If it weren’t for the endurance of sandwiches, the British lunchbox would be nothing but a miserable husk of forgotten leftovers, half-attempted salads, and chalky cereal bars.
The sandwich is such a familiar part of British life, that in May 2021, Bloomberg used sales of the product in UK retailers to measure how many people had gone back to the office post-Covid.
With an industry worth more than £8 billion, it’s no surprise that sandwiches have begun to creep into the fine dining scene – and as trendy ‘sando’ shops open up around the UK, the humble butty has had something of a makeover.
The name is borrowed from Japanese sandos – made with milk bread and served thick with filling with no crusts –
Culinary experts believe the sandwich revolution has been driven in part by Millennials and Gen Z who are keen to try out new filling combinations; and also by social media.
Dean Harper, Chef and director at Harper Fine Dining told Femail: ‘The emergence of expensive sandwich shops aligns with younger customers’ greater willingness to explore a diverse range of culinary experiences.’
Pictured: food content creator Maddi filmed a video where she rated the best sandwiches in south London
Dusty Knuckle sandwich including lemongrass and lime leaf, marinated pork with sot and oyster glaze, sambal aioli, crunchy pickled slaw, peanuts, sesame, and crispy onions in focaccia.
‘The trend of expensive sandwich shops is no doubt influenced by social media, with platforms like Instagram and food blogs showcasing tasty dishes.’
On the social media app TikTok, the hashtag sandwiches has amassed almost a million views with a number of videos showing influencers ‘top sandwiches in London’.
One example is TikToker Maddi, who uses the handle @cripanddip, and has filmed endless content of trying out London’s popular sandwich shops, or making her own breads brimming with expensive ingredients.
In one video, the food content creator Maddi rated a number of different sandwiches in south London, trying to find the area’s best butty.
Videos of the creator chowing down on buns as big as her head have reached hundreds of thousands of users while the juices of the sandwich ooze down her hands.
A TikTok account under the name Sensational Sandwiches has nearly 13 million views from their videos showing off different recipes for butties so fat they need to be wrapped in paper to avoid spillages.
With each elaborate recipe, the chef shows his creations by taking a knife down the centre of the bread to reveal a colourful cross section of ingredients.
Captions of the channel read that they are ‘on a mission to make the perfect sandwich’.
TikTok creator Maddi, pictured, sharing a sandwich recipe for national sandwich week
In the sandwich Maddi adds fresh salted tomatoes, thinly sliced shallots, anchovies, mayonnaise, basil, lamb’s lettuce, capers, parmesan, mozzarella, olive tapenade, and various meats
Sensational Sandwiches deep fried pop-eyes style Oyster Mushrooms, Fresh lime coleslaw, Sliced pickles, Confit garlic mayo, Maple syrup hot sauce
With a list of ingredients almost bigger than the heaving sandwiches they describe, it’s not just the youngsters who are stepping into the world of posh sandwiches.
Just last week, the Observer’s food critic Jay Rayner traded his usual plush dining seat and for an oozing meat sub from a tiny sandwich shop at Exmouth Market.
Munching on a £13.50 sandwich from Gerry’s Hot Sub Deli, Rayner remarked on the oozing sarnie juices as ‘happiness’, affectionately describing the greasy sounding roll with ‘but my, it’s good
The critic, who often dines in fancy sit-down establishments, settled instead for a paper wrapped sandwich in a pocket sized takeaway shop. His advice was ‘take it very seriously indeed’.
The Dusty Knuckle’s Spiced Roasted Cauliflower with a rich peanut sauce, date & tamarind chutney, and a lime-dressed salad with pickled cucumber, mint & iceberg lettuce in a sesame vegan bun. Priced at £11
Rogue Sarnies. Their Christmas menu item, the Oh Deer sandwich, included slow roast venison shoulder drenched in gravy, beetroot condiment, red cabbage slaw, herby mayo. Priced at £11.50
He said: ‘The noble craft of the sandwich has been seriously elevated in the UK recently.’
As well as popular voices in the industry, you only need ask Google where the best sandwich shops are to be inundated with options, detailing some of the most popular and lucrative bread makers in the area.
Mr Harper, from Harper Fine Dining also told Femail: ‘This shift in consumer interests has elevated the humble sandwich to an almost artisanal level, fueled by a desire for quality ingredients, innovative flavour combinations and an emphasis on craftsmanship. This curiosity drives demand for unique and aesthetically satisfying food options.’
He added: ‘Platforms also allow high-end sandwich shops to directly engage with a broader audience of food enthusiasts seeking novel dining experiences.
Mondo Sarnies famous menu item is a fish finger sandwich featuring: fish fingers, wasabi egg mayonnaise, ginger, pickled daikon, sesame dressed lambs lettuce and peas. Priced at £12
Dom’s Subs Il Roast Beef has 3.5oz rare roast beef on garlic and herb butter with Doms Own Fiery Giardinera. Priced at £13
The enduring and ever popular industry was reported by the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association to be worth around £8 billion prior to the pandemic.
