Sandwich fillings can be simple and nutritious - such as hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, sliced cucumber and tomatoes. Or they can be rich and elaborate - such as chicken, avocado, chives and mayonnaise, or anchovy, cream cheese and tomato. Whichever you prefer, don't skimp on the filling. A generously filled sandwich is always more appealing than a skimpy one.
Choose firm, good-quality bread for sandwiches. For parties and teas, make dainty and elegant sandwiches, with the crusts removed. For all other occasions, suit yourself. Slice the bread as thin or as thick as you like - crusts and all. (Keeping the crusts prevents the bread slices from drying out and curling at the edges.) If you like contrasting flavours or textures, you could try combining two different kinds of bread of the same size in one sandwich.
Sandwiches made in advance can be kept fresh by storing them covered with non-toxic plastic film or in an airtight plastic bag, in the refrigerator. To prevent bread from becoming soggy, spread it with softened butter or margarine rather than salad dressing or mayonnaise. (Alternatively, spread the mayonnaise or dressing between the layers of ingredients rather than directly onto the bread.)
It is a good idea to keep moist ingredients - such as tomato and cucumber slices, lettuce and pickles - in separate containers or bags, and add them to the sandwiches at the last minute.
For children's parties, make small sandwiches of thinly sliced white bread. Use biscuit cutters to cut them into round, oval or other unusual shapes. Butter them lightly and spread them with a variety of tasty fillings - cream cheese, Marmite, ham, honey, jam, peanut butter or sardines.
To make a quick sandwich spread, you can always use peanut butter - it goes well with many different ingredients. Try the following combinations on bread, toast or biscuits. Mix together 2 tablespoons each of peanut butter, drained crushed pineapple and shredded coconut. Or mix 2 tablespoons each of peanut butter and mashed banana, with a few drops of lemon juice. (Incidentally, the calorie count for these two spreads is 40 and 50 per tablespoon respectively.)
Club sandwich
For a substantial snack in a hurry, make a club sandwich. You can have a hefty triple-decker for four people ready in 20 minutes. Just toast 12 slices of bread and remove the crusts. Butter 4 slices on both sides and the remaining 8 on one side only. Cover 4 of the partly buttered slices with a slice of tomato and top with crisply fried bacon (2 rashers for each sandwich). Put the 4 slices buttered on both sides on top of this, and cover them with lettuce and thin slices of cooked chicken or turkey.
Spoon mayonnaise over the chicken or turkey slices, and cover with the last 4 slices of toast. Then press the piled-up sandwiches firmly together and quarter them. Spear each quarter with a cocktail stick and serve. For the finishing touch, don't forget to add a stuffed olive to the top of each stick.
