Posh sarnies

The days of dry, drab sarnies curling at the edges are over thanks to a swell of premium sandwich joints opening around the UK. From Tou (of ‘egg mayo and katsu sando’ fame) in London to Pinkmans Bakery in Bristol (which served its savoury buns at the Best of British Fair 2019 in Japan, where it represented the UK), posh sandwiches packed with high-quality ingredients are all the rage. At Sons + Daughters in London’s Coal Drops Yard, the bestseller is chicken but it’s not any old chicken sarnie. “It’s made with beautiful Swaledale chicken, crispy skin, soy-cured parmesan, garlic oil, green sauce, miso mayonnaise, Gem lettuce and wasabi cress… it’s pretty epic,” says owner James Ramsden. Run by Natasha Ferguson and Matt Belcher, Alby’s in Leith prides itself on “big hot sandwiches” such as the braised Highland beef short rib cooked in gravy, horseradish mayo, red sauerkraut, parsnip crisps and rocket; and the calamari, squid-ink aïoli, fried capers and Iceberg sandwich. And lest we forget the sandwich king, Max Halley, of Max’s Sandwich Shop in London’s Crouch End – who reignited our love for the finger food with his egg, ham and chip sarnie, made with slow-cooked ham hock, fried egg, piccalilli, shoestring fries and malt vinegar mayo. Recreate his masterpieces at home with his book Max’s Sandwich Book: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Perfection Between Two Slices of Bread, or visit Omagazine.com for exclusive recipes from Max (including a Boxing Day sandwich that is good anytime of the year) and podcast episode 100 to hear from the man himself.