THE BATTLE FOR THE ULTIMATE FAMILY SANDWICH ~ BRITISH SANDWICH WEEK

Good Morning to you,

I was reading in the Good Housekeeping magazine, that this week is British Sandwich Week.  By all accounts this is an annual event and it is a week long celebration of the British Sandwich.

To tell you the truth, in previous years, this event has passed me by and I'm not sure why.  So this year I've made a note on my calendar, to remind me about British Sandwich Week next year. 

I then thought it would be fun to ask my family about their favourite sandwich combinations.

Danielle's is definitely George's bacon, cheese and brown sauce sandwich.... to be honest, I had never heard of bacon and cheese until Danielle mentioned it to George. Danielle's perfect bacon sandwich has to have 3 thick slices of bacon, which incidentally, has to be bought from the local butcher, no other bacon will do, and the bacon has to be placed inside two medium slices of buttered bread.

Now, I know Natasha also loves George's bacon sandwich, but she is a purist.  She enjoys only bacon inside two slices of buttered bread.

So I asked what Stephen's favourite sandwich was.... and it seems Natasha has a double favourite.  When in England, she loves her dad's bacon sandwich, but the one sandwich, both Stephen and Natasha dreamt of, when they lived in India, was,

a sandwich made of sliced granary bread, good quality ham, mature Cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise and grainy mustard.... oh but I'm not sure if the bread was buttered.

It's interesting the things our taste buds miss when we live in another country.  I remember when we had a family holiday in Goa, I loved all the spicy Goan food, but towards the end of the holiday, my taste buds wanted something plain.... in actual fact they were screaming out for something plain to eat and you'll never guess what I asked for one evening.... french fries, yes honestly, french fries.... nothing else and once eaten my taste buds were satisfied. So I do understand Natasha and Stephen's craving for this sandwich, because during their stay in India, these ingredients were unavailable to them.

So in honour of British Sandwich Week, I thought I would share with you Natasha and Stephen's favourite sandwich.

There are no amounts, instead, I have added photographs so you can see the ingredients I have used.

HOW TO MAKE

THE

ULTIMATE FAMILY SANDWICH

OR IS IT?

Start by slicing your loaf of bread

I used 2 slices for George.

Spread each slice of bread with butter, then
spread the grainy mustard.

If I was making this sandwich for Phyllis, I would have made sure that the butter and mustard reached the edges of the bread.... as this is the way she likes her sandwiches. She cannot abide dry bread.

Then,

slather with as much or as little mayonnaise as you like. Maybe you prefer less slathering. 

Add 2 square slices of mature Cheddar Cheese.

2 slices of ham

Slice the iceberg lettuce into strips

and

add salt if required

and place on top of the ham.

Place the 2nd slice of bread, which has been spread with grainy mustard and mayonnaise

on top of the lettuce. I find the mayonnaise helps to keep the lettuce in the sandwich. Although once

bitten into, the lettuce does escape.

Cut the sandwich in half.... and I have to tell you that you will need a serviette for this sandwich, because as you can see, it is a very full sandwich.

I wonder if this sandwich will pass muster with Stephen, as I know, he makes a very good sandwich.

I know it did with George, so I am wondering if this sandwich will replace his previous favourite, 'A George Size Sandwich', which I have added to my featured post this week.

I did ask him, but he was very non-committal because he was enjoying Stephen's sandwich.  He just smiled.... I think he was wondering what other sandwich fillings might be coming his way.

Personally, I am very boring, as my favourite sandwich is a toasted Cheddar cheese sandwich. Not very exciting, but lovely all the same. Oh but I do love a little mango chutney served with my toasted sandwich.

I was reading about the origin of the sandwich and it seems John Montague the 4th Earl of Sandwich asked for cold beef to be placed between slices of toast, as he did not want to leave the card table and interrupt his card game.

Isn't it strange how these things happen. I feel sure the Earl of Sandwich would be amazed to know that his slices of toast and beef became known as a sandwich.... and all because he didn't want to leave the card table.... amazing.

Take care and I will see you next Thursday.

As Always,

A "GEORGE" SIZED SANDWICH

Good Morning to you,

I was having a discussion today with my friend about the actress Kristen Scott Thomas.  I was saying that she was a talented actress and my friend agreed and then, as only women do, we discussed Kristen's amazing cheekbones.  My friend went on to mention another film she enjoyed with Kristen and that was Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  I then said, that there was another very good film.... and with that, my mind went blank.

