To me, this is sandwich perfection. Every now and again during the week myself and my better half don’t want to go through the trouble of making a complicated dinner so we want something quick, filling yet enjoyable (I hate eating just for the sake of it). Toasted ham, cheese & onion sambos is it, cut diagonally (of course), usually with a side of beans or spaghetti hoops to dip the sandwich in.

It is one of the few food combinations that never gets old to my palette. We tried baked potatoes and omelettes but after a few days the thought of it just didn’t whet my appetite any more. Along with this sandwich; black cherries, tomatoes and marshmallows are also all foods that I could live with just eating for the rest of my life.

Maybe why I love ham, cheese and onion sambos so much has something to do with the combination having the perfect balance of Umami flavours. Umami, popularized due to MSG’s use in fast food restaurants as a flavour enhancer, is generally accepted as being one of our basic tastes. You know when you have some meat, like beef or lamb or cheese or broth and it has a flavour that you can’t quite put your finger on, well Umami is it, and we love it (which is why fast food outlets use it due to its addicting nature) although the Doctors tell us we shouldn’t.

Also, something which I don’t understand over here in Europe which they already have in the US is dipping sauce for sandwichs. Why don’t we have it? I’ve started using baked beans in tomato sauce and it makes the sandwiches taste 100 times better.

Further, if you want the daddy of all toasted cheese sambos, head to france and order a “Croque-monsieur”. Trust the gastronomic french to make the Ham & Cheese sandwich even better, and for you vege’s out there, I find a simple cheese & onion sandwich, without the ham, can sometimes be just as good.