by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: December 15, 2008

All too often, the humble sandwich is thought of as a "fast food," something which we throw together in a couple of minutes when we are too busy (or too lazy!) to prepare anything more substantial. We use the cheapest slices of bread, an excess of butter or margarine and worst of all, whatever may be lying around in our refrigerator as the filling!

There is absolutely no requirement to invest a great deal of time in preparing a much more imaginative, healthy and most certainly tasty sandwich. It simply requires a little thought and a little imagination. This is something which we can do well in advance of beginning to prepare our sandwich by utilising time otherwise wasted to come up with some ideas for a sandwich filling ideally suited to our own personal tastes and preferences. It may be while stuck on a bus or train, sitting in the waiting room at a doctor's surgery, or anywhere else where we find ourselves idle beyond our control. Keep a small notepad in your purse or pocket and jot down the ideas you come up with.

The first point we should consider regarding our perfect sandwich is which type of bread or bread roll we are going to use. This is largely down to personal preference but be as creative here as you are with the filling. Look at the different types available in your local baker's or supermarket and try them out if they appeal to you. There are some delicious bread varieties on the market which you may not previously have been acquainted with.

One particular sandwich favourite of mine is bacon and buffalo mozzarella cheese on ciabatta. I begin by grilling the bacon (not frying it - remember your health!) I then slice the ciabatta horizontally in half and toast it lightly under the hot grill. Add the bacon to the bottom half, followed by some thinly sliced tomato, thin slices of buffalo mozzarella cheese and a scattering of torn basil leaves. Cut the sandwich in to manageable portions and either eat immediately or eat cold later. It is just as delicious either way.

If this still sounds like too much work to fit in to your busy schedule, try simply being a little more creative with your existing sandwich recipes and ideas. Cheese is of course a very popular sandwich ingredient but have you ever tried a toasted cheese and sage sandwich? Place some thin slices of cheddar or another hard cheese on to one slice of bread and melt it under a hot grill until the cheese just starts to bubble. Scatter a generous pinch of dried sage over the top of the cheese and return it to the grill for about ten seconds. Place another slice of bread on top, slice and serve. What could be simpler than that?

Remember, a combination of a little bit of thought around your favourite ingredients and that little bit of extra effort could see you enjoying your own personal perfect sandwiches for many years to come.

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