by | Aug 23, 2019 | Blog
Last month I talked about the history of the sandwich. Incidentally, did you know that more than a third of people in the UK would describe a sandwich as their favourite meal?
Anyway, I recently came across some research carried out by Warburtons the bakers. They asked 2,000 people what their favourite combination of sandwich fillings were, from the 1970s right up to the present day.
The results were very interesting and purport to show a move from traditional to more adventurous and experimental fillings, often vegetarian.
Here are the findings for favourite sandwich fillings over the decades:
1970s
1. Ham salad
2. Ham & cheese
3. Ploughman’s
4. Cheese & onion
5. Egg mayonnaise
1980s
1. Chicken salad
2. Tuna mayo
3. Tuna & cucumber
4. BLT
5. Tuna salad
1990s
1. BLT
2. Tuna mayo
3. Chicken mayo
4. Tuna salad
5. Chicken Club
2000s
1. Smoked salmon & cream cheese
2. Chicken mayo
3. Brie & cranberry
4. Salmon & prawn
5. Brie & grape
2010s
1. Hummus & falafel
2. BBQ pulled pork
3. Avocado
4. Chicken & avocado
5. Brie & grape
So what do I think? Some of our customers are firmly rooted in the 70s and 80s! And where are the bacon butties?
by | Jul 23, 2019 | Blog
I would think many people know of John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, and his marathon gaming session which inadvertently appears to have given the name to the tasty treat we still enjoy today.
Writing in the late 1700s, a Frenchman called Pierre-Jean Grosley produced a book telling of his encounters with English life called Londres, published translated in English as A Tour of London. This famous section is probably the best remembered:
“A minister of state passed four and twenty hours at a public gaming-table, so absorpt in play, that, during the whole time, he had no subsistence but a piece of beef, between two slices of toasted bread, which he eat without ever quitting the game. This new dish grew highly in vogue, during my residence in London; it was called by the name of the minister who invented it.”
That minister was, of course, the Earl of Sandwich.
Now it may be that the story is anecdotal but the gist of it was soon adopted across the country. If you were eating something between two slices of bread you were eating a sandwich.
Whilst it certainly seems the Earl gave his name to the concept, the eating of something between slices of bread was by no means exclusive to him. French farm labourers had been eating meat between bread slices for many years, for example. The pita pockets of the Middle East and Mediterranean countries have also been around for a long time.
Nevertheless, it is the Earl of Sandwich we remember and his legacy lives on to this day. Incidentally, his great-great-great-great-great-great grandson, Orlando Montagu, founded a chain of sandwich restaurants in 1999. The name of the chain? Earl of Sandwich.
by Anthony Byrne | May 15, 2019 | Blog
I expect you know that for events featuring dining there are generally two methods: table service or buffet.
We specialise in buffet service and here are the reasons why:
- Table service is time consuming, especially for large events with lots of attendees. Buffet service is much easier to organise.
- With buffets the attendees can suit themselves as to which dishes they would like and how much they want.
- We find there tends to be much less food wasted compared with table service.
- There is no unnecessary waiting while other tables are served. You can also inspect the dishes before choosing the ones you want.
- Buffets are much more sociable events. You have the opportunity to chat with other guests as you queue for your food. There is also the chance to move to another table to avoid being bored rigid by dull table companions.
- From the organiser’s point of view, buffets are more cost effective than table service as fewer staff need be employed.
If you need a buffet on the Gloucestershire area for a business event, wedding or gathering of friends and family, do give us a call on 01452 422940 to find out how we can help.
