Margaret Thatcher took a bite out of the newly invented M&S ready-made prawn mayonnaise sandwich in the early 1980s, pronounced it utterly delicious and middle class tastes were changed for ever. It’s still their number one best seller.
And when Justin Metcalfe opened his first Pret a Manger in London six years later, radically combining unusual ingredients between two slices of granary, it was nothing short of a revolution.
Since then, there has been no looking back.
As a nation, we usually spend in excess of £4 billion on pre-packed, shop-bought sandwiches — which is remarkable, given that it takes little more than 3.5 minutes to eat one.
Food writer Rose Prince has taken the nations’s favourite lunch choices from the high street and made her very own versions of the dishes. Pictured: Itsu chicken teriyaki bowl
There’s a huge choice among the menus of the best and most innovative take-out chains, but it is well known that hungry lunchers are often creatures of habit.
Now, in lockdown, many are claiming that not getting their hands on their favourite lunch choice every day is like being made to go ‘cold turkey’.
So what is about the Pret’s chicken caesar baguette or Leon’s famous fish-finger wrap, for instance, that makes us crave them so much?
Yesterday, IKEA decided to give their fans suffering from withdrawal the secret recipe to their famous Swedish meatballs, so I decided to lift the lid, or the top layer, on what exactly makes our favourite takeaway lunch choices so delicious and addictive.
I found everything I needed for the recipes in my local supermarket, so don’t be put off trying.
In some cases, such as Pret’s hugely successful crayfish and rocket sandwich, it just came down to very fresh produce — with the addition of a simple twist of lemon juice.
But others had some very surprising secret ingredients, with the result that they ended up tasting so good, they could pass for the real thing . . .
ITSU ORIENTAL SALAD BOWLS
Teriyaki rice bowl
This Teriyaki rice bowl takes 25 minutes to make and is a tasty alternative to the Itsu dish
SHOP: £7.99
HOME: £2.75 per portion
TIME: 25 mins
TROUBLE: Medium
SECRET TWIST: Miso paste
TASTE: Shop wins
Makes 2
- 250g pack ready-cooked wholegrain basmati rice
- 1 chicken breast, brushed with miso paste, grilled and kept warm
- half a sweet red pepper, sliced
- 2 tbsp frozen, defrosted broad beans
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Heat rice as per instructions. Divide between two bowls. Slice chicken across the grain. Place on rice with red pepper and beans. Zigzag sauce over the surface, then add seeds and coriander before serving.
Salmon poke bowl
Also on the list is this salmon poke bowl which can be made using ingredients such as sushi rice and avocado
SHOP: £6.19
HOME: £2.05 pp
TIME: 50 mins
TROUBLE: High
SECRET TWIST: Fresh mint
TASTE: Home wins
Makes 2
- 1tbsp mirin (vinegar sugar mix)
- 4tbsp defrosted frozen petit pois
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
For coconut dressing:
- 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
- ½ tsp grated fresh ginger
- 4 mint leaves, finely chopped
Combine dressing ingredients. Rinse rice in a sieve. Bring to boil with 200ml water, cover and simmer for 18 minutes. Spread onto a plate, cool, then mix in mirin. Divide rice between two dishes.
Put greens and salmon on top then scatter over chives and seeds. Add dressing and serve.
PRET-A-MANGER SANDWICHES
Crayfish avocado and rocket sandwich
This crayfish, avocado and rocket sandwich is a great lunch dish while in lockdown
SHOP: £3.99
HOME: £2.77 pp
TIME: 10 mins
TROUBLE: Low
SECRET TWIST: Lemon juice
TASTE: Home wins
Makes 1
- 60g crayfish tails, drained
- ½ a ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 slices of bread of your choice
Scatter crayfish onto a buttered slice of bread, season then add avocado, rocket, squeeze of lemon juice and a second buttered slice.
Chicken Caesar & bacon baguette
Those looking for a healthy lunch could also treat themselves to this chicken caesar & bacon baguette
SHOP: £3.99
HOME: £3.74 pp
TIME: 30 mins
TROUBLE: Medium
SECRET TWIST: Yoghurt mayo
TASTE: A draw
Makes 1
- 1 chicken breast, brushed with olive oil and grilled
- 5 slices of smoked, streaky bacon
- large handful of rocket leaves
- 1 half-size baguette, split and toasted lightly on the cut side
For the yoghurt mayo:
- 1 tsp virgin rapeseed oil
- ½ tsp vinegar (more or less)
Combine yoghurt mayo ingredients apart from the cornflour and vinegar then sprinkle over cornflour and beat until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper, add a drop or two of vinegar to taste.
