sure the caramel covers each stick. Cook till crispy for one minute on each side.

Julienne suggests using pre-cooked mini baguette rolls for this recipe, but freshly toasted white bread slices will work just as well. After baking the rolls leave to cool for five minutes before slicing them in half lengthways. Then spread a generous amount of pesto on the bread and layer with coriander, beetroot, sweet pepper and the caramelised tofu sticks.

Find the full recipe with quantities and more detailed instructions here.

Buttery mashed potato sandwich

This recipe is inspired by the grandmother of Simon Hulstone, chef owner of Michelin-starred restaurant The Elephant in Torquay. She would leave slices of white bread on the table and anything leftover from Sunday lunch went into the bread, he told The Independent.

As a child, Mr Hulstone only ever had Smash instant mashed potatoes, but this can be replaced with any leftover mashed potatoes that are reheated. This sandwich also definitely breaks the rules around requiring crunch in sandwiches - but then, rules are made to be broken!

Make up a packet of Smash as per the packet instructions and season well, and heat up any leftover gravy you might have laying around.

Generously butter two slices of fresh, soft white bread. Dollop a couple of spoons of the Smash (or mashed potato) between the bread and enjoy.

Corned beef and cheese sandwich

This recipe by Luke Tipping, chef director at Simpsons restaurant in Edgbaston, is excellent for using cupboard and fridge staples.

“This combination works best on slices of fresh, multi-grain bread and a hard cheese such as cheddar or Gruyere,” Mr Tipping told The Independent.

Butter each slice of bread, then slice the corned beef and cheese. Place the corned beef on the sandwich and follow with the cheese slices.

To really bring out the flavour, smother the inside of the sandwich with brown sauce. “To take it to another level pop it into a Breville or Toastie Machine for a few minutes but make sure that you let it cool a little before eating as the brown sauce will be hot!”