The humble sandwich is a staple part of our British diet and annually we spend over £8 billion munching on 12 billion sandwiches, however nearly half 46% of us, are clueless that the sandwich actually originates from the UK.
A staggering 64% of British adults are oblivious that the sandwich, a global sensation that has found a permanent place in every type of global cuisine was actually invented in 1762 by John Montagu, in a small town called Sandwich in Kent. The fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, a renowned gambler asked his chefs to put his two favourite foods – roast beef between slices of bread, so that he could keep his hunger at bay without disturbing his card game throughout the night with his friends.
Interestingly a third of Britons are not aware that there is a town in the UK called Sandwich – which is one of the best preserved medieval towns in England.
Today, on average Britons consume four sandwiches a week and the nation’s favourite sandwiches are a: bacon butty, a cheese sarnie and an egg & mayonnaise sandwich. These findings have been revealed in a new survey released today by Travelodge to celebrate its 593rd hotel opening in Sandwich, Kent.
Today is a momentous day for Sandwich, as the 2000 year old town gets its first branded hotel. Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel chain has officially opened its first hotel in Sandwich at the Discovery Park, the leading science park in Kent. To mark this milestone, Travelodge surveyed 2,000 British adults to seek their knowledge, views and tastes on the nation’s favourite food - the sandwich.
In addition the hotel chain also commissioned, award winning cartoonist and Illustrator, Neil Kerber, to create a bespoke piece of artwork showcasing Sandwich Travelodge as a hotel made out of sandwiches.
Key findings from the survey revealed although our food tastes have evolved over the centuries, over a third (35%) of Britons believe the modest sandwich remains the king of foods and holds a key place on the British menu from a special occasion to filling the hunger gaps during the day and being the perfect travel food.
Sixty three per cent (63%) of Britons report that they cannot beat a good sandwich and therefore it is a staple part of their diet. Whilst over a third (35%) adults report that the sandwich is their ‘go to comfort snack’.
Interestingly the survey also revealed that we become a health conscious nation with a third (33%) of Britons opting for a brown bread sandwich whilst a quarter (25%) preferring a white bread sandwich. Medium sliced bread is Britons preferred type of bread for a sandwich.
The study also revealed that the bacon butty is crowned the nation’s best loved sandwich filing. In second place is cheese, third place is awarded to egg & mayonnaise, sausage makes fourth place and tuna & mayonnaise takes fifth place. The table below showcases the nation’s top 20 sandwich fillings.
Rank | Sandwich Filling |
1 | Bacon |
2 | Cheese |
3 | Egg Mayonnaise |
4 | Sausage |
5 | Tuna Mayonnaise |
6 | Roast Chicken |
7 | Ham & Cheese |
8 | Cheese &Pickle |
9 | Cheese & Onion |
10 | Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato |
11 | Cheese and Tomato |
12 | Chips |
13 | Bacon & Sausage |
14 | Sausage, Bacon & Egg |
15 | Egg & Cress |
16 | Chicken & Stuffing |
17 | Chicken & Bacon |
18 | Grilled Cheese |
19 | Prawn Mayonnaise |
20 | Tuna and Cucumber |
The research also revealed that lunch time remains the nation’s favourite time to indulge in a sandwich with 79% of Britons choosing to dine on a sandwich for lunch. A fifth (20%) of British workers reported that they have a sandwich every day for lunch and a quarter (25%) of respondents takes a homemade sandwich to work.
Breakfast is the next popular time for a sandwich with 25% of Britons kick starting their day with a butty; also 12% of Britons will fill the hunger gap between breakfast and lunch by having a sandwich for elevenses. Nearly a fifth (20%) of Britons will regularly have a sandwich for dinner.
Three out of ten (30%) Britons reported that they take a homemade sandwich when taking a long journey and 20% of respondents stated that eating a sandwich outdoors is a lot tastier and more enjoyable.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “Today is a momentous day for Sandwich, as the 2000 year old town not only gets its first Travelodge hotel but this opening is also the town’s first branded hotel. To mark this historic milestone, we thought it would be fitting to celebrate the town’s most famous resident who created the sandwich, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, by seeking the nation’s favourite sandwich filling. It’s interesting to see tradition prevail in modern sandwich fillings with the bacon butty crowned as Britain’s best loved sandwich. We have first-hand experience of the nation passion for bacon butty’s as we can serve millions of bacon sandwiches across our 200 hotel restaurants annually at breakfast time”.
Further research findings revealed that there is a little north vs south divide in the UK when it comes to the love of sandwiches with Southerners eating more sandwiches than Northerners – 55% of Southerners will eat a Sandwich 4 times a week in comparison to 51% of Northerners who will indulge on the lunchtime favourite 3 times a week.
Southerners are a little more adventurous with their sandwich fillings and prefer to chomp on a coronation chicken sandwich, falafel & hummus sandwich and a chicken & avocado sandwich. In contrast Northerners are more traditional and prefer to munch on a chip sarnie, a sausage sandwich and bacon butty.
The report also revealed that Oxfordians eat the most sandwiches per week out of any other region in the UK, averaging five sandwiches a week whilst Aberdonians eat the least amount of sandwiches per week – averaging on two sandwiches per week.
The study also revealed that 18-24 year olds eat the most sandwiches on a weekly basis, averaging five sandwiches a week. The over 65’s favourite sandwich is a bacon sarnie compared to 18-24 year olds who prefer an ‘American grilled cheese’ sandwich or a healthy avocado sandwich.
Sandwich Travelodge, a 75-room hotel which features a restaurant called The Bar Café and on-site car-parking represents a multi-million investment for third party investors and has created 18 new jobs within the community. This is Travelodge’s 593rd hotel and its 17th property in Kent. To mark this milestone, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Sandwich Travelodge where the Chairman of Dover District Council, Cllr Mike Conolly, The Mayor of Sandwich, Cllr Paul Graeme and Travelodge Chief Property & Development Officer officially opened the hotel.
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For further information, please contact:
The Travelodge Press Office
E:pressoffice@travelodge.co.uk
T: 01844 35 8703