The perfect bacon sandwich

What with Bacon Sandwich Quest proving so underwhelming thus far, I thought it was high time I threw my own rasher into the ring so to speak.

I'm not the only one who's been pontificating on the bacon sandwich of late, and this post got me thinking. It might just be the case that the finest bacon sandwich imaginable is the one you make for yourself, to your own exacting specifications. My dream butty may not be the same as yours, but it works for me.

This was the bacon sarnie I ate on Sunday morning, and it was by far the best of the year to date.

I grill the bacon. I tend to err on the side of grilling as the method of choice as it ensures a good, even crispness to the fat. The grill should be medium hot rather than on the hottest setting, as the fiercest heat will result in fat that is charred rather than browned.

Three rashers of good quality, thick cut back bacon, unsmoked. Two is not enough, resulting in a flatly filled, linear sandwich. You need that extra rasher to create layers of bacon where they overlap. I love smoked bacon but prefer unsmoked in a bacon sandwich. Just do. A simple cure is best too, nothing too sweet.

As the bacon grills I prepare the bread. An intermediate level bread is best I think. Pappy white sliced is good, but a little too limp for fine, sturdy bacon. An expensive artisan, sourdough loaf would just be wrong, too strongly flavoured and too much heft to the crust. Thick slices from a supermarket bakery bloomer do the trick. You know the type, one of the animal themed ones (tiger, hedgehog, badger etc. I used tiger). White of course.

I buttered the bread, because, as we all know, everything is better with butter. There are no exceptions to this rule. Creamy, unsalted butter is great here, but I didn't have any so slightly salted it was.

Now it's time to add the sauce. Brown. HP or Daddies. Not ketchup. There are some who say ketchup is preferable as the vinegary molasses tang of brown sauce is too much in a bacon sandwich, assertive and overpowering. To those people I say: that's because you used too much. A smear is all that's needed, not a squirt or a splash. Sauce shouldn't drip everywhere as you bite into it. Just a smear adds a delicious fruity backnote and a hint of acidity.

The bacon is ready. Crisp fat, browned but not blackened. The flesh still moist but not damp and absolutely not wet. In it goes, and on goes the top slice of bread. A gentle squeeze and the heat starts to melt the butter into the sauce into the bacon fat.

And then it's time to eat. In no time at all it's gone, and all I'm left with is a grin and a strong mug of tea to wash it down. I think I've found a winner.

Tamper Coffee, Sheffield

Good pies and even better coffee. Antipodean heaven. That's what you'll find at Sheffield's Kiwi-run Tamper Coffee. You'll also find sandwiches, cakes and lovely service. I went here for lunch today and was impressed.

The flat white was pretty though not the prettiest I've seen, but tasted divine. A really rich coffee blend, not at all bitter, perfectly made so it was silkily smooth. An absolute delight. I could drink these all day.

I had to have a pie. Sadly there were no steak and cheese left. Anyone who's been to New Zealand or Australia will be aware of the regard in which pies are held in those nations (what with the pies and rugby and beer, both are rather like a sunnier Wigan), and to my mind the steak and cheese is king. I was so looking forward to eating one here, but had to settle for steak alone.

No matter, it was a lovely pie. Quite a flakey crust, not too dense, and chock full of chunks of tender beef bound in just the right amount of gravy. The little pot of crunchy, light coleslaw on the side was a nice touch too.

I also tried some of the brie and cranberry sandwich, and that was spot on as well. I was waffling on the other week about how genuinely good bread could elevate a sandwich from good to great. This was the case here, decent fillings and bread cut from an organic loaf with a lovely open crumb and chewy crust. The bread was advertised as being from the Cat Lane Bakery, definitely one warranting further investigation.

Excellent food and drink, and as I mentioned at the start friendly service from the guy in charge, who was enthusiastic and welcoming. Prices are fair at £2-2.50 for most coffees and £3-3.80 for sandwiches, although perhaps a little toppy for the pies at £3.60. That's a very minor quibble though, as they're certainly high quality. A great little place.

