Sandwiches: "invented here" means nothing

“I’ll have a cheese sandwich, please,” said my friend. She was on her first visit to England from the States and had wandered into a cafe for lunch as she strolled around London.

To her surprise that’s what she got. Two slices of bread and butter with a slice of cheese between them. She took the sandwich, sat down and began eating thinking to herself: “Now I have found one real difference between England and America.”

Some of my American friends say that despite the fact I have been in the States for more than 20 years I still think everything in Britain is better. Well the sandwich is the perfect example of why such accusations are twaddle.

John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich may well have invented the world’s first convenience food sometime before his death in 1792 but there is little doubt Americans have perfected it.

I remember buying what we called salt beef sandwiches in Soho and, as I knew no better I thought, they were great. Then I visited New York and had a corned beef sandwich that was a monster.

Size though isn’t everything when it comes a good sandwich. Choice is important too. At Subway, for instance, there are probably half a dozen types of roll to choose from, as well as three of four different types of cheese. And every sandwich can be topped off with a cornucopia of fresh stuff such as lettuce, tomato, olives, peppers, onions … the list goes on.

Interestingly last year the British Sandwich Association (who knew?) presented Subway’s founder Fred DeLuca, with its lifetime achievement award.

It seems the Brits have really taken to Subway and there are more than 1,100 outlets with the BSA calling its growth “nothing short of phenomenal.” Subway sells more than twice as many sandwiches as second placed Tesco. I’m not surprised.