Sandwiches to go . . .

Thursday 10 February 2011



Whenever we take a long journey in the car, I always make sandwiches for us to take. We always make several stops at rest stops along the way . . . and the food they have on offer in these places is always expensive and not very tasty . . .



The sandwiches are usually not very well filled, bread dry, and not very interesting or tasty. It's the same thing, time and time again . . . tuna with cucumber, lacking in flavour . . . tuna or chicken with sweetcorn, same thing . . . skimpy slices of ham with a few bits of stale salad . . . chicken and stuffing, heavy on the stuffing and light on the chicken . . . etc. it goes on and on . . .



It doesn't really take much time to make your own sandwiches and they are always alot tastier than anything you can buy on the road, and a lot cheaper too!



There are a few rules I like to follow though:

  1. Spread any sandwich which is going to have a wet filling generously with butter, and right to the edges, so as to prevent any sogginess.
  2. Use a sturdy bread which will hold up to the journey and standing for several hours.
  3. Spread the filling generously and to the edge. Helps to prevent dry corners from being discarded in the trash later on.
  4. Cut in half so that you have rectangles. This shape is a lot easier to pack and a lot easier to eat out of hand.
  5. Wrap well in greaseproof paper (wax paper) or cling film to help keep them fresh and store in a sturdy container to help keep them from becoming crushed.
  6. Don't forget the napkins. If you have followed my advice and generously filled them, you will quite happily need them!


Here's two of our favourite on-the-road sandwich fillings. We both enjoy these, although I do add shredded lettuce to my tuna, placing it onto the buttered bread just before I add the filling. Todd deplores salad in his sandwiches and so . . .



You guessed it. I don't put any on his. It goes without saying that if you are taking these in the car or on a picnic, they are best eaten on the day. Don't save any overnight that you haven't eaten on the day for the next day. Bad, bad idea, unless you have been brilliant enough to store them in a well chilled cooler.




*Ham Salad Filling*
Makes 2 or 3, depending on how generous you are with your filling
Printable Recipe

Savoury chopped ham, combined with some crunch, and tasty bits.

1 (200g) tin of cooked ham
(or 200g of cooked ham, chopped finely)
1 TBS good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard
(if you like extra texture, use a grainy one)
1 TBS sweet pickle relish
1 TBS chopped gerkhins
1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Bread (choose a sturdy one)
softened butter

Mix together all of the sandwich ingredients. (Ham, mayo, mustard, pickle relish, gerkhins and onion.) Taste and add pepper as required. Butter your slices of bread to the edges with softened butter. Spread half of the slices with the filling and top with the rest. Cut in half to serve.

If taking out, wrap well and then store in a sturdy container.



*Tuna Salad Filling*
Makes 2 or 3 depending on how generous you are with your filling.
Printable Recipe

Tasty tuna with some crunch and savoury bits.

1 (200g tin) of albacore tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
1 TBS of lemon pepper salad cream
1 TBS of good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
1 TBS sweet pickle relish
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 heaped TBS of finely chopped red onion
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bread (choose a sturdy one)
softened butter

Mix together all of the sandwich ingredients. (drained tuna, salad cream, mayonnaise, pickle relish, celery, and red onion) Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Butter your slices of bread to the edges with softened butter. Spread half of the slices with the filling and top with the rest. Cut in half to serve

If taking out, wrap well and then store in a sturdy container.



Don't forget the napkins!

7 comments

  1. MMm mmm scrummy,I will come on a picnic with you anyday with sandwiches like that:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. We follow the same patters,always travel w/ our own lunches on long trips:) Your fillings are so similar to ours also..
    Thank you again..

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always remember my parents spreading butter on the sandwiches. Love the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yum - my Granny always used to do the same too. I used to love going on long car journey's with my grandparents for that very reason (and cause I loved spending time with them too of course!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I haven't had ham salad in AGES!! I make baguette sandwiches when we take to the open road, but I filled them too full last time and half the filling ended up on the Booze Hound's lap :( Oh well, it was delicious anyway!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I so love the ham salad mix. I've never tried that before, I'm so glad I stumbled onto u'r blog today. We're going on a trip this weekend and am definitely going to try the ham salad filling. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The ham salad mix is interesting - thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!