We’ve had the Coronation now. And whatever your thoughts on the Monarchy, there’s always time for this coronation chickpea sandwich (Cupful of Kale). This is a plant-based version of the sandwich named in honour of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II back in the 1950s. Chickpeas are super-tasty and packed with protein and calcium.
Read up on food safety for people & pets. Never feed stale, mouldy or crusty bread to garden birds or wildfowl, as it can choke or harm. Nor buttered leftovers, as fat smears on feathers, affecting waterproofing/insulation.
Here’s another coronation chickpea sandwich recipe (So Vegan), this time made with plant yoghurt, pickled vegetables, lettuce and tomato.
Rather than always buy ready-made sandwiches packed in plastic and sold with animal ingredients and palm oil, just buy a reusable sandwich box and make your own. Choose good bread from the indie baker, and fill with palm-oil-free vegan butter then add your choice of fillings.
eco-ideas for small sandwich shops
If you run a small sandwich shop (or make sandwiches for others to sell), there are plenty of alternatives to clingfilm. Brighton’s Lucky Cat Co sells sandwiches to Kindly vegan supermarket in plastic-free packaging. Be careful as some ‘compostable packaging’ is from flammable eucalyptus trees (Spain and Portugal are banning new plantations, due to wildfires).
If You Care makes greaseproof sandwich bags (also good for nuts, crisps and baguettes) and unbleached unwaxed paper (free from chlorine in cardboard packs – the latter is pre-cut and also be used to warm up pizza).
Cafes, restaurants and hotels may wish to invest in Agreena, a reusable silicone alternative to clingfilm (that also replaces foil) to wash and use again. Sold on a roll, silicone does contain fossil fuels (mixed with sand) but lasts for years and at end of life, is easily recycle. It also withstands high temperatures, and stretches over glass bowls to keep prepped foods in the fridge.
why switch from clingfilm?
Clingfilm is a very thin plastic that often falls apart (so bits get stuck to food you’re sealing) and the boxes usually have a cutting edge that doesn’t work that well. It’s also wasteful and expensive. Originally made from PVC PVC (polyvinyl chlorine), most clingfilm is now made from LDPE (low-density polyethylene) which is not good either and doesn’t stick well. It was invented (by accident) back in the 1930s by someone trying to remove something from a lab vial, it’s now been around for almost 100 years.
The average family uses 26 rolls of clingfilm a year, but it’s made by melting tiny plastic pellets (nurdles) that often drop on the factory floor and end up in the sea (it’s estimated 50 million nurdles end up in oceans each year). These look like fish eggs to marine creatures, who end up eating them (so do you, if you eat fish).
why won’t shops stock vegan sandwiches?
Bettafish sandwiches are sold in Aldi in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. So why not here? Considering that many other sandwiches go to waste as more people eat plant-based, it’s a mystery why supermarkets especially don’t stock more vegan options for people who want them. Nearly all the major supermarkets stock one or less vegan options, and even those tend to have palm oil (which most vegans won’t eat).
Ready-made sandwiches are not ideal. But if you’re in a fix and you’re hungry for some ‘proper food’ (over a bag of crisps) then as supermarkets have almost obliterated local delis and sandwich bars, they have responsibility to add least offer something suitable.
M & S offer a few good choices, but too expensive for most people. Their ‘no-salt beef sandwich’ (a take on the Reuben) is delicious but extremely expensive for what it is. And although Costa has unveiled a huge range of new vegan sandwiches, it does not say if it’s removed palm oil (the older items contain it). Sainsbury’s offers a good VLT sandwich (made with La Vie bacon) and Aldi offers a good no-prawn sandwich, but they are not sold in all branches.
