Marks and Spencer make the
finest pre-packed sandwiches known to man. They are cheaper and more substantial that those from a dedicated sandwich shop such as
Pret a Manger, and have a similar middle class image. There are many varieties, the core of which include the following :
Ham and Mustard
Which consists of white bread with thin slices of ham and a delicious mustardy mayonnaise. These are cheap and if you eat a lot of them, you will gain weight; handy if you live in a cold climate, or if your job involves killing frogs by standing on them.
Egg and Cress
Along with Ham and Mustard, Egg and Cress sandwiches are the cheapest, typically costing £1.10. There are two distinct types - one that has free range eggs and one that has battery hen eggs, although the latter are not marketed as such. You get lots of egg, usually in brown bread, and if the cress is tasteless, who cares? It's cress, for heaven's sake.
Chicken with sweetcorn/stuffing
The sweetcorn option is disappointing, being overloaded with mayonnaise, whereas the stuffing option exhibits a punishing, brutal senselessness which appeals to those with vigorous palates.
Chicken Salad
You get chunks of meat with cucumber and tomato and lots of mayonnaise, arranged so as to create an orgasmic taste sensation which makes a pretence of being healthy - lettuce - and can thus be eaten without guilt.
The sandwiches are typically offered in packs of two, although there are packs of three - and sometimes four - with each sandwich in these packs being of a different variety ('Chicken Salad / BLT / Prawn Mayonnaise' is the most popular).
There are also 'diet' versions (the 'Be Good to Yourself' range), and expensive luxury sandwiches which are either larger, or include avocado.
Stepping out of character for a moment, M&S sandwiches capture the essence of the store itself; relatively good tat masquerading as hand-made finery, but tat nonetheless. That said, M&S sandwiches are far superior to those of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Safeway and the lesser supermarkets such as Asda or Budgens, all of which are generic and bland; and whilst even the smallest M&S has a sandwich section, the others stores often don't bother.