ABSTRACT

While the sandwich is nothing new, its commercialization certainly is. In the UK, the first factory-made sandwich appeared on the shelves of Marks & Spencer as recently as 1981 (Dunn 2006). Since then, an increasing proportion of sandwiches have been produced commercially and sold through retail outlets. Industry estimates suggest that, in the UK, approaching two billion are purchased every year. The UK sandwich market is worth around £3.5 billion and is over three times bigger than that for UK pizza (Winship 2006). The most rapidly growing part of the market is the ‘pre-packed, bought in’ sandwich as opposed to those made on site. Two-thirds of these are ‘pure sandwiches’ – that is, two slices of bread cut into triangles and packaged for sale – as opposed to other formats, such as baguettes, rolls and wraps (Hunter 2007). This chapter focuses on the traditional ‘triangle’ part of the market.