From a vegetarian Reuben, to The Gatsby - 6 recipes for British Sandwich Week 2018

Italian tarragon chicken triangle sandwiches by Charlotte Smith Jarvis. (Image: Archant)

Around the world, every country has its take on the sandwich. In Vietnam there's the banh mi (a baguette filled with pickled vegetables, meat and pate). America has the Philly steak sandwich (a dense hoagie loaf piled with thin sliced steak and cheese sauce). Vada pav (rolls split and filled with fried spiced potatoes and chutney) rule in India. I rarely buy sarnies in the UK – mostly because I loathe those cheap mayonnaise-laden fillings you always find in sandwich bars. There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Fergusen's Deli in Hadleigh is legendary for its generous doorstoppers. And they take the sandwich very seriously indeed at Toppers in Bury St Edmunds. But more often than not if I fancy something between bread, it's made in the comfort of my own kitchen. Here are some favourites for British Sandwich Week 2018.

Francesinha

(makes 2)

Italian tarragon chicken triangle sandwiches by Charlotte Smith Jarvis. (Image: Archant)

If you happen to find yourself in Lisbon, look out for this, the city's speciality snack. It's certainly not for dieters (it comes with fries to dip in the sauce) but boy is it good.

Ingredients

2 pork loin steaks, battered to 1cm thick and seasoned

Italian tarragon chicken triangle sandwiches by Charlotte Smith Jarvis. (Image: Archant)

6 slices thick cut white bread

2 thick slices Suffolk ham

75g chorizo (I used Lane Farm)

75g cheddar

Italian tarragon chicken triangle sandwiches by Charlotte Smith Jarvis. (Image: Archant)

Oil for frying

For the sauce:

200ml beef stock

200ml tomato passata

150ml beer (I used Adnams Ghost Ship)

100ml milk mixed with 2tsps cornflour

Pinch sugar

Tabasco to taste

Seasoning

Method

For the sauce pour the stock, passata and beer into a pan and bring to a simmer. Pour in the milk/cornflour mix and bring to a boil, then simmer until it's the consistency of tinned tomato soup (it should coat the spoon). Add the pinch of sugar, a dash of Tabasco to taste and season. Set aside.

When you're ready to eat, fry the pork loins in a little oil until cooked through. To layer your sandwiches toast the bread until lightly golden on both sides.

Grab two heatproof dishes and pop a slice of bread in each. Top with the ham, followed by another layer of bread, then the chorizo and pork. Place a final layer of bread on top and spoon over the sauce to coat (there should be a pool of it around the dish). Sprinkle cheese on top of the bread and pop under the grill to melt. Serve hot with chips!

The Gatsby

(serves 2)

Fresh out of South Africa, nothing beats a hangover, or satisfies for Sunday brunch, like this absolute carb-fest of a baguette. It's usually packed with steak, but I've used beautifully tender lamb from Dan Hull (available now in East of England Co-op stores). Spiced up and fried, the meat is topped with a handful of fries and a spicy lemon mayo!

Ingredients

1 baguette

2 large lamb steaks, cut into 1cm strips

1tsp curry powder

Seasoning

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2cm chip shapes

Oil for frying

For the lemon and chilli mayonnaise:

1 red chilli – roasted for 25 minutes, deseeded and finely chopped

1 large egg yolk

2tbsps lemon juice

Zest 1 lemon

Seasoning

115ml sunflower oil

Method

Make the mayonnaise first. Whisk the egg with the lemon juice and whisk in the oil, drip by drip to combine. Once all the oil is in and it's thickened, mix in the roasted chilli and lemon zest. Season to taste and set aside in the fridge.

When you're ready to eat, boil the cut chips for five minutes in a pan of water. Drain, dry and coat in a little oil. Place on a tray in the oven at 200C for 20-25 minutes until golden.

During the last five minutes of the chips cooking, mix the lamb with the curry powder and some seasoning. Heat a frying pan with 1tbsp of oil and cook the lamb for a few minutes until browned on all sides.

Cut the baguette into two, split each half open and fill with the hot spiced lamb, chips and a drizzle of your mayonnaise.

Vegetarian Reuben

(serves 4)

The Reuben is a deli classic. Here I've given it a twist by making aubergine pastrami instead of beef. It takes a bit of effort but is worth it.

Ingredients

1 large loaf rye or pumpnickel bread

4 thick slices cheese (preferably Swiss)

For the dressing:

1tbsp finely chopped onions

100ml mayonnaise (I used Stokes)

70ml ketchup (I used Stokes)

2tsps creamed horseradish

Dash Tabasco

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Large pinch paprika

Sea salt to taste

For the pickled cabbage:

½ small cabbage cored and thinly sliced

1/2tsp sea salt

1tsp caster sugar

2tbsps vinegar (I used Aspall Cyder Vinegar)

For the aubergine pastrami:

3 aubergines topped and tailed and cut into 1/2cm slices

Oil

2tbsps coriander seeds

2tbsps yellow mustard seeds

1tbsp brown sugar

Large pinch each ground white pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg

1tsp sea salt

1 crushed clove garlic

Method

Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Mix together all the ingredients for the cabbage and set aside.