9/10

9 Westfield Terrace
Sheffield
S1 4GH

http://www.wix.com/tampercoffee/nz

Sullivan's, Hornsea, East Yorkshire

I love Hornsea. I'm not really sure why but I always have. If you've never been it's hardly the most exciting or attractive of seaside resorts. The small town centre, pleasant enough, dwindles away as you approach the coast until you reach a sort of no mans land by the sea. There you'll find a straggly assortment of buildings interspersed by car parks. A few amusement arcades, public toilets, chip shops, a leisure centre.

Photo by Tom Corser www.tomcorser.com. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales (UK) Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/deed.en_GB

Finally, a lot of promenade and wall, concrete stopping the whole lot from crumbling into the North Sea, then the beach. Pebbly, flat, straight, bleak. This is the Holderness coast, thirty-odd miles of windswept clay steadily disappearing, year on year. Concrete protecting the towns, the villages less lucky.

It's rarely too busy round here, the attractions too meagre. The beach unending, spacious. That's part of the appeal, no hordes as descend on Scarborough or Whitby. There are people around, but a few minutes walk and it's just you, the sea and the sky.

So we wander up and down the front, and stop for an age to listen to the waves and gaze at tankers far out in the bay. Bliss. Then we try, but fail, 20p a go, to grab a toy from the machine out front of the arcades. Until it's time for chips. One of the chip shops is Sullivan's, I've no idea if it's the best in town but it's where I always go, so Sullivan's it is.

Fish, chips and peas, too much salt and too much vinegar, washed down with fizzy pop. Sat on a bench on the prom, gazing out towards Holland.

The fish and chips were good, though not as good as last time. That's what I thought as I ate them. Flakey, fresh fish, good batter but the chips a little underdone and the peas too thick. But maybe memory doesn't serve me well, the food was probably the same. Perhaps it's the place that I'm remembering favourably. The breeze, the sea, the space and the sky.

8/10

Sullivan's
34-38 New Road
Hornsea
East Yorkshire
HU18 1PW

http://www.yorkshire.com/places/yorkshire-coast/hornsea

Dispatches from Lincolnshire

I spent six days last month working in Lincolnshire; in Grantham, Boston and Lincoln. It's not a part of the world I know very well but armed with recommendations from helpful twitterers I managed to eat quite well. Here's what I ate in Boston and Lincoln.

Bizzarro, Boston

Bizzarro came recommended as 'the only decent place to eat in Boston'. I've no idea whether that's true or not, but it definitely was decent and a stroll round the streets didn't offer up much in the way of obvious competition.

It's an Italian restaurant with several dining rooms in a very old building in the historic part of town. There was a slightly eccentric air to the place, one the one hand it was fairly formal with starched linen tablecloths and top notch cutlery, on the other it seemed a little ramshackle (half the plaster seemed to have fallen off the wall on the staircase). Either way it was friendly and welcoming and I liked it.

We shared some nibbly bits and pieces with bread to start (these were rare work trips where I wasn't alone, making the dining out bit much more fun); olives, cheese stuffed peppers and balsamic pickled onions. All solid stuff and a cut above basic catering pack standard.

I had stuffed breast of lamb to follow, which was predictably fatty but delicious. The minced lamb, apricot and pine nut stuffing was too sweet for my tastes though, being a little too heavy on the apricots. The meal didn't come plated as pictured by the way, that's after I'd added vegetables from the generous and well cooked selection provided separately. The porchetta across the table was also declared a success.

Service was friendly and efficient and it's good value as well. Mains range from £10 to £18 including more roast potatoes and vegetables than you could eat, and the house wine is just £2.50 a glass. Nothing mindblowing but just the sort of reliable place you could return to again and again for a good meal.

