My Beloved Brit is a devoted sandwich fan.  And you will be happy to know that this year England will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the sandwich.  People were probably slapping something between two pieces of bread before that, but that is when it “officially” got its name.

wikimedia, photo by Jon Sullivan

The 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montague, was playing a game of cards one day in 1762, when he asked his manservant for some meat to be served up to him between two slices of bread so he could continue playing uninterrupted. Soon, his friends, were asking for a light repast “same as Sandwich” and, voila, the meal of infinite variety was born.

The Earl, who was also First Lord of the Admiralty, also funded Captain Cook’s exploration of the Pacific and was rewarded when Cook named the first land he discovered the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii).

Sandwich, which is located in Kent, will be celebrating this anniversary in high style along with the rest of the UK this May12-19 which is British Sandwich Week.  An astounding 11.5 billion sandwiches are eaten in Britain every year. The nation’s favorite is chicken, but egg and ham are nipping at the chicken’s feet, so to speak.

Keep you posted on fast breaking sandwich news.