One of life’s great luxuries is having an hour to ourselves when we can relax in peace and enjoy the simple tranquillity of a quiet garden. Why not rustle up one of these delicious sandwiches, set up your Outback reclining chairs in the sunshine and indulge yourself?
Ultimate chicken sandwich
A submarine roll or long ciabatta works best for this. Start by slicing your roast chicken, thinly slicing beef tomato and finely shredding romaine or iceberg lettuce. Next, slather one half of your roll in green pesto mixed with mayonnaise, and the other in butter. Layer the chicken and tomato on the buttered half, season well with salt and pepper, add the lettuce and top off with the pesto side. Your sandwich will be oozy, flavourful and indulgent.
New York deli delight
Taking its cue from the cold meat counters of the best stateside delis, this sandwich is all about layers. Take a small cob loaf and cut it in half horizontally. Scoop out some of the doughy centre to leave you with a well you can fill. Start with a generous layer of mayonnaise, then, in any order, add layers of smoked ham, pastrami, cheese, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, gherkin and mustard. Pop the top on, season well, squash down a little to compress and then slice into nice, thick wedges.
Greek salad
Fill a flatbread or pitta pocket with shredded iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced beef tomatoes, sliced black olives, griddled aubergines and tzatziki. Fry halloumi coated in flour and paprika until golden and add to your now overflowing pitta. Add a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.
With these recipes, you can sit back in the sunshine and enjoy the solitude and a great sandwich.