15 of the UK's best sandwich shops

A one-stop shop for all your gourmet food and drink needs, Arch House Deli has won a slew of awards over the years, including Deli of the Year in 2015. But while people might be enticed through the doors by the artisan vinegars, cheese counter and vintage wines, they stay for Arch House’s incredible coffee and sandwiches. For less than £6 you can get a handheld feast that makes the most of the ingredients sold in the deli. The Milano, for example, includes salami, Brie de Meaux and red onion marmalade, while the vegetarian Fruity Blue combines Colston Bassett Shropshire Blue cheese and hot mango chutney.

archhousedeli.com

If you’re in the Welsh capital and hankering for a salt beef sandwich, Deli a GoGo is the only place in the city to offer it. But it’s not the lack of competition that makes this place a favourite – in fact, it has won twice in the SW Echo Food & Drink Awards for its winning combination of artisan Welsh products, real bread and, of course, fantastic sandwiches. The salt beef is brined in-house to a decades-old recipe, but there are lots more on offer, too, including bacon, pesto, Swiss and salami or sun-dried tomatoes with Perl Las (a local cheese) on caraway rye.

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It’s all in the name with this Port Isaac institution, which specialises in the freshest crab and lobster caught right on the doorstep (by their own boat, the ‘Mary D’) which is then cleaned, cooked and hand-picked right there on the premises. The majority of these crustaceans then find their way into Fresh from the Sea’s famous sandwiches – kept simple with wholemeal bread and a few salad leaves, to let the crab and lobster do the talking. And if you need a little more convincing, it was name dropped by both Nathan Outlaw and Tom Brown as their favourite place for a quick lunch.

freshfromthesea.co.uk

If a deli has managed to stay in business since 1951 then it must be doing something right. Rather than the British idea of a delicatessen, Hells Kitchen Deli takes inspiration from the sandwich-slinging establishments of New York, serving big, bold flavours piled between two slices of their range of fresh breads. Each sandwich is named after one of the seven deadly sins – Gluttony contains chicken, meatballs and chorizo with Emmental, red onion, dill pickles and jalapenos, while Envy combines smoked salmon with crayfish, cucumber, avocado, sun-blushed tomatoes and rocket.

hellskitchendeli.co.uk

There’s always one person in any area of food that goes a bit OTT, taking what we thought we knew and transforming it into a flamboyant, bombastic, cranked-up-to-eleven version of itself. In the world of sandwiches, that man is Max Halley, who opened his small, unassuming sandwich shop in 2014. Heaving great things that are piled high with delicious ingredients, Max’s Sandwich Shop is only open in the evenings, which might sound a bit weird for what is usually considered a lunchtime treat. But the second you see what’s on offer – soft bread filled with braised short ribs, deep-fried broccoli, gravy mayonnaise and sauerkraut, for instance – you’ll realise these sandwiches are a world away from a working lunch.

maxssandwichshop.com

Producing everything themselves, this temple of salt beef and pastrami has been serving up Jewish-inspired classics since 2012 (although only recently moved from a market stall to a more permanent home) and is often named as the best place for a cheap lunch in London. Before every service the team bakes bagels, cures meat, whips up some mustard and slices fresh rye bread. The sandwiches bulge with fillings, the shop is always full and the atmosphere constantly buzzing. We just wish they wouldn’t keep their recipes such a closely guarded secret.

montys-deli.com

Peel and Stone is one of the many businesses turning Birmingham’s food scene into one of the best in the country. With a bakery in the city’s Jewellery Quarter and a shop on Harborne High Street, many people visit the shop just for the range of slow-leavened breads. But if you’re after a nice spot of lunch it’s the sandwiches that have really made a name for the business. Sustainable fish, free-range meat and seasonal vegetables make up daily-changing specials, which include goat’s cheese, coriander seed and roasted beetroot or ham, mustard mayo, Swiss cheese and gherkins.

peelandstone.co.uk

Referring to themselves as ‘gourmet sandwichmongers’, the team at Piece has been mastering the art of sandwich crafting since 2008, showcasing the very best of Scotland’s incredible larder. There are actually four branches of Piece throughout Glasgow, but the one at Finnieston is the original and best. With over fifteen varieties on offer at any one time, there’s something for everyone, whether you fancy a Pan Bagnat (tuna, tapenade, egg, tomato, honey and mustard) or The Hummer (jalapeno, lime and coriander hummus, avocado and salsa).

pieceglasgow.com

A beer shop might not be the first place you think of if you’re hankering after a sandwich, but amongst the 300 bottles of craft beer available at Tall Boys Beer Market is The Noonshine Café, set up by The Grub and Grog Shop and Leeds Bread Coop. you’ll find a small but perfectly formed sandwich offering that changes daily. There’s a vegan special, a cheese special and a meat special, all sold at £4 a pop.

grubandgrog.co.uk/noonshine

Great bread and even better sandwiches are served up at The Dusty Knuckle in the heart of Dalston, which was founded in 2014 by childhood friends Max Tobias and Rebecca Oliver. The business started life in an old shipping container but now has a bricks and mortar shop serving up fresh bread, pastries and – of course – sandwiches. Whatever they don’t make themselves they source from some of the best producers in the UK, including cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy and free-range pork cheek from Swaledale Farm. What’s more, they employ young people who have struggled to get a job elsewhere or need that jumpstart to their careers.

thedustyknuckle.com

The Flour Pot made our list – helpfully curated by chef Michael Bremner – of the best places to eat and drink in Brighton, so it’s nice to see it nominated again for our list of the UK’s best sandwich shops. As well as great coffee and pastries, the various Flour Pot shops – there are five found across the city – serve up some of Brighton’s best sandwiches, using seasonal ingredients from the markets. The menu changes daily, but expect classics like Thai tuna mayonnaise, New York deli rolls and smoked turkey Caprese.

flour-pot.co.uk

What began as a venture into artisan ice cream soon turned into a one-stop shop for all of Oxford’s breakfast and lunch needs. The Milk Shed is a bustling café serving locally roasted coffee, homemade ice cream and plenty of delicious sandwiches. The signature dish has to be the club sandwich, which contains charred chicken breast, pancetta, Gruyere cheese, slow-roasted tomatoes, basil mayonnaise and rocket, but there are lots of other daily specials to appease all appetites.

themilkshedstore.co.uk

On Wales’ Pembrokeshire coast is the little seaside town of Tenby which, thanks to The Stowaway, is a must-visit location for sandwich lovers. Housed inside a tiny room built into the walls around Tenby Harbour, it’s most famous for its fantastic coffee, but anyone who decides to plump for a sandwich on the side is in for a real treat. Made fresh each day, they are neatly packaged so you can take them out to enjoy as you stroll along the seafront.

facebook.com/thestowawaytenbyharbour