More sandwich suggestions

I wrote about sandwiches and different  suggestions for savoury fillings from Nell Heaton’s little 1944 book, Cookery for Today and Tomorrow. Nearly eighty years ago and some of her ideas are still to be found in sandwiches today, some of them reflected the rationing the country was under during the war, some were different only in preparation, but some were just plain weird! The most strange must be ‘curry powder, mixed with onion and fried in margarine, used with cress.’

As well as her nineteen savoury suggestions, Nell also offers eleven sweet sandwich fillings. There are some really way out ideas in this list – but also some unusual combinations of ingredients which I’m tempted to try, they sound interesting in a strange way. Here’s the whole list:

• jam or honey and chopped nuts
• lemon curd, with a sprinkling of freshly chopped mint
• sweet pickle and whipped cream
• bananas and whipped cream
• spread the bread with jam, add a layer of banana purée and a layer of whipped cream
• marmalade and a grating of cheese
• grated cheese and jam
• dates creamed with the margarine and spread on the bread
• chopped sultanas, grated apple, and brown sugar
• chopped young mint leaves and golden syrup
• cocoa blended with a little margarine and golden syrup and dried milk

These combinations might sound very strange to us, but the fact she was making them in an ordinary little cookery book, for ordinary cooks (probably housewives!) shows that people have always been interested in variety and unusual ideas to enhance their food – even the ordinary sandwich. The idea that British food was dull, is just wrong!

My eyes have just strayed to the facing page which has suggestions for savouries. As you can guess, there are some unusual ideas – more curry powder this time blended with chutney and Worcester sauce, and another one is fried beetroot and cream cheese, for example! I’ll share more tomorrow!