The best way to wrap your sandwich, how to avoid soggy bread – and a couple of favourite recipes extracted from The Little Book of Lunch
How to pack your sandwich
You can get plastic sandwich cases, but we always worry that these might not be quite large enough. Plus, there is something really enjoyable about the act of unwrapping your sandwich.
Foil
Classic and reliable but always feels a bit wasteful. Try not to use too much, fold it tightly and make sure it doesn't come into contact with any sharp objects (eg keys) in your bag.
Greaseproof paper
Our preferred wrapping. As with foil, try not to use too much, fold it tight and secure with a piece of string.
Clingfilm
Unpleasant and makes for a sweaty sandwich. Avoid.
Avoiding the sog
Sometimes the worst will happen, but you can act to avoid the soggy sandwich:
★ A thin layer of butter on bread acts as a sealant.
★ Blot your tomato slices, especially if very ripe, on a piece of kitchen paper before adding to your sandwich.
★ Always wash lettuce, but dry it properly.
★ Don't be stingy with condiments, but be aware that they will absorb into the bread and soften it.
★ If you are really struggling, pack the fillings, put two slices of bread in a brown bag, and assemble it at work. There is no shame in admitting defeat.
Cheat's banh mi
Baguettes are indisputably one of the most delicious bread products but unfortunately go stale pretty quickly. We like to keep the frozen part-bake variety to hand: simply take them out of the freezer, bake for 10 minutes, et voilà, a lovely crusty baguette. They are particularly good for banh mi, which traditionally call for a crisper baguette.
Prep time: 10 Mins of veg chopping, 12 mins to bake the bread. Makes 1 baguette
part-bake baguette 1
rice wine vinegar½ tbsp
spring onion 1, sliced into long strands
carrot½, peeled into ribbons
mayonnaise a good squirt
leftover roast chicken, pork or beef a handful
Sriracha sauce a good squirt
cucumber 4cm chunk, sliced into 6 circles
radishes 3, sliced into circles
coriander and mint washed and leaves picked, a small handful of each
Preheat your oven to 180C/gas 4. While it's heating, chop the veg. Once the oven is hot, add the baguette and cook for 12 minutes (or a couple of minutes longer than the instructions direct – you want to slightly overcook it to avoid any potential sog factor) until crisp and golden brown. Leave to cool.
Add the rice wine vinegar to the onion and carrot and leave to sit.
Cut the baguette in half lengthways, leaving a hinge down one side. Rip out a bit of the doughy middle in both halves, so that there's a hollow for the filling. Spread the bottom with mayonnaise, layer with your meat of choice and squirt over the chilli sauce. Lay the cucumber slices in a line, repeat with the radish slices, then add the pickled onion and carrot (squeeze out any excess liquid first). Wrap tightly in foil and enclose the coriander and mint separately in slightly damp kitchen paper. Add them to your baguette just before eating.
The Enid Blyton
No one did the packed lunch quite like Enid Blyton in her novels. This is our tribute: a reminder that a picnic lunch doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious. Enjoy outdoors, preferably.
Prep time: 10 minutes. Makes 1 serving
eggs 2
bread 2 slices
softened butter
watercress
sea salt and pepper
radishes a handful
ginger beer (optional)
Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the eggs, leaving to cook for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, butter your bread and wash and dry the watercress. Pick the little round leaves off, discarding the bigger stalks, and place on one of the upturned slices of bread. If the butter is unsalted, sprinkle over a pinch of salt and close the sandwich with the other half.
Slice into quarters and wrap in foil. When the eggs are ready, run them under the cold tap and wrap individually in foil, or together in a clean tea towel. Wash the radishes and place in a container. Pop a teaspoon of sea salt into a mini jam jar or another small Tupperware container (or grab a salt and pepper sachet if you have them handy), and bring along a paper towel.
Come lunchtime
Peel your boiled eggs and tip the sea salt on to the paper towel. Dip the radishes and eggs into it and enjoy, along with your outrageously old-fashioned sandwich.
The Little Book of Lunch (Square Peg, £15) by Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing. To order a copy for £12.00 with free UK p&p go to theguardian.com/bookshop