Tuna Sandwiches at Croome Court, England [@NLi10]

 We met up with some friends recently, and had decided as it was a nice day we'd go somewhere a bit interesting.

And as it's National Trust we got to eat their food too!

Croome Court is one of the big projects that Capability brown did where they re-landscaped the gardens and built a prettier house around the outside of the pre-existing house.

It's quite big so we only did the guided basement tour and didn't look around most of the rooms.  I think living in England you take all of this for granted, we don't have a shortage of big houses like this!

But we did go to the separate café

As it suggests the food is a little pricier than you'd hope for but it does keep the place open which is good

And it's reasonably ethical and such considering things.

And it's a fair approximation of a British packed lunch.  Too heavy on the sweetcorn and too light on the rocket.  I'd have probably added my chilli flakes to this if I'd eaten it in the office.

But we did get to sit and sun ourselves in the orangery too which was nice for one of the last days of January.

Tesco Christmas Sandwich - Pigs UNDER blankets & Chick/Bac/Stuff [@NLi10]

It's luxury Christmas Sandwich time again! Halloween has been and gone, and now the orange packages give way to red and green.

First to hit the reduced section was this one from Tesco - which is actually two Christmas Sandwiches in one.

The Pigs are under blankets for efficiency, and the other sandwich has all the meats.

That's a lot off effort to simulate a Christmas lunch at my desk - no wonder this should be £3

The sausage and bacon pair is pretty good - the seasoning was added by me.  A decent amount of filling and as long as you don't want any vitamins you are sorted.

Here we see the premium poundshop peri peri grinder in all it's glory!

Bacon again! This time with a bit of chicken and the stuffing used as spread.  This side needed cranberry - but was again suitably festive.

Can't wait to be fed up of this before actual Christmas which seems very very far away.

3 Three's Egg & Cress Style (Vegan) Sandwich via @toogoodtogo_uk (by @NLi10)

Style.  Style is very important - in most cases it's all about a unique signature that denotes a membership to a specific group or faction.  Here it means fake.  A colleague of mine picked up some cheap sandwiches from 3 Three's Coffee using a waste reduction app (called TooGoodToGo) and had some lovely meaty ones - which were vegan alternatives.  

I'm very happy with meat alternatives - they are pretty much all we cook at home - but this one is a new one to me.  A vegan egg sandwich.

It certainly looks like an egg sandwich - and had my friend fooled - he'd not even considered that while it is veggie - an egg sandwich isn't vegan.

There is all kind of stuff in here - but the important one is the tofu for that is what the white bits are.

It'd certainly pass the plate test.  You could feed this to non vegans and they may not spot it.

The cress is indeed real (we checked).

And the bite?  While a little softer than my favourite egg sandwiches it's certainly passable.  The texture is a little wrong for eggs, but is a really nice crumbly tofu instead (which is great for me - but may freak out non tofu lovers).

The 'yellow' appears to be a light mustard/turmeric blend and is also pretty awesome.  

Overall - I like this style - This is something that I could definitely pick up for lunch again should I be in range of the cafe, and a great advertisement for their business and the waste reduction app.

Pret’s Festive Lobster Roll (Pret) By @Cinabar

We had a busy day doing some Christmas shopping and we stopped to pick up a bite to eat using Pret takeaway. They did have a traditional turkey based sandwich on their menu but I also spotted this Festive Lobster Roll. I’m not sure how a lobster is festive but it is a luxury, so it certainly sounded indulgent and I couldn’t resist. The baguette is so ‘special’ that unlike most of their other sandwiches this one come in a posh box, which was Christmas red and looked rather smart.
When you are eating a Lobster Roll you can’t help feeling a little posh, pretentious moi? The sandwich is on a white small baguette and the filling consists of lobster, dressing, cucumber and spring onion. The flavour is actually fantastic. The bread is fluffy but with a light crunch on the crust. The flavour from the lobster is nicely enhanced by the dressing which is both cooling and fresh with lemon and has a gentle warmth from some chilli. The cucumber slices add loads of lovely crunchy texture, which really made it enjoyable to eat. I liked the spicy tang from the spring onion slices that were generously sprinkled inside this Festive Lobster Roll.
It may not be a traditional Christmas sandwich but as seasonal ones go this is one of the best. I think this might be a little posh for a every day take out sandwich, but after Christmas shopping we felt like we needed a treat.

