Fifty-two writers share the most memorable sandwiches of their lives, from a crab stick and taramasalata baguette in 1990s London to a Thai-spiced Philly cheesesteak in New York. Each sandwich is a story of place, nostalgia, and personal revelation.
Zoe Williams: Crab Stick and Taramasalata Baguette
In the mid-90s, living in Barons Court, west London, I discovered a deli with fillings laid out in silver dishes. After a financial catastrophe involving actual crab, I tried crab sticks with taramasalata. Crab sticks taste nothing like crab—they are more delicious. Everything was pink; my life felt like a fairytale.
Leah Harper: Vegetarian Christmas Focaccia
Glasgow cafe Boca’s offering: salty focaccia stuffed with mushroom and chestnut roast, apricot-glazed carrots and parsnips, cranberry and walnut agrodolce, sprout slaw, and hefty slices of brie. Indulgent and Christmassy, with no festive falafel in sight.
Alexi Duggins: Hot Smoked Mackerel Sarnie
A hot mackerel sandwich from a smokehouse on Brighton seafront, eaten at the shoreline. The fresh fish, aromatic with woodsmoke, dripped juices so tasty I sucked my fingers clean. It was so good I spent 10 years thinking about it, then returned to find it just as delicious—until a gull stole it from my wife’s hands.
Katharine Viner: Halloumi and Grilled Vegetables on Turkish Flatbread
The T9 from City Edge in Sydney’s Surry Hills: toasted Turkish bread, grilled halloumi, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, artichoke, and leaves. Tommy, the owner, has a photographic memory and still greets me with a knowing smile. Nothing beats it.
Rick Williams: Tortilla and Peppers in a Crispy Roll
At Bodegas la Mancha in Granada, my favourite was grilled green peppers with Spanish tortilla in a crispy roll, washed down with beer—the perfect setup for a siesta.
Nick Morgan: Fish Finger Concoction
In Brighton, friends picked a white bloomer with fish fingers, Emmenthal, rocket, chilli jam, and mayo. Totally delicious, it became our favourite, and we tried to recreate it for years.
Adrian Horton: Brooklyn Tuna Melt
Agi’s Counter in Crown Heights serves a hearty, dill-forward tuna melt with a secret ingredient that makes it melt in your mouth. It trumps my disdain for $20 sandwiches.
Jessica Reed: Turkey, Salami and White Cheddar
On a hike in Montana, my boyfriend and I shared layers of turkey, hot soppressata, sharp white cheddar, fresh basil, pepperoncini, piquillo peppers, red onion, and mayo. Surrounded by wildflowers, I mumbled that if all food here is this good, we can stay.
Estelle Tang: Egg and Cheese Baguette, Senegalese-Style
In Saint-Louis, Senegal, the chef whipped raw eggs into a frenzy, fried them into a chiffon-like fritter, then stuffed it in a baguette with Laughing Cow cheese and Knorr chicken powder. Heaven—I still think about it 15 years later.
Tim Jonze: Cheddar, Piccalilli and Leek Fritters
At 40 Maltby Street in London, I had cheddar and piccalilli on toasted focaccia with delicately battered leek fritters. I sat on a park bench and spent 10 minutes experiencing nirvana.
Anita Chaudhuri: Crab with Caper Mayo
On holiday in Scotland, we stopped at Inveraray. Fresh white crab meat in caper mayo dressing on a savoury brioche bun, with tortilla chips for crunch. I’m still dreaming about that lunch.
Louis Staples: Homemade Steak-and-Onion Bun
One Thursday in 2024, I made a fancy dinner sandwich: rump steak, onions fried in sugar and balsamic vinegar, rocket, tomato, and mayo mixed with mustard, garlic, and lemon on thick white bread.
Jason Okundaye: Merguez and a Parsley Fried Egg
Italo in Bonnington Square makes the best sandwiches in London. This Levantine delight includes merguez sausages, sumac red onions, tomato, cucumber, and a parsley fried egg with garlicky toum.
Abi Millar: A Delightful Improvisation
In a camper van on the Yorkshire moors, we had only carrots, avocado, hummus, and ancient mushrooms. We fried them, loaded baguettes, and lacquered on half a bottle of sriracha. It worked perfectly.
Yvonne C Lam: The Bánh Mì I’d Been Waiting For
Pregnant, I craved a traditional Vietnamese bánh mì thịt with raw-egg mayo, pâté, cold cuts, and salads. After a dramatic birth, my husband delivered it to my hospital bed. Watching crumbs fall as my newborn slept, I understood delayed gratification.
Christophe Gowans: Catalonian Jamón Baguettes
1993 in Barcelona: after a stag weekend with dire hangovers, we had bocadillos—palm-sized baguettes with jamón or chorizo, no butter or salad—with cava at 8am in a lively garage. Heaven in my hands.
