Cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, cheese and ham sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches. . . We have all kinds of sandwiches in Britain. We even toast them under a grill sometimes. On the outside hot crisp toast, on the inside hot gooey cheese, melting over the ham -- heaven! But, of course, there is more to sandwiches than simply ham and cheese.
In summer some people put cucumber or tomato in their sandwiches; this is surprisingly tasty as long as you use brown bread instead of white, and add salt and black pepper. Snobbish people say that the brown edge should be cut from the bread to make the sandwiches look nice. I really don't think it makes any difference. Taste is more important than appearance, at least as far as I'm concerned.
Children put jam or crisps (what Americans call potato chips) in their sandwiches, or sometimes Marmite, a kind of thick black jam made of yeast, which is full of vitamin B. In Australia they eat Vegemite, which is very similar to Marmite (but not quite as good). For those with a sweet tooth, honey and peanut butter make a great sandwich. I've heard of a tomato ketchup sandwich, but I have never tried one, and I don't plan to, either.
Sandwiches are traditionally made at home. Recently, however, many people buy their sandwiches already made. One of the best places to buy a sandwich in Britain is on a train. On British trains they sell chicken curry sandwiches for people who like Indian food, and roast chicken sandwiches for those who don't. They also sell an American sandwich called the BLT which contains bacon, lettuce and tomato. For people bored of just plain ham and cheese in their sandwich there are alternatives: the ploughman's lunch sandwich contains Cheddar cheese and pickled onions, and I once had a very pleasant experience on a train with a Gruyere cheese and salami sandwich.
I don't know about you, but all this talk of food has made me hungry. I think I'll just go and make myself something to eat. I won't be long. I wonder if there's any of that blue cheese left in the refrigerator. . .