Do you think I could think of the name of the film. No!

I described the film.... well sort of. I said, the film was set in the 1930's and 1940's, lots of sand and desert, a romance.... it's also a book. It was beginning to sound a little like Charades. No, neither of us could think of the film.

I said it was Natasha's favourite film.... as if my friend knew which film was Natasha's favourite film, but I threw it in anyway.... but could I think of the film..... no I could not.

Now if Natasha had been with me, she would have whipped out her Ipad and Googled the information.... that probably isn't a very good example, because of course Natasha would have known the film I was talking about, as it is her favourite film... but you know what I mean, if there is any information needed the Ipad is whipped out and we have the information instantly.

But Natasha wasn't with me, and I don't own an Ipad, so I carried on thinking about the film.... yes deserts kept creeping into my mind.... I know I said that before....more deserts oh yes and an aeroplane..... nope the film would not show it's face.

I thought to myself, don't think about the film, it will come, so while I am not thinking about the film.... which you know is not true, because I am thinking about the film, I will  show you George's Valentine's treat for today,

this hugely flavoursome sandwich.  I was not sure what to call it, as it is filled with caramelised onions, peppered ham and Leerdammer Cheese, oh yes, and I used walnut bread.  If I had used all the ingredients in the title, it would have made the title far too long, so I decided to name it...... A "George" Sized Sandwich".

So it is on with my pinnie and the music I am listening to today is,

the fabulous singer, Will Young.  Will is not only a great singer but also an actor.  If you have not seen the film "Mrs Henderson Presents" please do.  The film stars Will Young, Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. It is about a group of people who bring The Windmill Theatre back to life in the 1930's.

I have to tell you I am still trying to think about the film.  Maybe the title will spring into my mind whilst I organise my ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of Walnut bread

3 slices of peppered ham

3 slices of Leerdammer Cheese

1 medium sized red onion

1 tablespoon of olive oil

and a little extra to coat the outside of the bread

Enough butter to spread on the bread

HOW TO MAKE 

A "GEORGE" SIZED SANDWICH

Slice the onion

and

place 

1 tablespoonful of olive oil

in a pan

and

add the onions.

Cook the onions until caramelised,

be patient as this will take a while,

but it really is worth the time.

When the onions are almost caramelised,

slice two pieces of Walnut bread.

You have a choice now,

you can, 

butter one side of the two slices of bread

or

you can brush with olive oil.

I tend to use butter on the inside

and olive oil on the outside.

Place the cheese on one piece

of buttered bread

and then

Place the peppered ham on top.

You might have to roll the ham and cheese, 

depending on the size you use.

Place the caramelised onions

on the second slice of buttered bread

then,

carefully lay the open sandwich of

ham and cheese

on top of the slice of bread

with the caramelised onions.

Brush the outsides of the sandwich with olive oil

or butter if you prefer.

Heat a pan and place the sandwich in the pan.

Using a spatula, gently press the sandwich down,

don't flatten it, as to my mind, a squashed sandwich 

is not a very nice sandwich.

When one side has browned, carefully

turn the sandwich over and

repeat the process again.

When the sandwich is golden brown you will find

that the Leerdammer cheese begins to melt

and believe me when I tell you,

this is a very, very, nice sandwich.

Just a couple of thoughts, be patient, when  you come to  brown the sandwich, as it will take a little while.  You don't want the pan to be too hot,  because this will brown the  sandwich far too quickly and you won't have a creamy cheese filling.

If you have a sandwich maker, don't be tempted to use it, as this sandwich is a full sandwich and you will loose something if you squash the sandwich.

Of course you can use any bread you wish.  I use Walnut bread, because it adds an extra dimension to the sandwich and I find good bread does make all the difference.  In case you are interested in making your own bread, I will be making Walnut bread later in the year.

So there will be one more treat for George before St Valentine's Day and what is quite normal for me is, I haven't decided what to make just yet..... but I do have another couple of days to decide.

Oh, and in case you are wondering about the film, no the title did not pop into my mind, as I hoped it would, I had to Google it and I am so glad I did, as it put my mind at rest.

The film is "The English Patient" alongside Kristen Scott Thomas the other fabulous actors were, Ralph Fiennes, Willem Dafoe, Juliette Binoche and Colin Firth...... I am now at peace.

Take care and I will see you a little earlier this week, because it is St Valentine's Day on Friday, so it will be George's final treat.

This week I will be joining,

Anyonita at Anyonita Nibbles for Get Him Fed