use your choice of British hard cheese – a good strong Cheddar or a crumbly Wensleydale, for instance – and a sweet-and-sour pickle.
Stilton and cranberry
For a luxurious winter sandwich, butter two slices of granary or walnut bread. Place a round lettuce on one slice, top with slices of Stilton and cranberry sauce, finish with another lettuce leaf, and press together with the second slice.
Tomato, mozzarella and olive
Brush a panini or half-size ciabatta with olive oil and fill with sliced tomato and mozzarella, then add some lovely green basil leaves and pitted black olives. This is good with sliced avocado, too.
Parsley pinwheels
I love making and eating these! They look irresistible, like slices from miniature savoury Swiss rolls, and are an attractive addition to a sandwich selection. Fresh springy bread that’s not too thin works best, such as an ordinary, medium-sliced white or wholemeal loaf.
MAKES 25 PINWHEELS
60g (2 oz) soft butter
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1–2 tsp hot water
5 slices from a large sliced loaf of bread
Beat the butter, parsley and hot water together in a bowl to make a light, creamy mixture.
Cut the crusts off the bread and flatten each slice slightly with a rolling pin. Spread the bread generously with the green butter mixture, then roll the slices up like Swiss rolls and if possible chill them for an hour or so.
When ready to serve, cut each roll into about five fairly thin slices.
VARIATION
Pâté or hummus pinwheels
These are lovely made with Swiss vegetable pâté, which you can buy in tubes at health-food shops. Use white bread for these pinwheels, for a good colour contrast. Alternatively, use bought or homemade hummus; same colour, different flavour.
Asparagus rolls
These are very retro, but I’ve always loved them: tender asparagus wrapped in buttery wholemeal bread; what’s not to like?
MAKES ABOUT 40 ROLLS
1 sliced wholemeal loaf
softened butter, for spreading
225g (8oz) asparagus, cooked and drained
Cut the crusts from the bread and roll each slice with a rolling pin to make it thinner and more flexible.
Butter the bread. Put one spear of asparagus on each slice and roll the bread around the asparagus. Cut each roll into pieces so that they are ‘bite-sized’. Cover and keep in a cool place until needed.
Asparagus and cheese on toast
Asparagus from a can may be a pale shadow of fresh asparagus, but it has its own charms, including tasting great on toast.
SERVES 1–2
small (400g) can asparagus
125g (4oz) grated cheese
2 pieces of hot toast
Drain the asparagus and place on the toast.
Pile the grated cheese on top and place under a hot grill for 3–5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Serve at once.
Avocado toast v
My favourite! I love this combination of buttery, creamy avocado and crisp wholemeal toast.
SERVES 2
1 large avocado
juice of lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2–4 slices of hot wholemeal toast
a dusting of chilli powder (optional)
Peel, stone and thinly slice (or mash) the avocado, then sprinkle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Place, or spread, the avocado slices on the toast, dust lightly with chilli powder if you’re using this, and serve at once while the toast is still warm and crisp.
Melba toast v
This sounds a bit retro – indeed, it is retro – but I enjoy both making and eating it, and often find it just the perfect thing to accompany creamy dips. It’s best to use bought sliced bread to make it as it’s easier to cut. People always eat more of this than you think they will, so make plenty!
1–2 slices of ready-sliced bread, white or wholemeal, for each person
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6.
Toast the bread, then lay the pieces of toast flat on a board and, using a sharp knife and a sawing motion, cut the toast in half horizontally, so you end up with two very thin slices, each toasted on one side.
Place the toast halves, uncooked side uppermost, on a baking sheet and bake for about 7–10 minutes, until they are crisp and brown all over, and curling up at the edges. Leave to cool. Store in an airtight container or foil for up to one week.
Mushrooms on toast
Always a winner, you can’t go wrong with tender, buttery baby mushrooms on crisp toast.
SERVES 2
450g (1lb) button mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
25g (1oz) butter
2–4 large slices toast, white or wholemeal
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
Wipe the mushrooms, then slice and fry lightly in the oil and butter.
Just
