May 8-14, 2016 — British Sandwich Week

May Brit Sand week

This is a week sponsored by the British Sandwich Association (BSA) to celebrate sandwiches. They became one of  Britain’s favorite foods — also one of its greatest exports.

According to the BSA, “From France to Japan and everywhere else around the globe the British sandwich is establishing itself as one of the great foods of the 21st century. The key to the success of sandwiches is that, not only do they taste good, they are versatile and fit busy lifestyles.”

During Sandwich Week retailers will be launching new sandwiches as well as running special promotions and offers.

The sandwich allegedly is named after Lord John Mont”ague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He liked to gamble. He liked it so much he didn’t to take time out to eat. He would ask a waiter to bring him slices of meat between two slices of bread. Others began to order “the same as Sandwich.” The concoction in due course became known as a sandwich.

As part of Sandwich Week, there are awards for 14 categories of sandwiches. The awards are called “Sammies.” Click here to read about Sammies’ categories and to see who’s on the shortlists.

There’s also a top award: The Lifetime Award. It’s for an individual or business that has made a substantial contribution to the development of the industry.

An early winner of the Lifetime Award was, of course, The Earl of Sandwich. Other winners have been Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham (from Pret a Manger) and Marks & Spencer.