Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich!
Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
It was a moment of pure brilliance the night that the 4th Earl of Sandwich asked for his cold roast beef to be served between two sliced of bread, as not to dirty his playing cards, and so the “sandwich” was born! And over 250 years later the sandwich has to be the most famous British snack to have circled the world, from England to China and via the United States of America and beyond, they’re sold in cellophane, trains, planes and freshly made in your local “caff”, they are the easy to make and suit all appetites. In order to make sure this most iconic of snacks remains firmly in the limelight, every year, the sandwich industry celebrates the humble “sarnie” with British Sandwich Week.
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
This year, they also intend to make it an even bigger occasion than ever with an attempt on the World Record for the largest number of people simultaneously making a sandwich in the same place……it must be a HUGE kitchen! In addition to this there will be excitement across the industry with the announcement of this year’s winners for the ‘Sammies’ (the British Sandwich Industry Awards) which recognise those who are the ‘movers and shakers’ in this bubbling industry. This year’s results will be announced at a gala dinner in London on 16th May, and there will be no sandwiches will be on the menu that night!
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
Things have been a bit hectic lately, and so today I thought it would be nice to celebrate British Sandwich Week by creating a new sandwich recipe based on a classic, whilst also celebrating some wonderful spring ingredients – watercress and mustard and cress, as well as free-range eggs. Egg and cress sandwiches are the mainstay of many an afternoon tea, British Rail buffet or packed lunch, and I do love the combination of creamy eggs mashed with mayonnaise and piquant mustard and cress……however, I also love the peppery, hot taste of watercress, so I decided to add some watercress to my sandwich filling today for an extra peppery kick, and it really added a punch to this quintessentially mild-mannered English sandwich.
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
I used some lovely fresh brown bread from a local bakery, sliced for ease, and local free-range eggs from the farm shop. It’s not rocket science and hardly a recipe as such, but, I have shared the “recipe” such as it is below……all that is needed to make a decent sarnie is GOOD bread and locally sourced or artisan fillings. For those readers who like watercress all by itself, as do I, you might find this post from last year interesting: “Poor Man’s Bread” – Victorian Watercress Tea Sandwiches for High Tea, Children’s School Lunchbox and Picnics.
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
Anyway, I hope you are all embracing British Sandwich Week with gusto, as I am……it will be time to get back on the 5:2 diet wagon next week, but for now, here is my Egg and Two Cress Sandwich recipe……watch out for some new recipes, reviews and another giveaway to come soon, as well as some lovely photos of my mum’s beautiful cottage garden. Bye for now, Karen
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
Egg and Two Cress Sandwiches
Print recipe
| Serves | 2 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 5 minutes |
| Total time | 10 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Lunch, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Christmas, Easter |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 4 slices brown bread
- a little softened butter
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mayonnaise
- salt and black pepper
- 1/4 of a punnet of mustard and cress (chopped)
- large handful of watercress (roughly chopped with some set to one side for a garnish)
Note
A classic egg and cress sandwich with an extra peppery twist, fresh watercress. Make the filling as soon as the eggs have cooled, and use fresh thick cut brown bread.
Directions
| Step 1 | Butter the slices of bread and set them to one side. |
| Step 2 | Hard boil the eggs for 4 minutes, plunge in to cold water and then carefully peel the shells from the eggs. |
| Step 3 | Mash the eggs with a fork and add the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, chopped mustard and cress and most of the chopped watercress. Mix well and adjust seasoning. |
| Step 4 | Divide the egg and cress equally between 2 slices of buttered bread and the place the other buttered slices of bread on top of the filling - cut into four quarters and serve with some extra watercress as a garnish. |
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
Celebrating Britain’s Most Famous Snack – The Sandwich! Egg and Two Cress Sandwich Recipe
Mmmmm! That does look delicious Karen. You have taken the egg and cress sandwich to new heights! I shouldn’t be looking at it on my fast day though. *drool, drool*
I love egg sandwiches – free range eggs are a must though.
Great recipe! Just need sunshine so I can eat them in the garden! Shared via G+
Now you really can’t beat a good old English Egg & Cress sandwich can you?! Definitely my favourite. In fact we all had Egg sandwiches for our tea yesterday, as my kids adore them. Especially when they’ve collected the very eggs for them, and they love peeling off the shells (very easily pleased!). I use a mustardy mayo in mine too, well most of the mayonnaises are here in France aren’t they?.
Nothing can beat the classic egg and cress or Coronation chicken 😉
can’t beat a sandwich for versatility!
this looks delicious 🙂
there really is nothing better than a sandwich especially when you make a posh when rather than the everyday 🙂
there’s nothing better!! brings back lots of memories – all good!!
Mary x
Absolutely delicious!
We like to have our Easter eggs in sandwiches, like this.
We also add crumbled feta cheese in the filling. Superb!
Made these for my boyfriend’s lunch the other day and he loved them.I think the combo of mustard&egg work extremely well together-love that sharp kick!
Egg and cress are my absolute favourite sandwiches and I love the idea of including Watercress. Just need some picnic weather now…
You have inspired me and my kids to grow cress so we can have local free range eggs with home grown cress sandwiches! Thank you!
Ooh, must try to make these with Dijon Mayonnaise! Must have good bread, preferrably homemade.
Love a good old egg sandwich, perfect for a picnic
Mmmm, egg sarnies, one of my absolute faves. Though a bit ‘fragrant’ if left to mature in a lunchbox for the best part of the day #schooltripmemories 🙂
Lovely. Now we just need a sunny day….. 🙂
Have tried it time and time again – love eggs but hate egg sandwiches (I have no idea why!!!)
My favourite sandwich ever yummy
Mmm these are making me hungry! Egg sandwiches are my favourite ever sandwiches. I love the way you’ve added some watercress too.
Its amazing that something so simple can be so satisfying!
Sounds lovely, I like the idea of adding the watercress, I sometimes use cayenne pepper in egg sandwiches to give them a bit more bite.
What a delicious sandwich – just what I’d love to eat on the beach (in much warmer weather!).
Reshared on Facebook thanks
Love egg and cress sandwiches but hardly ever make them! A nice lunch idea for today.
These are my little boys all time favourite sandwiches, and they will often have a hard boiled egg too alongside as part of their picnic lunches. Couldn’t think of anything better especially when all the contents are home made. Delicious.
I love a good egg and cress sandwich! Just screams picnics to me!
I have just had this sandwich – it wasn’t presented as nicely but it was yummy!
These look lovely…My favourite sandwich is egg mayo & cress
My all time favourite!!
These sandwiches take me back to when i was a kid, lovely fresh idea for a picnic
These look lovely, know what I’m having for lunch tomorrow
Eggy sandwiches! Cant have a picnic without these gorgeous eggy sandwiches 🙂
Ooh, nom! I really do love a well executed egg and cress sandwich. One of my summer favourites 🙂
Can’t beat an egg sandwich (get it?), shame the about the smell though, should definately only be eaten outdoors!
Egg sandwiches are my favourite. Perfect for picnics.
OK, I give up, “UNCLE!” Why is it “TWO CRESS”, and not just “CRESS?” Another cheeky Britishism wasted upon we poor Colonials? Please tell me …
If you read the post and recipe carefully, you will see there ARE two cresses used, WATERCRESS AND MUSTARD & CRESS!
Hope that helps?!!
Karen