Smashed Avo (@Pret) By @Cinabar

I’ve mentioned on here before that from my age some descriptions of Millennial just about include me, but at the older end of the scale. I have always felt that I identify as Generation X too. Today though I have gone all Millennial and I have just bought Smashed Avo on bread from Pret. Firstly missing the ‘cado part of avocado must be a millennial thing to do, lets just be cool and radically cut back on those lengthy syllables.
This Smashed Avo is a new item from Pret and I had originally gone in for a sandwich but my inner Millennial took over here when I saw the ultimate superfood favoured by this generation. It comes in a box on a seeded gluten free bread which I had to keep flat, and the avo(cado) is topped with red pepper salt and chilli and served with a wedge of lemon.
I have to admit I was worried by all the red powder topping as I thought that this might be too hot from chilli for my taste buds but it was actually very mild, but nicely seasoned. The squeeze of lemon added a nice acidity to the flavour and I found myself really enjoying this. It was a very healthy lunch, with nice fresh flavours that was tasty. I do like avocado, and would defiantly pick this Smashed Avo up again, it make a lovely summer’s lunch. Think that confirms it then, I’m a Millennial.

Chicken Katsu Sando (Marks and Spencer) By @Cinabar

I went into Marks and Spencer to pick up a packaged sandwich and I saw a man dithering by the counter. He was looking at the Vindaloo sandwich Marks’s has brought out and wasalmost wanting to but it. There was a warning in the background stating “is this the hottest sandwich in the world?” And he couldn’t deiced if he wanted to go there. I mention this because I was in the same place, the novelty of a super hot sandwich is exciting, not being able to eat my own lunch less so. Marks and Spencer have brought out a new range of ‘street food’ inspired sandwiches and this ultra hot vindaloo one was in that range. I know my limits so picked up this rather lovely sounding Chicken Katsu Sando, also in the range, the other man eventually did the same. I know I can’t handle too much heat, but I may pick up the Vindaloo edition for an unsuspecting Spectre at some point…
Anyway my Chicken Katsu Sando sounded much more my thing. Chicken Katsu curry is a Japanese dish usually consisting of chicken in breadcrumbs with a mild curry sauce poured over the top. It is my favourite dish in Wagamamas if you are looking to try it.

I had a peek inside my sandwich before tucking in and it was very green. The sandwich has in it a green cabbage coleslaw that was dominating the colour, but the chicken looked pleasingly meaty underneath. I gave it a try and thoroughly enjoyed the taste and texture. The chicken shone through, as did the creamy curry sauce and the texture from the slaw was spot on. The texture was satisfying to munch on and the creamy curry taste was perfect for a sandwich. Seriously I’ll be buying this sandwich again very happily. It is a nice mix of new flavours, and I hope their other ‘street food’ range of sandwiches are as good. I’m happy I chose the right sandwich for me. However if you have been brave enough to try the new Marks and Spencer Vindaloo sandwich do let me know how you got on? I might work up the courage of somebody tells me it isn’t too hot…

Vegan sausages are the new rock & roll - even in sandwiches (@NLi10)

Well seeing as our review of the Greggs vegan sausage roll was so popular (it's good - you should read it) I decided to do something I'd not been brave enough to try yet - review the vegan version of the sausage sandwich that the hospital I work at sells.

I have the non vegan version (All Day Breakfast) quite often - mainly because I like egg and bacon sandwiches - but I'd never quite made it to this one.  Note I also had a nice wafer chocolate thing and a Pepsi too (shh... sugar is contraband).

It's not just sausage and bread though, this new manafacturer of hospital food is actually pretty good.  This one has some kind of red sauce and some leaves in it too.  Along with the healthier (and more ethically pleasing) vegan sausage this lettuce and onion chutney mix produces a very good flavour combo.  Frankly the quality of vegan sausages in general these days is probably higher than that of the meat ones.  The ones here are so 'sausagy' that I'll have to check my next all day breakfast sandwich to make sure they didn't just switch those over to vegan too.  And frankly I'd be ok with that - as long as they leave the bacon as is...

So another victory for the vegans, this is cheaper than the meat sandwiches and probably a little more exciting.  I know that this range has some very veggie sandwiches in it that I've only had once or twice so maybe this summer I'll branch out and try them again.

