Best Cheese and Pickle Sandwich Recipe
This cheese and pickle sandwich is a typical English sandwich that forms part of a so-called ‘Ploughman’s lunch’.
A typical Ploughman’s lunch is commonly sold in English pubs. It consists of bread and butter, cheese, onion, pickles, salad and, of course, a nice pint of tasty English beer 😄.
I remember as a kid a Ploughman’s lunch was pretty much the only thing you could get to eat in an English pub.
Luckily things have changed now as British pub cuisine has developed enormously for the better. In fact, pretty much the only pubs that have survived are the ones that provide good food.
This is a simple sandwich recipe, which we often take with us on road trips or in packed lunches to the beach, as it tastes so good.
How does pickle taste?
You may want to try some pickle before you make one, as it can be an acquired taste. In Britain, Branston’s Pickle is a famous brand that we use for our cheese and pickle sandwiches.
It is such a loved taste in the UK, that they even have cheese and Branston pickle-flavoured crisps (potato chips)!
Branston’s is made from chopped vegetables preserved in a vinegary sauce. The tart combination of the pickles with cheddar cheese is perfection and I love it.
But the taste is quite sour if you compare it to chutney, for example, which tends to be a bit sweeter in taste (we also eat cheese with chutney over here). But then that is why it is called a pickle.
The British love vinegar in their food – just think of salt and vinegar crisps and salt and malt vinegar on their chips (fries), as examples.
But if you have a sweeter tooth you could try making a cheese and chutney sandwich instead. We tend to eat cheese with chutney as a TV snack with a glass of wine, rather than as a sandwich.
In these pictures, I made this sandwich with multigrain bread from Aldi. This makes it a pretty healthy cheese and Branston Pickle sandwich.
What type of cheese in a cheese and pickle sandwich?
Traditionally any type of English cheese could be used in a traditional Ploughman’s sandwich. But in this recipe, we use some mature sharp cheddar cheese which I think goes fantastically well with Branston’s pickle.
In my opinion, the stronger the cheese, the better. But of course, you can use a milder cheese if you prefer.
Traditionally the Ploughman’s lunch might be served on a wooden platter with a large lump of cheese. You then cut the cheese yourself with a knife to fit your crusty piece of bread.
It may also be accompanied with some vegetables or pickled gherkins, and of course a pint of bitter!
Here I sliced the cheese to make it easier to eat, as these were made to go in a sandwich box.
I hope you enjoy trying this traditional British sandwich. If you do, please let me know what you thought of it in the comments section below!
How to make a Ploughman’s sandwich
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Cheese and Pickle Sandwich
This cheddar cheese and pickle sandwich is a delicious traditional English lunchtime meal. The pickles are the perfect combination for the cheddar cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bread (white or brown – crusty bread is the best)
- Mature Cheddar cheese, sliced
- 2 tbsp Branston’s Pickle (or another make if you prefer)
Optional
- Salted butter
Instructions
- Place the cheese on one slice of bread. Then add the pickle and close the sandwich.
- Cut into two pieces (diagonally or in the middle). And if you are really wanting to be posh you may wish to remove the bread crust or even cut it into quarters 😄
- Optionally you may wish to spread the bread with some butter.
Notes
Great for a packed lunch, picnic or road trip.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 384Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 731mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g
This nutrition information was automatically calculated by Nutritionix, but may not be 100% accurate.
Branston pickles is right up there with Marmite, and that’s not a good thing. Both disgusting. Picked up both, at my local British retailer, here in Ontario, Canada, as well as good British cheddar. After 2 bites, scraped the pickles off, and enjoyed an excellent cheese sandwich.
What a waste! You love it or you hate it I suppose, lol!
Grilled cheese sand with pickles hits the spot, frequently. A pint of Old Speckled Hen goes well.
‘Grilled’ cheese and pickles sandwich? Now I had not thought of that. Thanks for the tip – must try it. Do you grill with or without the pickles? Love Speckled Hen!
Yes ! This is exactly what my nanna used to make in guernsey couldn’t find branston pickle at a lot of the stores near me for a while, now I can get it I have stocked up.
I had to check the recipe.
I add spam, it’s sooo good
I just tried a cheese and pickle sandwich thanks to your instructions. I heard about them on an episode of Doc Martin and was curious to try. Thank you. I enjoyed it!
Yes, if you have never tried it, it is an experience! Our Ukrainian refugees had also never tried and now we have to keep restoring the Branston’s!
@Andrea, I got the idea from an episode of Endeavour.
Paul, thanks a lot for this tip as well! Had never heard of ‘Endeavour’ before, but am a great fan of Morse, and used to live in Oxford. So will have to watch it!
American here! I’m curious as to what that pickle stuff is? It’s very different than what we call a “pickle”. Pickles to us are cucumbers that are jarred in a brine and have either a dill or more sweetened taste depending on the variety, but they’re always green.
Check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branston_(brand) . Really brilliant stuff. Sweet and spicy. Buy it on Amazon 😃 I had this for my lunch today
@Tori T., Branston is like sweet relish, but not “sweet”, more tart and vinegary.
Don’t have to try this to know how good this is. Growing up, there was always a bottle of chutney in the fridge, alongside one of pickle. Roast beef cheese and chutney was one of Dad’s favourite sandwiches, and cheese and pickle was another. Kids being kids, I had to try anything Dad liked so much. Other Canadian kids thought it was just ‘weird foreign food’, as they munched their PB&J. Thanks for encouraging people to try this simple, but delicious meal.
Thanks for your comments Carol, so glad it brings back nice memories. Thinking about these sandwiches always makes me want one!!