The UK Sandwich Diaries

There’s a take-away sandwich culture in the UK that is not present in the US. Packaged sandwiches are everywhere – grocers, news stands, coffee shops, and even take-away sandwich specialty stores.

It’s fast food, but generally good and freshly made. These sandwiches aren’t the scarey egg sandwiches in the 7-11 or greasy fast food sandwiches, but more like a sandwich you’d pack for your lunch. They are fattening, though. This is due to the cheese that is in almost every sandwich.

I was trying to think of what lunch item to compare it to in the US, but couldn’t come up with anything. Fast food hamburger? No, it’s not found in as many places. Maybe a muffin? That’s found many places, but millions of people aren’t grabbing just a muffin for lunch. It's the UK's own sandwich revolution, I guess.

When not grabbing a sandwich to go and faced with ordering a sandwich, I found a few words that mystified me.
Bloomer - soft white loaf of bread.
Sarnie - slang for sandwich.
Bap - round soft bread usually smaller than a loaf.

So, here are the sandwiches I ate…


Feta, tomato, red onion, cucumber and greens with a yogurt mint spread on sundried tomato bread from Eat in London.
Bean and tofu patty with mango chutney and greens on ciabatta from a vegetarian stall at Borough Market in London. ( I shared the sandwich. I don't have man hands. Although, mine are rougher and more calloused than his.)
Brie, sundried tomatoes, herbed mayo, and mixed greens on wheat bread from Pret a Manger in London.
Lincolnshire vegetarian sausage panini with baked beans, egg, and mayo on the Great North Eastern Railway from London to Edinburgh. This is a full English breakfast on bread and was very good.
Mixed cheese and red onion on oatmeal bread from Tesco in Edinburgh, Scotland. Disgusted with fat content, I opted for the "slimmer" that day. Tesco is my least favorite grocer and this was my least favorite sandwich.
Cheese, olive, and pesto panini in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Caerphilly and three-leek sausage sandwich with carmalized onions at a pub in Edinburgh, Scotland. I, too, wondered what the hell caerphilly was. It turns out it's a cheese originally made in Caerphilly, Wales.

Egg mayonnaise sandwich with cucumbers and tomatoes on a seeded bun shaped like a shamrock from O'Briens in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Cheddar and coleslaw sandwich on multigrain bread in Pitlochry, Scotland.

Babybel cheese and coleslaw on a roll - with the best view at the Dun Flodigarry hostel (Highly recommended) on the Isle of Skye!

Veggie burger with cheddar, mushrooms and tomatoes at a cafe in Portree on the Isle of Skye.

Mature cheddar with mayo, salad greens, and sweet pickle on malted grain bread from a newsstand at the airport in Inverness, Scotland. Very good.

Brie, grape , and cranberry sauce with watercress and mayo on oat and cranberry bread from Marks and Spencer's Simply Food stores and eaten at Queen Mary's Garden in Regent's Park in London. Very good. In fact, the best take-away!
Aged cheddar with pret pickle (sweet chutney), greens, and tomatoes on wheat bread from Pret and eaten in Green Park in London.
Wensleydale cheese and caramelised carrot chutney with watercress and wild rocket on whole grain bread from Marks and Spencer in London and eaten on the plane back to the States.
Cheers, UK sandwiches!