Travels in jarred food: sandwich spread

Usually with my "travels in" series, I just jump right in with the pictures of my lunch and that's that. Buuutttt, given I have nothing better to do, why not sit down to the story of sandwich spread?

What is sandwich spread?

Chunky salad cream. It is a blend of salad cream and relish; the relish being carrots, celery, gherkins, and mustard, finely diced to give a spreadable form. It's not hugely dissimilar to piccalilli, which is a whole different can of worms. Or should that be jar?

Anyway, compared to piccalilli, sandwich spread is milder and creamier – and the salad cream base results in a tarter spread than those mayonnaise based spreads that are popular in America. Weirdly, the Dutch seem to like sandwich spread too. And theirs is a reddish colour.

Here in Britain, sandwich spread is more of a childhood sandwich filling than anything, but it's also popular with adults as a comfort food. It can be used alone, or as a relish in cheese, tuna or sliced meat sandwiches. I prefer mine either on its own or with some ham. And, in a pinch, because of its long shelf-life and no need for refrigeration, it can be used as a substitute for coleslaw. Now, onto the test.

What's it like Jesse?

Tart coleslaw. Small, chunky, tart and zingy. Pairs well with the smoothness of a good butter and a strong white bread.

Butter your bread; a healthy portion is what you're after to balance the tartness of the spread

Butter your bread; a healthy portion is what you're after to balance the tartness of the spread

Slap a healthy portion of the spread onto your bread. You want about a centimetre depth once spread

Slap a healthy portion of the spread onto your bread. You want about a centimetre depth once spread

Would you buy it again?

Yeah. I regularly buy it. If I want a light bite, a spread sandwich is the way I go. And it has got veggies in it, so it's healthy, sort of...

Starting to look a very appetising sandwich

Starting to look a very appetising sandwich

What other tinned foods should I buy?

Corned beef, Chinese Spam, Princes Ham, the Fray Bentos Pie (now available in vegetarian versions) and `the worst chilli con carne... in the world.