The sausage and onion sandwich

For 1

1 small onion, cut in rings

a knob of butter

2 fat, juicy pork sausages

2 slices of white bread

French mustard

Even at its most basic, the sausage sandwich is a thing of joy. The crux of the matter is, of course, the quality of the sausage. As always, your favourite is the best. A fat, juicy pork sausage, perhaps one with a few herbs (but absolutely no garlic) is probably better than some of the more fanciful ones. I think the bread should be white. And preferably of the worst kind. Oh, and it should be eaten while the sausage is really too hot to eat.

Fry the sausage, or grill if you prefer (I do not), till the skin is golden brown with a few black patches, and swollen to bursting. Slap it between two slices of bread and press down hard. Fry the onion in the butter over a medium heat till it is soft, translucent and golden. Lift it out with a draining spoon and add the sausages to the pan. Cook until the skins are tight, gold, brown and black in whatever ratio you prefer. Return the onion to the pan for the last couple of minutes.

Spread the bread with smooth, mild French mustard, scatter over the onions and place the sausages on top of one slice. Slap on the second piece. You will find that some of the onions will fall out as you eat it. And the butter will soak through the bread. At least I hope so. The spicy

Chilli sauces, smooth English mustard and even salty, tangy lime pickle have much to commend them as bedfellows in a sausage sandwich. Tabasco is another possibility. Worcestershire sauce adds a piquant richness. Mix a tablespoon of tomato ketchup with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, a little lime pickle, chilli sauce (Thai or American for preference), and a small blob of made English mustard. Taste and add whatever you think it needs. It may well be more tomato ketchup. Slather the sauce on to the bread, and then add the sausages.

Malt loaf with warm fig jam and clotted cream

4 slices of malt loaf, such as Harvo

clotted cream

6 tablespoons Turkish or French fig jam

Warm the jam in its jar in a small pan with enough water to come halfway up the side of the jar. Very lightly toast the bread, just enough to heat it and heighten the flavour. Spoon the warm jam over the slices of malt bread and add a dollop of thick, yellow clotted cream at the side of the plate.

Toasted cheese and ham

I make this snack from time to time, sometimes omitting the onion, and occasionally adding chutney instead of mustard.

For 2 as a snack

4 slices of bread, cut thick

English or other hot mustard

75g/1 loosely-packaged teacup cooked ham

1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

75g grated cheese, whatever you have

Toast the bread on one side. Spread the untoasted side meanly with mustard. Mix the other ingredients and spread on top. Place under the preheated grill for a couple of minutes till the cheese has melted.

Mozzarella in carrozza

For 2 as a snack

175g mozzarella cheese, sliced 5mm thick

4 slices of white bread, 5 mm thick, crusts removed

2 tbsps milk

a little flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small egg, beaten

fresh breadcrumbs

groundnut oil, for deep-frying

Place the sliced mozzarella on two of the slices of bread and top with the remaining slices to make two large cheese sandwiches. Brush the sandwiches on both sides with the milk, then dust with flour. Dip into the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil, about one finger's depth, till crisp, about three minutes on each side. Cut into quarters and serve.

Cold roast beef sandwiches with caramelised garlic and basil sauce

A wonderful sandwich where the toasted bread is dipped in warm sweet garlic and basil dressing. Poilane, that expensive, dense, sour bread sold in posh food emporiums, is just the thing for this. (Despite some wag once writing that it tastes like stale cake.) You may like to sharpen the dressing with lemon juice or wine vinegar to taste.

For 4 rounds, enough for 2 as a snack

4 plump cloves of garlic, sliced in half

100ml olive oil

a good handful of fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt

8 slices of interesting bread, sourdough, ciabatta or olive

lemon juice or wine vinegar

8 thin slices of rare, cold roast beef, at room temperature

Sauté the garlic cloves in half the olive oil in a small shallow pan till golden and soft, about 15 minutes. Shred the basil leaves and put them in the blender with the vinegar and a little salt. Toast the bread lightly. Pour the soft garlic and its cooking oil with the remaining olive oil into the blender and whizz with the basil and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and either lemon juice or wine vinegar. Spoon the dressing over the toasted bread. Lay the cold roast beef on the toast and eat.

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