Cheese Onion Sandwiches, Quintessentially English

Summer afternoon, these two words have been my favorite after coming to London. A glass of wine, a kiss of English tea and pleasant sunshine is what describes summer for me. Now imagine yourself under a beautiful tree with your favorite book, a glass of wine and some sandwiches- happiness isn't it?  Summer sandwiches are very popular in England and they are sold everywhere-from classy summer cruises to afternoon tea sessions; from supermarkets to cafes. 

View of Canary Wharf from the hill to the Observatory In Greenwich

When we are talking about sandwiches today, I decided to share some facts about them. Hope you will enjoy:

• The sandwich is named after John Montagu (1718-92), the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who started a craze for eating beef between two slices of toast.
•  Around 12 billion sandwiches are eaten every year in the UK.
• In 2008, an attempt in Iran to beat the record for the world's biggest sandwich failed when the impatient crowd ate it before it was measured.
• The world’s largest sandwich weighed 5,440 pounds.
• The most expensive sandwich ever sold was a grilled toast sandwich that seemed to have an image of the Virgin Mary on it. It sold for $28,000 in 2004.

I have tried the classic and old cucumber cheese sandwiches but I was not much drawn towards them, as I don’t like the bread without crust.  The deep brown boundary of bread- the crust, is what makes a sandwich, a sandwich (for me).  Just, last weekend I happened to taste Cheese and Onion sandwiches and it was the best sandwich I ever had, period!

Imagine the dollops of cheese with crunchy sliced red onions layered neatly between the soft, cotton like white bread- insanely delicious. It is one real good sandwich, creamy, cheesy and honest. It doesn't need much preparation but you need to make these sandwiches right before serving, else it will go soggy and will be one huge disaster. If you want to REALLY enjoy them, then pack up a picnic and head to your local park. Apply the filling on the bread, cut in 4 triangles (like finger sandwiches) and serve in paper plates with ketchup. I always like to pair lemon soda water with these sandwiches.

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread

1 teaspoon mayonnaise (see notes)

1 small red onion sliced

1 tablespoon cheddar cheese

A pinch black pepper

Salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl mix mayonnaise, sliced red onion, cheddar cheese and black pepper.

Taste and adjust salt. Remember cheese and mayonnaise already have salt.

Next, right before serving apply this mixture on bread. Cut and serve.

Notes:

If you don't want to use mayonnaise then use thick yogurt instead.

You can opt for whole wheat bread, or seeded bread as well.