Feature: The Sandwich
ake a bite on your humble onboard sandwich and you might like to muse the fact that you are biting into history. Throughout 2012, the sandwich industry has been celebrating the 250th anniversary of this simple bread-based snack. And the aviation industry has played its part over the years too – the first recorded airline meal, back in the 1920s, was a sandwich.
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Airlines have not focused in much detail on this item until more recently, when buy on board and general cost-cutting have put it firmly back on the menu. But it is without
“The aviation industry has played its part in the 250-year evolution of this humble bread-based snack. The first recorded airline meal, back in the 1920s, was a sandwich”
doubt a phenomena that has taken a hold across many markets.
A staggering 11 billion* sandwiches a year are consumed in the UK alone. Around a quarter of these are sold by bakers and corner shops, 22% by supermarkets, 18% are bought at work and 15% at dedicated sandwich bars. Perhaps the ultimate snack for those on the move, a further 7% are apparently
bought at petrol stations and from motorway services and yet figures for the travel industry as a whole are not easily established. I did a little digging however and found that British Airways alone gets through more than 7.5 million high quality sandwiches annually, including 300,000-plus wraps.
The history books tell us it was in 1762 that the First Lord of The Admiralty, the veritable John Montague, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, gave his name to this tasty treat. Sitting with his mates in a Pall Mall club playing cards, he was either too fat, drunk, or lazy to be bothered with the usual dinner arrangements and said something along the lines of: “Smithers, be a good chap will you? Grab that haunch of venison, stuff it between two slices of bread and wheel it over here along with a pint of good claret.”
Smithers did his duty and thus the sandwich
Opposite page: A sandwich buttered by Kerrygold Below: The Panino from Group SOI
as we understand it was born.
As a gambling man, the Earl of Sandwich would have been wise to invest in his newly- invented snack rather than on the cards. He may even have earned himself an award as The British Sandwich Association now holds an annual celebration of the sandwich, presenting accolades for innovation and excellence. His lazy way of eating lunch has unquestionably become one of the world’s most popular snacks.
Until recently, retail sandwich quality was considered to be pretty poor, with mediocre choices and ingredients. It might comprise two slices of white bread with a slice of cheddar cheese and, if you were lucky, some soggy tomato. Overall, getting a quality sandwich
Waste Management & Inflight Solutions
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