Fast Food Hard Abs
GET RIPPED WITH HAM,EGG & CHIPS
Just a few months ago, social media was a smorgasbord of home-fermented kombucha shots and the hard-earned fruits of experimental baking. But with lockdown’s cooking fervour long since cooled, our return to (a new) normality has spelled a comeback for the humdrum al desko lunch. The working-from-home crowd is falling back on its old habits, reaching for the cheese and Branston pickle, while many of those who have returned to their workplaces are once again faced with the uninspiring choice between supermarket
meal deals and whatever’s left in/of Pret. Yet there’s no need to settle for a dispiriting gap filler, as the six eminently portable feasts on these pages attest. In recent years, the humble sandwich may have fallen out of favour, usurped by the more Instagram-friendly lunch bowl. Done well, however, it can be an equally spectacular culinary event – a versatile, practical delivery system for all of the micronutrients and proteins that your body needs to function at its peak. You just need to be a little bold
with it. According to Max Halley, owner of Max’s Sandwich Shop in north London, a sandwich’s ingredients should tick all of the following boxes: “Hot, cold, sweet, sour, crunchy, soft.” That means less in the way of tuna and sweetcorn, and a lot more spiced porchetta and pickled watermelon. There is, of course, still a time and a place for a pretty, plant-based Buddha bowl. But equally, there’s room for heavenly bread and getting your teeth into something more satisfying. For a hassle-free, nutrient-packed lunch, they’re the best things since… well, you know.
01 Ham, Egg’n’ Chips
Served on home-made focaccia baked at Max’s Sandwich Shop in north London, this blends crispy carbohydrates with a generous serving of protein. It’s the ideal refuel after a long session – of both the dumbbell and Excel sheet varieties. maxssandwichshop.com
INGREDIENTS
• SLOW-COOKED HAM HOCK
• FRIED EGG
• SHOESTRING FRIES
• PICCALILLI
• MALT VINEGAR
• MAYONNAISE
02 Prawn S+dwich
This prawn sandwich from Sam Herlihy and James Ramsden of Sons + Daughters – the duo behind Hackney’s Pidgin – comes with added bite. The jalapeño, ginger and fibre-rich cabbage will keep hunger at bay all afternoon. sonsanddaughterslondon.com
INGREDIENTS
• CORNISH PRAWNS
• PRAWN CRACKERS
• NAPA CABBAGE
• PICKLED GINGER
• JALAPEÑO VINAIGRETTE
• S+D MAYONNAISE
03 Babi Guling and Pickled Watermelon
Balinese babi guling is a whole-roasted pig. Dalston’s Snackbar offers a healthy-ish homage: pork belly cooked with nutrient-dense ginger, lemongrass, lime and brain-boosting turmeric. snackbarlondon.com
INGREDIENTS
• BALINESE SPICED PORCHETTA
• PICKLED WATERMELON
• TAMARIND SAMBAL
• FERMENTED CHILLI
• MAYONNAISE
04 Iberian Katsu Sando
London’s most hyped sandwich – or “sando” – and for good reason. Tōu is an outlet in Oxford Street’s Arcade food market. It breads its pork in panko, then adds tangy jam and shallot sauce in a cakey brioche: an indulgent courier service for macros. arcade-london.com
INGREDIENTS
• IBERICO PORK KATSU
• CABBAGE
• SHALLOT SAUCE
• RASPBERRY JAM
05 The King Bánh Mì
Vegan sandwiches are wont to default to houmous, but they needn’t. In this Vietnamese bánh mì from Bodega Rita’s in King’s Cross, meat is replaced with umami-rich mushrooms, along with herbs and pickles for energy-lifting vitamins. ritasdining.com
INGREDIENTS
• OYSTER MUSHROOMS
• PEANUT BUTTER
• CARROT AND
DAIKON PICKLE
• CORIANDER
• PEANUTS
• MINT CHILLI
06 The Sub Marine
Surf and turf in a brioche roll: each American-style sub is packed with a meaty 40g of protein, enough to keep afloat the City boys lucky enough to have Sub Cult in St Paul’s on their doorstep. If work has taken a bite out of you, this will put it back. subcult.com
INGREDIENTS
• SLOW-COOKED PORK
• TORCHED SCALLOPS
• MARINATED CALAMARI
• SALSA VERDE
• MAYONNAISE
• CRACKLING