Serving crisps with sandwiches? Do you?

[JDM625]

I moved to the UK 20yrs ago. PIL always put crisps on the side of the plate if having a sandwich there. I assumed it was just a thing they did. In a cafe recently, they did the same.

Not a packet of crisps such as in a meal deal, but just loose on the side of the plate. We are in the SE. Is this commonly done in the UK?

Open sandwich, insert crisps, replace top of sandwich, press down firmly, enjoy.

Crisps and a sandwich are so good. Tuna and ready salted is the perfect combo. Haven’t been to a cafe for years so didn’t realise they still did this, but I’d be thrilled if they did. A sandwich is already carby stodge so who cares for a handful of crisps on top.

I’d never add them at home and wouldn’t want them when out. If they come anyway I let dh have them.
TBH I’m not mad about crisps - unless they’re Walkers Sensation lime and coriander. 😋

Alan Partridge waxes lyrical about a sandwich serve with a ‘crescent of crisps, clump of cress’

Yes, but I am a crisp monster!!

Ooh yes - love some proper crunchy, salty crisps with a sandwich - even better if the crisps can go inside!

Everything , especially a sandwich is improved by a side of crisps.

I am from Australia and was baffled when I saw this as well.

I have been here since 2005 and can hand on heart say I have never done this ever. Although i like crisps. It's just not something I can get to grips with! My perfect sandwich lunch is a proper Aussie salad sandwich with beetroot and/ or pineapple with an apple on the side and a tim tam.

My English DH remains baffled by the whole concept of fairy bread and party pies though. So I guess we are even.

Every single pub or cafe I go into offers crisps or chips with their sandwiches. I’d find it very bizarre if they didn’t.

Absolutely yes!

We’re not a sandwich household because I’m not keen on them but if I was to make one for DH I’d add some crisps to the side. The plate always looks like it needs a little extra otherwise. If I added a side salad he’d be less than impressed.

I was about to say the same, so ‘I can read you like a book and not a good book, certainly not Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNabb’!!!

OP, always a crescent of crisps on the side here in South Yorkshire! Even with a toastie!

Have seen it in some cafes but not often. Would not think to do it at home - not a crisp opponent, I regularly have a packet of marmite crisps and just enjoy it as a stand alone snack.

I find salad and sandwiches a really odd combination. One food you eat with your hands and then another that should be in a separate dish with dressing that requires a fork. Very bizarre!

I put the crisps on the side of the plate when I'm doing lunch for the DC. Mainly so the don't notice that it's only half a bag on each. If it's on the plate they eat whats there, then move on to the cucumber sticks or whatever else I've put on, whereas if I gave the crisps in bags they'd want a pack each, then be to full to bother with the healthy bits.

Yes, I’m not British either. And I love crisps,I just find them deeply arbitrary at the side of a sandwich as a sort of garnish . It’s like ‘Here, have a dab of mustard with your chickpea curry to make it look ‘finished’’ or serving two squares of milk chocolate with a slice of Bakewell tart or something

You are both wrong.

And if you are making a sandwich for someone else they should be plain. If you are making a sandwich for yourself then there should be a layer of crisps in the sandwich as well as on the side.

Always.

It’s for lunchbox nostalgia, I’m sure. Many kids had a sandwich, crisps and a penguin bar in their lunchboxes growing up.

A crisp makes a great side: crunchy, to add some contrast to the softness of a sandwich; a hit of umami to sharpen the flavour of the filling. I like ready salted with quite a few sandwiches - as pp said, it's a great addition to a tuna sandwich.

I absolutely love a (massive, MN) salad so it's nothing to do with junk vs. healthy.

I'm also not from the UK.

Yep.

Yes

Never. As a child you may be get either, but never both. For nothing else, the price of a packet of crisps is bonkers considering it contains about a 1/4 of a potato.

Chips with a sandwich?

No, far too much salt and carbohydrates. How to feel sluggish, bloated, undernourished and still hungry.