7/10

23 Wormgate
Boston
Lincolnshire
PE21 6NR

www.bizzarro.biz


The Tower Hotel, Lincoln

I'm sure Lincoln probably has plenty to offer food-wise, but this time we didn't make it out of the hotel. That was a least partly intentional, as a bit of advance research suggested the place had a good reputation for food. We ate in the bar but there's also a more formal restaurant.

A few nibbles to kick things off again. Olives, sun-dried tomatoes and some very more-ish cumin roasted nuts.

Roast squash soup was very smooth and sweet, but just a little watery. I'm afraid I can't recall what the red stuff was, but it didn't taste of anything much (extra sweetness maybe?).

My dining companion's starter was better; - a confit chicken, savoy cabbage and chestnut spring roll. I'd have really enjoyed eating this in the depths of winter. The filling was moist and tasty, the skin crisp and greaseless. It was in essence a big, crunchy festive tasting roast dinner pie tube.

Next up was the rather complicated sounding burger (6oz Hand-made Minced Lincolnshire Beef Burger, Toasted Muffin, Rustic Chips, Stilton Mayonnaise, White Onion Marmalade, Sautéed Mushrooms, Celeriac Remoulade) which could have been great, but wasn't.

I'd asked how the burger would be cooked, and was told medium so left it at that. It arrived well done with just a tiny hint of pink remaining in the middle, rendering it a bit dense and rubbery. A shame really as the meat was good quality, with a good beefy flavour discernable above the strong tasting accompaniments. The stilton mayo and onion marmalade were very good though, with very sweet onions and the rich, cheesy mayo adding tanginess and a bit of astringency. The chips were just ok.

Service here was fine and the bar area lively and obviously popular not just with hotel residents. Prices are probably about average for higher end pub type food (the burger was £10.50). Everything we ate was good quality but the execution was a little hit and miss.

6/10

38 Westgate
Lincoln
LN1 3BD

www.lincolntowerhotel.co.uk

Bacon Sandwich Quest: March

Last time round I was hoping the next instalment of Bacon Sandwich Quest would be more exciting. Sorry folks it isn't going to be more exciting.

I really don't eat as many bacon sandwiches as I thought. Just two in March, neither of which were very exciting. Inexplicably I do seem to have taken photos of both of them though, so here they are.

A passable effort from Asda in Grantham, satisfactory in all areas but uncommonly small.

Another passable effort from Diana's Diner on Cross Green Industrial Estate in Leeds. Good bacon let down by a spongy, overfloured bap and watery tomatoes. Splendid service though, use of the word 'love' and a multititude of sandwich customisation options: spread on the bread, sliced or tinned tomatoes, sauce, how much sauce, pepper?

Presumably you can't stand the anticipation a moment longer, so without further ado here's the leader board.

Venue	Where's that?	Bacon	Bread	Accompa-niments	Value	Service	Total
Rumbletums	Otley	8	3	4	4	3	22
Wilsons pie van	Leeds	7	3	2	4	3	19
Diana's Diner	Leeds	7	2	2	3	5	19
Asda	Grantham	6	3	3	3	3	18
Cosy Caf	Bollington	6	4	2	2	3	17
Monty's	Windsor	7	2	3	2	3	17
Spar	Knowsley	5	3	3	3	2	16
McDonalds	A19 Billingham	4	1	3	3	2	13

Must try harder in April.

Saengarun Thai, Leeds

I enjoyed a takeaway from Saengarun back in June last year, and made a mental note to return and dine in. What with one thing and another it's taken me nine months to get round to it, but I'm glad I finally did.

A group of us had a great meal there last weekend for a friend's birthday, so much so that I'm officially declaring it to be the second best Thai restaurant in Leeds (number one is Thai Aroy Dee of course). Officially as voted by me that is, which isn't really that official but never mind. It's very good, that's all you need to know.

We didn't share everything between everyone, splitting into smaller groups to order. I went three ways on a bit of a feast starting with a couple of salads and some dumplings.

