The top family favourite sandwiches in 2023

Make the best use of your kitchen cabinets with tips from DIY Homefit

Did you know that the prawn mayonnaise sandwich has been the favourite sandwich in the UK for the last ten years? According to recent research by Waitrose, six million prawn mayonnaise sandwiches are sold every year.

In the UK, the sandwich market is now worth a staggering £4 billion per year! It really does seem that sandwiches made by someone else do taste nicer than your own! 

As well as prawn mayonnaise sandwiches lasting the course, egg mayonnaise, classic BLT, tuna mayonnaise and salmon cream cheese sandwiches still feature in the Top Ten, as they did ten years ago.

The current Top Ten favourite sandwiches – according to Waitrose – are:

• Prawn mayonnaise sandwich
• Cheese and onion sandwich
• Egg mayonnaise sandwich
• Steak and caramelised onion chutney sandwich
• Hoisin duck wrap
• Chicken and bacon caesar wrap
• Tuna mayonnaise sandwich
• Salt beef and mustard mayonnaise sandwich
• Salmon and cream cheese sandwich
• Classic BLT sandwich

Hopefully the above list is giving you some mouth-watering inspiration about how to liven up those work and school lunch boxes! But if you are determined to make quality sandwiches yourself, what is the best way to organise your kitchen so that you can store sandwich items and prepare delicious sandwiches quickly and easily?

Let’s take a look at:

• Five top sandwich ingredients and how to store them.
• Five magic ingredients to add to your sandwiches.
• Five of the best tools to make perfect sandwiches.

Five top sandwich ingredients and how to store them

Hopefully the Top Ten sandwiches listed above will provide some inspiration for great sandwich combinations. But here are five essential ingredients to have in your kitchen if you are planning to make the best sandwiches. Plus a tip for each on how best to store it:

• Fabulous bread : no matter how good your sandwich filling, it will be wasted if the bread itself is not good quality. Make sure it’s the taste and texture you love best, and also that it is fresh. The best way to store bread is to wrap it and store at room temperature. 
• Heated protein : There is a wide variety of protein you can use in a sandwich – for example meat, fish, tofu, egg, cheese – but most of these ingredients will taste better if they are heated before putting in the sandwich. Even if you want a totally cold sandwich, ensure that your protein is at room temperature before use.
• Flavoursome vegetables : if you are using fresh vegetables in your sandwich, make sure they are really fresh and also washed. It’s also a great idea to season them, even with just a bit of salt and pepper. If you don’t always have fresh vegetables, make sure you keep a supply of marinated vegetables, coleslaw and pickles in your fridge, any of which will quickly liven up your sandwich.
• Goldilocks slices : when slicing protein and vegetables for a sandwich, don’t make them too thick as this can dominate the flavour and make the sandwich difficult to eat. Think of Goldilocks as a guideline : not too thick, not too thin, but just right!
• Top notch condiments : you should aim to build up a broad range of condiments for the finishing touch to a sandwich. Butter and olive oil should both be kept at room temperature, whereas good quality mayonnaises, salad dressings, sauces, and mustards should be kept in the fridge. 

Five magic ingredients to add to your sandwiches

One of the secrets of a good sandwich is ensuring that it is moist without being soggy. Here are five ingredients to add to a sandwich that will help get the balance just right:

• Butter : the fat in butter will help to add moisture whilst protecting the bread from wetter ingredients such as tomatoes.
• Mayonnaise : this has a similar benefit to butter and can also be flavoured with other ingredients such as lemon or lime juice, chilli or other spices.
• Cream cheese : this can add texture and depth to your sandwich as well as boosting the flavour. And similar to mayonnaise, it can be enriched with other ingredients.
• Yoghurt : you may not automatically think of yoghurt as a sandwich ingredient but thick yoghurt is very spreadable and can be a valuable addition to a sandwich.
• Tahini : this paste made from sesame seeds can bring an earthy or nutty flavour to a sandwich as well as helping to absorb excess moisture.

Five of the best tools to make perfect sandwiches

As your sandwich-making skills develop, you may want to set aside a selection of kitchen tools especially for the job. You could also dedicate one of your kitchen cabinets just for sandwich-making tools and ingredients.

Personal preference varies, and some people prefer more gadgets than others, but we’d suggest at least the following five essential items:

• Knives : to make good sandwiches you will need a variety of suitable knives, including different sized chef’s knives for different ingredients, a butter knife for spreading fatty ingredients, and a deli knife designed to cut the final product easily. 
• Chopping board : it’s always a good idea to use either a wooden or plastic chopping board, to protect your work surfaces when slicing bread or other ingredients. Some people like to have specific chopping boards for different types of ingredients so that, for example, meat and vegetables do not mix.
• Grater : not all ingredients can be cut, some need to be grated for a finer texture. Grating can also enable the flavours of the ingredients to mix more thoroughly and enhance the taste of the sandwich.
• Wooden spoon or spatula : you may need these additional tools for mixing ingredients together and spreading them onto the sandwich.
• Mixing bowls and measuring jugs : you will need bowls in which to combine ingredients before they are put into your sandwich, and it may also be useful to have a measuring jug if you want to be precise about combinations of ingredients.

We hope that the above ideas help you not only to make delicious sandwiches but also to organise your kitchen cabinets for tip top sandwich-making this autumn. For more kitchen ideas and inspiration, why not take a browse through DIY Homefit’s gallery of kitchen pictures and see just how good your kitchen could both look and function as a top sandwich-making station!

Do visit us again soon for more home and lifestyle tips from DIY Homefit.