Turkey, Bacon & Guacamole Signature Wrap (Subway) By @Cinabar

Well it is Friday lunch time and as I’m at work and that means I have my semi-regular visit to Subway. When I arrived I spotted a poster in the window showing off Subways’ new range of Signature Wraps, and I opted to try out the Turkey, Bacon and Guacamole variant. I chose this one as it sounded quite healthy, and also because avocado and guacamole are really in at the minute, they are seen as being a bit hipster. The lady making it started out with a round wrap, which was flavoured with tomato and basil and it was a slight orange in colour. She spread guacamole and then stacked up on it turkey, bacon, cheese and then asked the usual requirements over salad, where I added lettuce, tomato, cucumber and olives. She said the recommend sauce for this wrap was Ranch, so I went with that. She folded it all over and confessed that when she had sliced some before and they had a habit of falling apart and she would have to start again. Perhaps this justifies the £5 price for a single wrap, which is quite pricey for Subway.
Oh well, I started by trying a little bit of the wrap on its own and found it to be lovely and flavoursome the tomato and herbs did stand out and made an excellent base for this wrap. The guacamole was mild, but had a nice avocado flavour; I’d have just liked a bit more seasoning in it. As a whole though the wrap really came together, the turkey and bacon were filling and the ranch dressing made this a tasty wrap. Each mouthful was different with varied texture from the meats and salad. I was pleased that the wrap held together and it was surprisingly easy to eat, and I didn’t lose any filling. The flavours were lovely together, there was lots of flavours and meatiness and the wrap did make it fun to eat. It is something I would have again, even at the higher price (for a non-toasted take out) lunch.

Lobster & Prawn Thermidor Sandwich (M&S) By @Cinabar

I have to admit that Marks and Spencer did have the traditional turkey sandwiches available and my hand did hover over one of them, but then I spotted this Lobster and Prawn Thermidor Sandwich. Firstly I could’t get over just how posh the sandwich sounded and secondly, as a seafood lover, I couldn’t wait to give it a try.
The sandwich isn’t too big, but it is packed with plenty of filling. I could see lots of creamy sauce and salad stacked up within it. The bread is a brioche bun which gives it a firm but satisfying texture. The lettuce has  a lovely sharp acidic taste, that counters the seafood perfectly. There is lots of texture from the prawns and the lobster, and the seafood tastes wonderfully fresh too. I really enjoyed the sauce it was creamy, but the brandy within it added a good warming element that held all the elements together. This is far from being a traditional Christmas sandwich but I still loved it, and it is the sandwich I will miss the most when they are reducing the menu in the new year, for the dieters.

Turkey and Bacon Club Sandwich (Costa) By @Cinabar

Tiz the season to be jolly, and the season for the Christmas sandwiches to hit the shops. This year I thought I’d start off by trying out the new Club sandwich from Costa. As a club sandwich there are three slices of bread and two layers of filling, the first one being sausage and bacon, the top layer being turkey, stuffing and spinach. Not sure where the spinach fits in on the usual Christmas dinner, but I was pleased to see some green in there and I would have been more wary if it turned out to be Brussel Sprouts!
Thankfully the bread on this sandwich was smaller than regular bread, which meant that the tower of sandwich before me was more manageable. The sandwich was toasted by Costa, and this gave the bread a lovely texture. This was still a very indulgent sandwich and a meat lovers dream. There was turkey, bacon and sausage all making themselves known, and it had a very substantial feel. I loved the meaty taste, and it was filled with the flavours of Christmas. There was a lovely aftertaste of stuffing and cranberry and both added a good hit of herbs and sweetness. As someone who loves a mix of textures I felt the toast and all the ingredients made this very enjoyable to eat. This is my first Christmas sandwich of 2017 and it is going to be hard to beat!

A Greggs Christmas - Christmas Lunch Toastie And Festive Bake (@NLi10)

As it gets colder and the shops cotton on to the fact that some people want Christmas to start at Midnight on Halloween we see the festive variations creep onto the shelves.  Gregg's started their viral advertising early and hard this year by putting a sausage roll into the nativity instead of aliens and otters like my family's ever expanding Playmobil version contains.

I assume this was to announce the following - we do a Christmas Toastie - and a Festive Bake now!

I'm sure they have done these previously, and I may have even reviewed the bake, but I don't remember the toastie and it's quite a cool proposition.  A hot turkey and bacon sandwich doesn't need festive branding to get me interested.  This is £3.

The Festive Bake is half the price - but it's just chicken and bacon which isn't quite as festive.  Also the chunks are smaller and less recognisable.

As you can see the sandwich is quite stuffed - with big quality chunks of meat and actual recognisable ingredients and flavours.  They have decided that it needed cheese on top - because toasties can't exist without it?! This kind of ruins the festive flavour a bit, but luckily the rest is good enough to overpower it.  Well worth it if you like all the ingredients and want a hot sandwich.

I had the Festive slice for pudding (unremarkable compared to the sandwich, but certainly edible).  And an egg custard for starter because the sandwich takes a little while to toast.