Cut the chicken into eight slices across the grain and set aside. Fry the bacon, turning occasionally, until crisp. Layer chicken, bacon and leaves inside toasted baguette, adding plenty of yoghurt mayo.
MARKS AND SPENCER SANDWICHES AND SALADS
Best ever prawn sandwich
SHOP: £3.60
HOME: £1.90 pp
TIME: 10 mins
TROUBLE: Low
SECRET TWIST: Sherry
TASTE: Shop wins
Makes 1
- 70g cooked North Atlantic prawns, drained and patted dry
- 30ml Marie rose sauce, with few drops of sherry added
- handful cos lettuce leaves
- 2 slices of wholemeal bread
Add sauce to prawns to bind together. Layer between bread with lettuce, season and serve.
BLT
This BLT sandwich requires smoked bacon, lettuce leaves, a beef tomato and cayenne pepper
SHOP: £3.30
HOME: £1.12 pp
TIME: 20 mins
TROUBLE: Medium
SECRET TWIST: Cayenne pepper
TASTE: Home wins
Makes 1
- 4 large slices smoked bacon
- 4 large green lettuce leaves
Fry the bacon very slowly, turning it, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Layer the bacon on multigrain bread, followed by lettuce and tomato, then season with cayenne pepper and salt. Make sure sandwich is nice and plump.
Green & grains salad
SHOP: £3.50
HOME: £1.90 pp
TIME: 30 mins
TROUBLE: Low
SECRET TWIST: Cider vinegar
TASTE: A draw
Makes 2 portions
- 200g cooked and drained quinoa
- 2 tbsp mixed toasted seeds
- 200g mixed frozen peas, broad and edamame beans, defrosted
For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp virgin rapeseed oil
Mix dressing ingredients. Put quinoa and bulgar in bowls, then peas, beans, seeds, rocket and dressing.
Pesto pasta salad
A pesto pasta salad, which would cost £2.80 from Marks and Spencer, can be made at home in just 40 minutes
SHOP: £2.80
HOME: £1.67 pp
TIME: 40 mins
TROUBLE: Medium
SECRET TWIST: Pecorino
TASTE: Home
Makes 2 portions
Cook pasta till al dente. Drain and rinse. Leave to cool then divide between two bowls. Mix in spinach, add pine nuts and shaved cheese. Mix pesto with oil and pour over pasta. Season and serve.
LEON CHICKEN SALAD AND WRAP
Chargrilled chicken aioli
SHOP: £6.80
HOME: £1.77 pp
TIME: 50 mins
TROUBLE: Medium
SECRET TWIST: Fresh garlic
TASTE: Shop wins
Makes 2 helpings
For the aioli:
- 1 clove garlic, minced finely
- 250g pack cooked long-grain rice
- 4 chicken thighs, brushed with sunflower oil, seasoned and grilled
- 2 tbsp defrosted frozen petit pois
- sunflower oil and a lemon wedge
Put egg yolk and garlic in a bowl. Gradually beat small amounts of oil into the egg for a thick emulsion. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt.
Divide the rice between two plates, place sliced chicken on top and top with aioli. Serve the slaw and peas on the side, dressed with oil and more lemon juice.
Fish finger wrap
Also on the menu is this fish finger wrap which would cost £1.92 to make from home
SHOP: £4.60
HOME: £1.92 pp
TIME: 30 mins; TROUBLE: Low
SECRET TWIST: Toasted seeds
TASTE: Home wins. Makes 2
For crushed pea salad:
- 250g defrosted petit pois, mashed lightly
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley, mint
- 2 tbsp mixed toasted seeds
- 4 giant fish fingers, defrosted
Combine salad ingredients and divide among two bowls. Bake fish fingers till crisp. Toast wraps for a minute then fill with leaves, 2 fish fingers, 1 gherkin slice in each. Add sauce and wrap up.