FAVOURITE SANDWICH FILLINGS REVEALED

A new survey has revealed that lettuce and avocado are the two top sandwich fillings in New Zealand, preferably on fresh slices of buttered multigrain bread – with the crusts left on.

A nationwide survey carried out by Farmland Foods found that salad is the most popular sandwich ingredient with 66 percent of Kiwis favouring it. Second in the survey of almost 900 people was avocado (58 percent), followed by tomato (51 percent), with chicken taking fourth spot (44 percent).

Others to make the top ten included ham and bacon (29 percent), and chutneys and relishes (40 percent). Cheese was extremely popular, while cream cheese scored 19.5 percent of the public vote.

People also had a chance to vote for their least favourite ingredients. The standouts in the results were anything that makes sandwiches soggy, such as beetroot, cucumber and tuna.

“With so much choice these days, it’s interesting to see that classic ingredients like salad, avocado, chicken, ham and bacon are still popular,” said Garth Davis, Farmland Foods sales and marketing director. “It’s also fascinating to see Kiwis so united on issues such as eating the crusts. The survey results definitely show that we’re a nation of sandwich lovers with very clear opinions on what should and shouldn’t be in the perfect sandwich.”

Along with looking at fillings, the survey delved into whether New Zealanders have a favourite type of bread for making sandwiches. Multigrain was a very clear winner with 40 percent of the vote. White bread came in at just 9.75 percent. A number of other options were mentioned, including rye and sourdough bread, along with gluten-free, demonstrating the increasing diversity of bread types and customer tastes.

A family-owned company, Farmland Foods has been producing the highest quality meats on their farm since 1964. This includes their premium range of Deli Cut meats and their newly launched Thin Sliced European Bacon. They carried out the survey to celebrate National Sandwich Day, which will take place on Saturday 3 November.