Martha Gowans: Tuna Mayo on Fresh-Baked Focaccia
At the Old Cottage Coffee Shop Cafe in Charlton Park, I chose chewy, oily focaccia with tuna mayonnaise. Perfection, especially since my husband paid.
Ammar Kalia: Thai-Spiced Philly Cheesesteak
During a blizzard in New York, Thai Diner’s Thai-spiced Philly cheesesteak was a revelation: packed with bird’s eye chillies, Thai basil, tender beef in cheese sauce, on a soft sandwich.
Eleanor Biggs: Mortadella and Mozzarella in Rome
In July 2016, I escaped Brexit-ravaged UK for Italy. A world-redefining sandwich: oily focaccia with rosemary, pale pink mortadella, mozzarella, and tomato slices. A religious experience on a sunlit Roman street.
Lucy Knight: Mum’s ‘Picnic Loaf’
In June 2021, my mum set us to make a picnic loaf: hollow out a round loaf, fill with pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella, roasted vegetables, then flatten under a tray of beans. We carried it to a tor on Dartmoor. Sometimes being ridiculous is delicious.
Nick Hopkins: Bacon with Chestnut Stuffing
Early 1990s, reporting from Wolverhampton magistrates court, I had a bacon and stuffing sandwich from a greasy spoon. Crispy bacon, chestnutty stuffing, white bread—heavenly.
Kate Abbott: A Tale of Peter Rarebit
At Lingholm Kitchen in the Lake District, I had the Lingholm Rarebit: perfectly crispy sourdough oozing with cheese and buttery, garlicky tarragon mushrooms. Life-changing.
Joel Snape: Chicken Club Unlike Any Other
From Squat and Gobble in London, a non-standard chicken club with enormous amount of chicken, no bacon, pesto, avocado, and lashings of mayo on a weird outsized flat bap. Comfort in hard times.
Drew Lawrence: Hot Conveyor-Belt Ham and Cheese
At Potbelly in Chicago, a hot ham and cheese from an oven conveyor was sweet, flaky, faintly hickory. I’ve struggled to take cold sandwiches seriously since.
Morwenna Ferrier: Chocolate Sprinkles on a Baguette
July 1992 on the Costa Brava with my Dutch stepfamily: a third of a baguette with salted butter and fridge-cold chocolate sprinkles—a version of hagelslag. The last thing we needed in the heat, which made it more delicious.
Georgia Bisbas: Chicken Schnitzel with Pickled Cucumbers
Mondo Sando in south London uses everything bagel seasoning as crumb coating for crispy chicken thighs, with pickled cucumbers and kale ranch dressing on sourdough. Moist and magnificent.
Carrie O’Grady: Tuna Mayo by a Waterfall
Every summer in Muskoka, Canada, we had a picnic by a waterfall with tuna mayo on cheap brown bread. The extra mayo and my mother’s relaxed happiness made it extra delicious.
Rachel Dixon: BBQ Mushrooms and Coleslaw in a Baguette
In Oaxaca, Mexico, hungover from mezcal, I had a barbecue torta at Nanita: sticky barbecue mushrooms, avocado, coleslaw on a bolillo, with roast potatoes and bean chilli. Triple-carbing is the only solution.
Nell Frizzell: Cheese and Brinjal Pickle with Red Peppers
My dad’s eccentric fusion sandwiches: cheese and brinjal pickle with red peppers on wholemeal, with a little note inside. In the school lunch hall, it became a point of honour among peers.
Felicity Cloake: The Ultimate Smoked Salmon
From a seafood hut near Oban’s ferry terminal: brown sliced bread crammed with oily, home-smoked salmon. I once eked it out all the way to Glasgow. Next time I’ll buy two.
Clea Skopeliti: Falafel with Aubergine
After my jaw unlocked from anxiety on an interrailing trip, I had a falafel sandwich in Paris: tahini, herby green falafel, cucumber, tomato, and grilled aubergine in pillowy pita. My best ever.
Ann Lee: Tuna with Raw Onion and Avocado
In Alghero, Sardinia, I had a tuna sandwich with raw onion, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive oil on chewy bread. Carb heaven—I went back the next day.
Sinéad Campbell: Egg and Cheese on an Everything Bagel
On my first day in New York, I ordered an egg and cheese on everything bagel from Murray’s Bagels. One bite and I was hooked. Four years later, I still try to recreate it.
Hannah Booth: Dutch Goat’s Cheese, Honey and Walnuts
In Amsterdam, tired from Vermeer, we found a cafe serving bagels with rocket, goat’s cheese, honey, and walnuts. The peppery rocket sweetened by honey and crumble of nuts made us all feel better.
