What’s the Secret to a Great Sandwich?

Sandwiches are so easy to make and so commonplace that it can be easy to forget how spectacular they can be!

There are a few practical basics you need to get right, but once you’ve got those covered the options are endless.

The practical stuff:

Moisture is important. Nobody wants a dry sandwich, so be generous with the sauces and spreads.
Freshly-made sandwiches are usually the best sandwiches, but that’s not always possible - so think about how well your ingredients are going to last the distance (e.g. if the filling is too wet, will the bread get soggy?)
Cohesiveness is something you only realise the importance of when you take the first of a big beautiful sandwich… and half the fillings fall out into your lap. 

Some of my favourite vegan sandwich combos are:

  • Fresh juicy tomato + basil pesto + Angel Food mozzarella

  • Crunchy iceberg lettuce + red cabbage sauerkraut + Angel Food cheddar

  • Fresh rocket leaves + fried aubergine + Angel Food smoked cheddar

  • Beetroot relish + grated carrot + Angel Food cream cheese


Plant-based sandwiches can make a delicious meal - there’s no shortage of options. They’re great for a picnic, an office or school lunch, or a quick meal or snack at home.

For more great vegan sandwich fillings, try mixing and matching from these suggestions:

Angel Food plant-based cheeses:

  • Cheddar

  • Mozzarella

  • Smoked cheddar

  • Cream cheese

Spreads and sauces:

  • Pesto

  • Hummus

  • Baba ganoush

  • Guacamole

  • Aioli

  • Mayo

  • Relish 

  • Mustard

  • Chilli sauce

  • Tapenade 

  • Tahini

  • Nut butter (e.g. peanut, almond, hazelnut)

  • Refried beans

Vegetables:

  • Finely diced celery

  • Capsicum, fresh or roasted

  • Bean sprouts

  • Leafy greens

  • Fried mushrooms

  • Slices of fresh peach or pear

  • Coleslaw

  • Chargrilled zucchini

Extra bits:

  • Tamari sunflower seeds

  • Roasted salted pumpkin seeds (toss ‘em with smoked paprika!)

  • Sliced olives

  • Capers

  • Finely diced preserved lemon

  • Angel Food parmesan

  • Sliced pickled onion or gherkin

Yum! Go forth and make the plant-based sandwich of your dreams!!

A bit of history and miscellany:

  • The sandwich is named after 18th-century English aristocrat John Montagu,the  4th Earl of Sandwich. Depending which source you trust, Lord Sandwich wanted the convenience of a hand-held meal either because of his love of gambling on card games, or because of his dedication to the Navy, politics and the arts required long hours at his desk. Although sandwiches began as an aristocratic evening snack, they really grew in popularity when industrialisation created a new working class needing fast, portable, and inexpensive meals. (It’s not that nobody had eaten a sandwich prior to this, but they were known as "bread and meat" or "bread and cheese".)

  • In 2006 a US court ruled that a sandwich includes at least two slices of bread - this came about because a burrito company wanted to set up shop in a shopping centre where another restaurant had a no-compete clause in its lease prohibiting other "sandwich" shops.

  • “Double Irish with a Dutch sandwich” refers to schemes for tax evasion.

  • Other names for sandwich:

    • Butty - north of England

    • Sanger - Australia

    • Piece - Scotland (refers either to a sandwich or a light meal, especially one that includes a sandwich - a ‘jeely piece’ is a jam sandwich)

    • Sammich or sammidge - SE United States

    • Sando or sandoichi - Japan

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