New York Deli Pastrami Sandwich (M&S) #mandsfreelunch By @Cinabar

Marks and Spencer are currently having a free lunch giveaway. Inside 100,000 packs of sandwiches are vouchers for a free lunch. I thought I’d pick up a sandwich in an effort to try my luck, and to give me the opportunity to tell you about my favourite sandwich from Marks.
My sarnie of choice is the New York Deli Pastrami Sandwich, on Rye. I think this is partially fuelled by an upbringing including watching American sitcoms and comedies, seeing people on the TV ordering “Pastrami on Rye” at their local sandwich shop and not really knowing what it involved. I never buy rye bread as a whole loaf, and save my experience for a sandwich treat from Marks and Spencers.
The sandwich itself is on a very soft version of rye bread, fluffy but a little richer in taste. The sandwich is a flavour sensation, there is generous portion of pastrami, a thin layer of cheese and pickled gherkins. You get such a lovely mix of flavours a zingy taste from the vinegar with the pickle, smooth creamy cheese, a hint of mustard and the pastrami meat itself. The tastes are very American, and it is full on, but I think a bought sandwich should be something a bit different, something you wouldn’t necessarily make at home, This neatly transfers me to memories of watching Friends, and takes me away from my desk during my lunch break on a busy day.
Anyway I didn’t actually win a free lunch, but the competition is still on, so I’ll have to pick up another pack.

BBQ Beef Burnt Ends Sub (Subway) By @Cinabar

My local branch of Subway has had this particular new Sub advertised with a "coming soon" sign for some time. It has now finally arrived so it was the obvious choice for my lunch. I ordered the BBQ Beef Burnt Ends Sub with salad, (lettuce, tomato and cucumber) and olives (I have these on every Sub, whether they sound like they would go or not) and I just had some mayo as the dressing, as I wanted to pick up as much of the main flavour from the meat as I could.
The name of this Subway is a bit weird, but I have to say I did Google it and it made a bit more sense. Normally the idea of the "burnt ends" of anything sounds like the part you wouldn't want to eat, but apparently in the slow cooking and smoking process the Burnt Ends are a delicacy.
If beef has been slow cooked a long time you would imagine that it would be ultra soft and would just fall apart. This beef didn't, if anything it was a bit chewy, which is rather unusual in a Subway sandwich. Further Googling showed that Beef Burnt Ends are often chewy... I am learning things tonight.
The flavour was great though, the barbecues taste was spot on, not to strong, but a good mix of spice, and a lovely sweet and smoky flavour. I got used to the texture being a bit firmer, and enjoyed the rich meaty taste and salad. I have to admit to not knowing much about Beef Burnt Ends, but by the end of my Sub was left wanting to have it again, so it was a success.
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Festive Feast Sub Sandwich (Subway) By @Cinabar

This is the first year in which Subway have brought out a Christmas special sub. It is described as a Festive Feast, and consists of turkey (which I guess we could see coming), sausage, bacon and cranberry sauce. Of course when you order this sub you still get the usual offerings of salad, and I added lettuce, tomato, cucumber and olives… yes I know olives don’t sound like they’d go, but I was thrown by the already strange combination. This sub needed gravy, not salad! The cranberry sauce looked very runny when it strewn across the filling, it also looked like a very bright shade of dark pink and not so appetising.
I tucked into the large Festive Feast Sub and realised it was not for me. There is too much meat, and the mix of flavours just meant it felt heavy and mixed up. I know people have mini sausages wrapped in bacon with their turkey dinner, but pig pieces of bacon, a full sausage and turkey sandwich was jut too much in each mouthful. The salad seemed really out of place, although all the parts were fresh and crisp. As already stated I didn’t do myself any favours with the olives, but heck I have them on their chicken tikka!
Now the major problem I had with the Festive Feast Sub was not just the overload of meat, it was the cranberry sauce. It wasn’t very sweet and seemed more acidic and vinegary. Not a flavour I wanted in an already over complex sandwich. Did I mention it was runny, it was running down my fingers, by the end of the sub I wanted to take a bath, but had to suffice with washing my bright pink fingers in the sink at work. Next ones a Big Beef Melt.

Ginsters - Limited Edition Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (by @NLi10)

Lunches at work have been salad and fruit for a good few weeks, but sometimes time means I have to slum it and have a sandwich.  In those occasions I pop to the charity shop and get the meal deal where having the water and bad crisps subsidises the passable sandwiches (£3.25 on their own, £3.75 with both the drink and crisps!)

Yesterday I spotted this new Buffalo Chicken variety. I am familiar with this flavour sauce, even though I don't like eating Buffalo wings or other meat off the bone, but others seem less so. I was asked in the break room what a buffalo chicken was, and I jokingly explained it was the variety of chicken that buffalo wings come from. I think it was taken seriously and caused much confusion amongst the ladies. In reality the sauce is somewhere between hot sauce and BBQ and I quite enjoy it.

The chicken and salad are both fresh and tasty and the bread is interesting enough that I don't mind bulking up on it. The sauce is what makes this though and I want to have it on other things like hotdogs and burgers too - mmmmmm.

I actually had this again today, and still enjoyed it. There are other sandwiches in the limited range like chorizo but I think this Is my current favourite and worth the walk and steep asking price.