A ham, cheese and onion toastie has been revealed as Ireland's favourite sandwich, recent research shows.
Ahead of World Sandwich Day on Sunday, 3 November 2019, research commissioned by the Irish Bread Bakers Association (IBBA) showed that Irish people are quite traditional when it comes to their favourite sandwiches with nostalgia winning out over trendier fillings.
Ham and cheese feature in the nation’s top two sandwiches – almost a quarter (23%) of those surveyed said that the toasted special of ham, cheese and onion (23%) is their preferred filling and 19% opted for the classic ham and cheese variety.
Lunchtime Rush
When it comes to sandwiches, not surprisingly, two thirds of the respondent said that lunchtime is when they like to eat them.
However, a third of those surveyed like a sandwich when watching the TV while one in ten say they eat one after an exercise session.
Daily Bread
The IBBA research showed that bread is still very much part of Irish people’s diet.
Apart from in sandwiches, over half enjoy bread with their soup weekly while over a third eat ‘soldiers’ with a boiled egg at least once a week.
“Storm Emma last year revealed what bread bakers have long known – the sliced pan continues to be a favourite part of our lives and our diet in Ireland," said Oonagh Monaghan, Food science expert and spokesperson for the IBBA.
Lunchtime is when most Irish people eat bread (70%), whereas over half (51%) start their day with it at breakfast, with one in five (22%) loving some bread with their evening meal.
Bread features in dessert choices too with the research showing that one in ten have the very traditional bread and butter pudding weekly.
Monaghan added: “Bread is an affordable, nutritious source of food that scientific evidence shows is good to eat and can contribute to a healthy diet.
Sandwich Fact
Interestingly, the IBBA explained that the sandwich commemorates John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.
A famous gambler, it is said that he ordered his valet to bring a slice of meat between two slices of bread so that he could eat without getting his cards greasy or having to leave the gaming table for a meal.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
