True confessions here. I had never eaten a Cheese and Onion Sandwich prior to moving over to the U.K. The very idea of that combination of flavors seemed quite strange to me. I first tasted it at a tea party and I fell in love with it. It was fabulously tasty. I found myself saying to myself . . . Cheese and Onion Sandwiches where have you been all my life!!
The British love their sandwiches and have perfected the making of them. You will find sandwich shops all over the U.K. plying their sandwiches to customers. In a survey done in recent years the sandwich topped the list of lunch choices for most people. No small wonder, because, as I said, the shops do sandwiches and sandwich fillers really well.
They do like unusual fillings. One popular one is Coronation Chicken, which is a type of curried chicken salad filler. Another tasty combination is Cheese and Tomato. (Exactly what you might think.)
Other tasty options might be chicken and stuffing. Chicken and Bacon. Cheese and Pickle (a tasty combination of Branston's pickle and cheddar cheese.) Tuna Mayo and Sweetcorn. Egg Mayonnaise is very popular also.
You will find small plastic tubs of sandwich fillers in most shops. One of the more popular one will be the Cheese and Onion Filler.
Some of the shop's Cheese and Onion Fillers would be too gloopy having far too much of a ratio of mayonnaise to cheese. Some were a bit too oniony, or had far too big a pieces of onion in them. Its really important to get the ration of ingredients in perfect proportion.
I always found that the Mark's and Spencer's sandwich fillers were far superior to any others on offer, but you would expect that from a quality shop such as M&S. Their sandwiches were always far superior as well. Always fresh, never dry and always well filled.
This is my take on the popular Cheese and Onion Sandwich Filler. It has just the right combination of cheese to mayo to onion. I have used two cheeses here. A good mature white cheddar and a milder Red Leicester for color. I also used two kinds of onions. Sweet white onion and spring onions, again for color.
I also think I have found the perfect ratio of mayonnaise to other ingredients. There is neither too much nor too little. Not is it too sweet. Some cheaper brands have too much sugar in them. The brand I used is simply eggs, oil and seasoning.
This is all of the filler ingredients prepped and ready to go. You can see how very finely you will want to chop the onions. Not a hardship when you have a good sharp knife.
Use the large holes on a box grater to grate the cheeses. You want the cheese to have some texture, but you don't want it in large chunks.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHEESE AND ONION SANDWICH FILLER
If you make sure you use fresh and quality ingredients, you will have the most delicious sandwich fill ever!
- 3/4 cup (90g) hand grated strong white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (120g) hand grated Red Leicester cheese
- 1/3 cup (50g) sweet onion, very finely minced
- 2 Spring onions, trimmed and very finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (110g) full fat egg yolk mayonnaise
- freshly grated black pepper to taste
I used Castello Tickler Extra Mature White Cheddar Cheese. You want a cheddar cheese with lots of flavor that will hold up to the other flavors in the filling. Again, hand grate it.
Red Leicester Cheese is very similar to cheddar cheese but is much more crumbly in texture. It has a bright orange color due to the use of Annatto extract in the cheese making process. It has a flavor which is similar to cheddar but is milder. It is a cow's milk cheese originating in the county of Leicester in the U.K.
Make sure you use a whole egg, good quality mayonnaise for this sandwich filler. Buy the best that you can. I used Hellman's. You don't want anything that is going to be sweet.
I used a Sweet onion, versus a cooking onion. They are large and rather flattish. The flavor is not quite as harsh. Peel it and chop it very finely with a sharp knife. You don't want big chunks of onion.
Wash your spring onions well, pat dry, trim off the root end and any tough bits on the top and then finely chop them as well. You will probably only need two to three TBS of it which is quite a bit when you take the time to chop it really finely.
No salt is needed, but you will need a healthy fresh grinding of black pepper.
HOW TO MAKE A DELICIOUS CHEESE AND ONION SANDWICH FILLER
If you have gone to the trouble of getting in quality, fresh ingredients, you can't go wrong! Always hand grate your own cheese for this tasty sandwich. It is worth the extra effort taken.
Grate your cheeses and pop them into a bowl.Finely chop your onion and your spring onions. Pop them into the bowl with the cheeses. Using a fork, toss together to combine.Add the mayonnaise along with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well together to combine.Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered. This will keep for about 3 days.
HOW TO MAKE A GREAT CHEESE AND ONION SANDWICH
Once you have made the filler you are all set to create yourself a beautifully delicious cheese and onion sandwich.
For each sandwich you will need two slices of bread. You can choose a simple white loaf. Today I used a sour dough white bread. Malted breads, whole grains, etc. all work very well.
You will want to spread the one side of each slice of bread really well with softened butter. Make sure you get the butter all the way to the edges of the bread. This is especially important when you are making a sandwich ahead of time. It helps to keep the bread from going soggy or drying out, and forms a tasty barrier between the bread and the filling.
Be generous with the filling. Use a healthy dollop of filling and don't be stingy. Spread it, likewise, to all of the edges of one buttered slice of bread, over the butter.
Top with the remaining slice of bread, butter side down. Cut in half on the diagonal and enjoy!!
If you enjoy eating a sandwich as much as I enjoy a eating sandwich, then you will probably also really enjoy the following options. All delicious, I promise you!
AIR FRYER REUBEN SANDWICH - If you have never used your air fryer to make a toasted sandwich (Toastie) then you are really missing out on something great. The air fryer toasts sandwiches to crispy buttery perfection with little to no effort. This one is a delicious option filled with all of your Reuben Sandwich favorites. Pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. It is fabulously delicious!
CLASSIC TUNA SALAD SANDWICH - In order to call something a classic you better make sure it is the BEST, using simple ingredients without a lot of bells and whistles. A good classic doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles in my opinion! This is all that and more. Quality ingredients, and not a lot of them, put together in the most delicious way. This sandwich is pretty hard to beat.
Yield: 6 servings when used as a sandwich fillerAuthor: Marie Rayner
Cheese and Onion Sandwich Filler
Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 MinThis is a delicious sandwich filler, but can also be served with crackers, or used on a cheese or charcuterie tray.Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (90g) hand grated strong white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (120g) hand grated Red Leicester cheese
- 1/3 cup (50g) sweet onion, very finely minced
- 2 Spring onions, trimmed and very finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (110g) full fat egg yolk mayonnaise
- freshly grated black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate your cheeses and pop them into a bowl.
- Finely chop your onion and your spring onions. Pop them into the bowl with the cheeses. Using a fork, toss together to combine.
- Add the mayonnaise along with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well together to combine.
- Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered. This will keep for about 3 days.
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The British love popping crisps into their sandwiches. (Potato Chips.) This filler between two slices of buttered white bread with a few crisp on top is wonderfully delicious!
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