And if the rise in posh sandwiches are anything to go by, it’s likely we will see that figure rise.
Dan Blucert, ex-chef and Founder of The Duke of Greenwich pub told Femail that market demands are one of the key catalysts in the emerging trend.
He said: ‘Beyond social media, market demands have played a significant role in the rise of upscale sandwich establishments.
‘With consumers increasingly prioritising convenience, without compromising on quality, high-end sandwich shops have stepped up to offer a perfect balance of accessibility and gourmet dining.
‘The convenience of grabbing a premium sandwich on-the-go appears to resonate with busy urban dwellers in search of fast yet satisfying meals.’
One of those popular sandwich sellers is Dusty Knuckle, a focaccia baker born during the pandemic which specialises in making short. thick sandwiches with their famous Italian bread.
The Dalston bakery is so popular that swathes of people will be found queuing outside once its doors open at 8am.
The Black Pig in Borough Market. Their signature sandwich includes coleslaw, honey truffle, shaving of parmesan and slow roasted pork inside a thick ciabatta. Priced at £11
Lunchtime menu favourites include the cauliflower satay, made from spiced roasted cauliflower with a rich peanut sauce, date and tamarind chutney, and a lime-dressed salad with pickled cucumber, mint & iceberg lettuce in a sesame vegan bun; all for £11.
Their meaty upgrade costs just a quid more and offers lemongrass and lime leaf marinated pork, cooked in a soy and oyster glaze with sambal aioli, crunchy pickled salad, peanut, sesame and crispy onions.
The venue boasts 137K Instagram followers and have their fresh focaccia and their fresh bakes are also sold at a number of other restaurants.
Rogue Sarnies started in 2019 as a restaurant pop-up, and revived as an outdoor venue as the pandemic came to a close. It’s now a popular venue for ‘hipster’ types – to not only ogle at the owners trendy interior – but to try their acclaimed ‘wood fired sandwiches’.
The menu, much like Dusty Knuckle, boasts a selection of gourmet sounding sandwiches with expensive ingredients designed to pack a punch more than your typical ham on white.
Their ‘Three Little Pig Sandwich’ includes house porchetta, mortadella, spicy salami, smoked scamorza, burnt lemon alioli, picked hot pepper sauce, fresh rocket, olive oil, S&P. The meat mountain will set you back £11.50.
Among the extravagant menu, ingredients like grilled purple sprouting broccoli, sticky marmite glaze, and Triple cooked chippy bits, are not uncommon.
You’ve heard of the platty jubes and the genny lex; now enter the Mondo Sando, another popular sandwich shop, famed for its vibrant cross sectioned sarnies wrapped up in tin foil. A popular sandwich of theirs, the ‘Fish Finger Sando’, which as the name suggests, is a posh take on the humble fish finger butty.
The £12 sandwich features fish fingers, wasabi egg mayo, ginger pickled daikon, lamb’s lettuce, sesame dressing, and bread sourced from south-east London favourite bakery, TOAD.
Creators of the sandwiches found their beginning making subs for the Grove House Tavern of Camberwell Grove.
They now serve full time at the pub and have an ever changing menu with both classic and elaborate dishes.
While Dom’s Subs is now a highly popular venue, its humble beginnings were in a self described ‘little teeny tiny sandwich kiosk’ in Ludgate Circus.
Having successful burst onto the scene, a second venue opened near Fenchurch Street.
Owners Dom and Gregg serve another popular selection of gourmet butties with a number of options including one, Il Roast Beef which has: 3.5oz rare roast beef on garlic and herb butter with Dom’s Own Fiery Giardinera.
Other menu sarnies are similarly heavily packed with expensive ingredients.
One other item, The Roman, is filled with tenderstem broccoli, confit garlic, smoked paprika, roast aubergines and marinated artichokes, sharp provolone, romesco sauce, rocket and chopped smoked almonds.
The venue are so popular that they even sell their own merchandise including a T-shirt with the sandwich makers branding, which sells for a whopping £30.
The Black Pig is at home on many online ‘best London sandwich’ lists and boasts huge popularity at its venue in Borough Market.
The butty bakers describe themselves as ‘a team of chefs striving to make the best sandwich in London’ using ciabatta bread and slow roasted meats.
They include a small but mighty menu with an Italian influence. Their acclaimed signature sandwich includes coleslaw, honey truffle, shaving of parmesan and slow roasted pork inside a thick ciabatta.
According to TripAdvisor reviews, their pork filled rolls will set you back around £11, though customers buying from the market will have to fight to find a seat on the pavement after securing the posh sarnie.