Mel Bradman: Cream Cheese, Anchovies and Olives
As a waitress at Upper Crust, a customer ordered cream cheese, anchovies, chopped olives, and chilli flakes. It sounded like a 70s sitcom, but it hit the spot. The salty-sour-spicy combo still does.
Thomas Howells: Egg Mayo with Vinegar and Anchovies
At Paul Rothe & Son in Marylebone, the egg mayo with vinegar and anchovies was a revelation: a zesty, umami hit that felt like a light switching on. I now perfect the homemade version.
Jenny Stevens: Fresh Crab Meat on Brown
In Little Haven, Pembrokeshire, on a rainy March day, I had brown bread with salty butter and fresh crabmeat. The view and the sandwich were divine.
Sundus Abdi: A Falafel That Had It All
After a gruelling exam in Leeds, I got a wrap from Falafel Guys: three types of hummus, sweet chilli, tahini, pickles, and crisp falafel. It had contrast and texture.
Andy Welch: Full English in a Bap
From Helen’s Pantry in Rhyl, Wales, in the late 90s: a full English in a bap with sausage, bacon, egg, mushroom, beans, black pudding on a soft white roll. It cost £2.30 and I still remember it.
Owen Myers: A Succulent Vegetarian Bánh Mì
V-Nam Cafe in New York’s East Village has perfected the veggie bánh mì: zippy marinated carrot, earthy coriander, and succulent soy protein. It never gets too sweet or dry.
Paula Cocozza: Cheese Toastie, Breville-Style
In the mid-1980s, a Breville toastie was my Saturday lunch break go-to. The crimped bread made a hard pouch of pure molten cheese. Nothing compares.
Ellie Violet Bramley: Chicken, Pickles and Soy Sauce in Beirut
The Francisco sandwich from Barbar in Beirut: chicken, cucumber-pickles, romaine, sweetcorn, mozzarella, mayo, and soy sauce on submarine bread. It represented fun and freedom, and helped me find my way home.
Catherine Shoard: An Airport Cream Cheese Bagel
In Chicago airport in January 2007, I had a toasted bagel with cream cheese after not eating for a day or two. The total heaven of that bread and dairy hit. Recreating the fast would be the challenge.
Dale Berning Sawa: Muffuletta with Everything
Ten years ago, a reader suggested a take on a muffuletta: sourdough boule hollowed out and packed with tapenade, rocket, capers, olives, cheese, cold meats, pickles, mayo, fried pancetta, and grated beetroot. Weighted down overnight, it’s a treat.
Jane Richards: Emmenthal Salad Baguette on the Beach
In the 90s on a beach campsite near Biarritz, we bought fresh baguettes with crisp lettuce in creamy vinaigrette, Emmenthal or eggs, and mayonnaise. Devoured with fries and Coke, it was heaven in a baguette.
Emine Saner: Crisps in a White Roll
To truly enjoy a crisp sandwich, you have to feel you deserve it. On this day, I had a soft white roll with fancy French butter and salt and vinegar crisps. It cost less than £1 but tasted of priceless luxury.
Eli Block: Ground Lamb, Tzatziki and Mint
In 2007, working at Swich in Lower Manhattan, I had a Trojan Horse: ground lamb, tomato, tzatziki, and fresh mint on pressed rosemary focaccia. No other sandwich has come close.
Alfie Packham: A Forbidden Chip Sandwich
The best sandwich I ever had was a chip butty at a friend’s house in the early 2000s. I didn’t know a chip sandwich was allowed. The squish of supermarket bread against perfectly cooked oven chips with salt and vinegar was ideal.
Vincent Forrester: Tuna Melt in a New England Diner
At Palace Diner in Biddeford, Maine, my friend’s tuna melt was magnificent: briny tuna cutting through oozing cheese and buttery challah, with cool iceberg for texture.
Rich Pelley: A Cheese Toastie Complete with Teeth Marks
Interrailing at 16, I yoinked a half-eaten cheese and tomato toasted sandwich from the restaurant carriage. Squeaky cheese, buffalo tomatoes, and teeth marks in crispy white bread—I scoffed it without sharing.
Alex Barlow: Thai-Spiced Sausage with Eggs and Ketchup
At Chet’s in Shepherd’s Bush, the bodega sandwich was a Chiang Mai redo of the New York classic: aggressively savoury sai ua sausage in molten eggs on a kaiser roll, with umami ketchup. It was so good I sat in quiet reverence.
Steve Rose: Roast Chicken with Watercress and Tarragon Sauce
We made sandwiches from leftover roast chicken with creamy tarragon sauce, watercress, and thick buttered white bread. We ate them in a stylish bird hide in Dorset with a fine view across Poole harbour.
