Sandwiches didn’t ask to enter the culture war. They are inanimate objects, a humble lunch option since John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, invented the concept in 1762.
The influence has spread from Kent and sandwiches are increasingly filling news copy from the rising prices of the tuna cob at Pret a Manger to the glut of Christmas-themed sarnies on sale this month.
While they have sparked debates over which is the best possible meal deal, they have not been a political football … until now.
“Now Gen Z are waging war on our sandwiches!” raged the Mail Online last month, stating that the age group prefers fancier fillings to those that boomers fill their bread with. The tabloid went further, claiming that some options were “woke” – to the bafflement of some.
As with anything, it wasn’t long until politicians got involved.
New-ish Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is a woman after King Charles’s heart and made her feelings clear, declaring: “What’s a lunch break? Lunch is for wimps.”
"I will not touch bread if it's moist," she added.
"I'm not a sandwich person, I don't think sandwiches are a real food, it's what you have for breakfast."
This prompted Sir Keir Starmer to make his feelings known, the prime minister going into bat for sandwiches, calling them “a great British institution”.
Sir Keir's spokesperson said: "I think he was surprised to hear that the leader of the opposition has a steak brought in for lunch. The prime minister is quite happy with a sandwich lunch."
After another newsy week for sandwiches, here are some of the fillings made famous by the great and good.
The bacon sandwich: Made famous by Ed Miliband
The photo of the then Labour leader struggling through a bacon sandwich became so famous that it now has its own Wikipedia page. The energy secretary has said it was unfortunate but was not the reason he failed to become PM in 2015. Please note, it was originally taken for the Evening Standard by Jeremy Selwyn.
The tuna sandwich: Made famous by Sir Keir Starmer
Having had a lunch-disaster-free campaign, Sir Keir Starmer is now a prime minister who responded to sandwich-phobe Kemi Badenoch to say he enjoys a tuna filling.
Fools gold: Made famous by Elvis Presley
Towards the end, the king of rock ‘n’ roll enjoyed watching three TVs at once with his famous fool's gold loaf – a hollowed out French pan with peanut butter, bananas and bacon. The episode is a plot strand for the 2014 romcom What If?
The ham and cheese sandwich: Made famous by Jacob Rees-Mogg
In his new reality series, viewers are treated to the sight of man of the people, Jacob “Jake from the pub” Rees-Mogg eating a ham and cheese sandwich from Greggs. He never mentions his favourite sandwich post-election, for whatever reason.
Ten feet of food poisoning: Made famous by Homer Simpson
Homer fails to eat a 10ft sandwich before its expiry date – and misses his chance to go to Duff Gardens when he contracts food poisoning. The classic clip is said to be inspired by a real-life illness suffered by one of the writers.
The World’s Greatest Sandwich: Made famous by Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler’s 2004 comedy Spanglish was a flop upon release but it is fondly remembered for its sandwich – which his character, John Clasky, dubs as the World’s Greatest. You can recreate it with bacon, sourdough or white bread, Monterey jack cheese, mayonnaise, butter lettuce, tomato, egg and salt and pepper.
Whitefish salad sandwich: Made famous by Larry David
Curb Your Enthusiasm brought audiences greatness between bread thanks to this concoction, featuring a bagel, cream cheese, sable fish, onion and dressing. It didn’t particularly inspire one reviewer when tried for real by All Recipes.
No sandwich: Made famous by Ross from Friends
“I still can’t believe someone ate it.”
