BITTER TASTE

With prices soaring alongside other gourmet food trends, Olivia Petter wonders what the future holds for the sarnie

- Olivia Petter

A sandwich is defined by its simplicity. Two pieces of bread, a filling that could be as straightforward as two slices of cheese, lettuce, some tomato, and that's it. Boom: lunch. Easy to make, quick to eat, and convenient to buy, the sandwich has historically dominated the market for hurried workers looking for an on-the-go bite. Its biggest draw, though, has always been the price.

There was a time when sandwiches from a supermarket or from the high street were reasonably priced, with some even under £2. Now, such things are as rare as coffees costing less than a fiver. At Pret a Manger, the humble sandwich has become a luxury item, with some priced as high as £6.25 (the chicken, avocado and basil). According to Bloomberg data, the chicken caesar and bacon baguette has increased by about 32 per cent since 2021, going from £3.99 to £5.25 in some parts of central London.

Meanwhile, M&S recently came under fire for its “posh” egg mayo and watercress sandwich, which was priced at £6, making it more than twice as expensive as the supermarket’s standard egg and cress sarnie despite containing just 51g more filling. Still, it’s a better landscape than at my local Waitrose, where a basic egg mayo and cress sarnie costs £3.10, while a smoked salmon and cream cheese flavour comes to a whopping £5.40.