Heat the oven to 160C and line two trays. Make the aubergine pastrami by crushing together all the spices, sugar and garlic. Rub each slice of aubergine with oil and rub spice mix onto both sides. Place on the prepared trays and bake for 15 minutes. The aubergine should be softened but will still hold its shape.

To make the sandwiches slice the bread and layer with a little cabbage, a slice of aubergine, a slice of cheese and a drizzle of dressing.

Green Goddess open crab sandwich

(serves 2)

There's a hint of California about this veg-laden sandwich, piled high with avocado, ripe tomatoes, crab and a gloriously green herby sauce. Use the freshest crab meat you can get your hands on.

Ingredients

100g crabmeat (white)

2 thick slices brown bread, buttered

1 avocado, chopped into 1cm pieces

6 baby tomatoes, chopped into 1cm pieces

Seasoning

For the dressing:

1 anchovy fillet

1 small garlic clove, crushed

100ml mayonnaise

50ml sour cream

2tbsps each fresh parsley and tarragon

1tbsp fresh chives

Squeeze lemon juice

Seasoning to taste

Method

Blitz all the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. Mix together the avocado and tomato with a little seasoning and split evenly between the bread.

Top each piece of bread with half the crab.

Spoon over a little dressing. Serve with fresh salad leaves.

Pesto chicken tramezzini with roasted pepper aioli and asparagus

(serves 4)

You'll find these triangular sandwiches in bars in many parts of Italy – often at aperitivo time to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner. Here, roasted chicken is paired with a tasty tarragon pesto from regional finalist in the East of England Co-op Producer of the Year Awards, Purely Pesto, and combined with a sweet red pepper aioli and new season Suffolk asaparagus.

Ingredients

1 loaf thin sliced white bread, crusts removed

2 chicken legs (with thigh)

3tbsps Purely Pesto tarragon pesto

For the mayonnaise

½ red pepper, roasted for 30 minutes at 200C, skinned and finely chopped

1 egg yolk

½ clove garlic, crushed

Pinch salt

1tsp Aspall Cyder Vinegar

115ml sunflower oil

8 asparagus spears, woody base removed and tips finely sliced

Method

Make the aioli. Whisk the egg yolk with the vinegar and add the oil drip by drip, whisking constantly until thick. Add the garlic, roasted pepper and salt to taste. Set aside in the fridge.

Roast the chicken in a tray in the oven at 190C for 40 minutes. Allow to cool then shred and combine with the pesto.

Cut the bread into triangles. Spoon a little chicken, a few little pieces of asparagus and a dollop of aioli into the centre of a triangle, top with another and press the edges together (I like to leave one side open).

Serve straight away as they dry out easily.

Smorgasboord of smoked salmon, gin pickled cucumber and honey beet dressing

(serves 2-4)

These really 'pop' in the mouth. The smokiness of Pinneys smoked salmon works in harmony with the sweet dressing, livened up with a pinch of cayenne. And the quick pickled cucumbers in gin are deliciously fresh. I used Norfolk Gin, which is heavy in coriander and cardamom flavours.

Ingredients

Rye bread crackers (as many as you like)

100g Pinneys smoked salmon (look for packs of offcuts)

For the gin cucumber:

½ cucumber diced to 1cm pieces

1/2tsp each salt and sugar

1tbsp Aspall Cyder Vinegar

1.5tbsps gin

For the beetroot and honey dressing:

4 cooked medium beetroots, peeled

50l sunflower oil

2tbsps Aspall Cyder Vinegar

2tbsps Suffolk Honey

Pinch ground cayenne

Seasoning to taste

Method

Mix together all the ingredients for the cucumber. Set aside in a bowl. Blitz all the ingredients for the beetroot dressing in a food processor, season to taste and set aside.

When ready to assemble, shred the salmon and place on a rye bread cracker with a few pieces of cucumber and a little beet dressing. Eat straight away.

Ingredients for these recipes were supplied by the East of England Co-op which supports East Anglian producers through its Sourced Locally scheme. Charlotte used: Havensfield Eggs, Purely Pesto Tarragon Pesto, Pinneys smoked salmon, Aspall Cyder Vinegar, Peacocks and Anchor Bakery bread, Diaper Poultry chicken, Shipcord cheese, Stokes mayonnaise and ketchup, Dan Hull lamb, Suffolk Blossom Honey, Marybelle milk and Adnams Ghost Ship – all available in local Co-op stores.