When Max Halley opened north London favourite Max’s Sandwich Shop in 2014, the biggest question on his mind was how to get people to take the sandwich more seriously. Having watched burgers and fried chicken evolve from something you would buy at a fast food shop or in a football stadium into “something a bit more gastronomic”, he figured the sandwich was up next for a revamp.
The sandwich as a staple meal was nothing new, but, as British Sandwich Association founder and director Jim Winship says, the past few decades have seen the £7bn-a-year industry “grow up”. The boundaries have broadened on what’s considered a sandwich – it’s not uncommon to have our favourite plated meals packaged into a carbohydrate carrier for our consumption. A recent item on Dalston bakery The Dusty Knuckle’s menu was a katsu aubergine sandwich, while Tesco has the “Sausage, Bacon and Egg Triple”; a full English breakfast tucked into slices of malted bread.