We stuck to the classics with the salads, a som tam and a laab gai. The som tam was just as I remembered it, fresh, fiery and crunchy, an excellent rendition.

The laab was also pretty much perfect;- tender chicken, generous quantities of herbs and an assertive but balanced dressing.

Steamed pork and prawn dumplings (kanom jeeb) were fine, with a succulent filling but slightly overcooked skins. Nice but not quite up to the standard of the salads.

The highlight of the mains was this vegetarian mussaman curry. CW, if you read this, congratulations on a fantastic choice. I never think to order vegetarian curries or stir-fries in Thai restaurants, but I really should. In most cases the curry is all about the range and balance of flavours in the sauce, the meat being little more than inconsequential lumps of protein, providing a bit of texture but not much more.

Other things can do this job better, in this case cashew nuts and soft slices of tofu providing a wonderful contrast in textures and also adding flavour to the rich sauce. Crunchy, splintering cashews, their nutty taste enhancing the coconut rich broth. Spongy tofu soaking it all up as the spice builds. Really lovely.

A jungle curry with beef was good too, hot but refreshing with it, the broth zingy and herbal. The beef was a little bland and chewy though, it almost left me wishing for more tofu (never thought I'd ever write that).

The final dish was a pad ka prao (chilli and basil stir-fry) with pork. It tasted very good, no skimping on the basil as is often the case, but was a little wet for my tastes.

With jasmine rice to mop up the sauces and loads of beer (three each? maybe four?) the bill topped out at £25 a head including tip. Service was friendly but they did mess up a couple of things on our order, though the problems were quickly rectified. It's not an upmarket looking place but it is up a notch or two from Thai Aroy Dee in the decor stakes.

Recommended. I'll be back.

8/10

159 Briggate
Leeds
LS1 6LY

http://www.thairestaurantinleeds.co.uk/

Relish, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield

Relish is part of the mini empire run by the excellent Thornbridge Brewery. As a fan of their beer I had high hopes for the food and the experience in general. It's styled as a kitchen, bar and social which is probably about right. It's casual and lively but definitely not a pub, the emphasis being on the food with table service provided throughout.

The menu is fairly pubby though, sort of sturdy British in the modern style. There are pies and burgers, and things involving ham hock and scotching of eggs. Being greedy I opted for the Steak & Thornbridge ale pot pie, suet pastry of grain mustard/thyme/cheddar cheese, beef dripping potatoes, mushy peas and a jug of gravy (£12).

It was very good in every department save one. Sadly the suet crust pastry let the side down. If you get suet pastry right it can be a joy, and surprisingly light too (blowing of own trumpet alert - see this version). Unfortunately the Relish suet crust was thick, claggy, underdone and not much fun at all.

Back to the positives, everything else was great. Nice roasties, well-made proper gravy and excellent sloppy peas. The pie filling was packed with slow cooked tender meat and assorted vegetables bound in a very tasty gravy (perhaps seasoned with Sheffield's finest Henderson's relish?).

As an aside I can't help but complain about the lack of a plate. It seems like everywhere I go at the moment wants to serve me my dinner on a roof tile or a chopping board or a plank. I've said it before and I'll say it again: what is wrong with a plate? Why would I want to eat gravy from a chopping board? Why? Stop it. Rant over.

Across the table AS also declared her sausage, mash, Yorkshire pudding and gravy a success, the only criticism being a surfeit of gravy. AS is a Southerner though, so she obviously doesn't understand that there's no such thing as too much gravy, especially where sausages and mash are concerned. That's also the small portion (yes, small) costing just £6.

Good stuff overall, friendly service and reasonably priced at around £23 including drinks (Thornbridge Jaipur IPA - delicious). If they'd given me good pastry and put my dinner on a plate I'd have upped the rating a notch.

7/10


371-373 Ecclesall Road
Sheffield
S11 8PF

www.relishrelish.co.uk