What makes a great vegan sandwich?

I suppose the reality is that many food producers are trying to take advantage of the trend towards vegan foodstuffs but their heart, or their understanding of the consumer demand, is not really in it. If they cannot make an equivalent appealing product then perhaps they should not even try.

I don’t see a sandwich as a meal so an ordinary tomato or cucumber sandwich is good enough, but for those who buy animal-free sandwiches every day as part of their subsistence a broader range and tastier contents with adequate balanced nutrition are essential. A vegan sandwich should not be a distress purchase or an inferior substitute where non-vegan products are generally of a higher quality.

The photo is from 19 February 2019 and is one in a series showing oddities in the world of retailing. Sadly the ‘two for the price of three offers’ have ended. Once I can can photograph a sign that says that ‘the stationary department has moved’ I will lose interest.

Tomato sandwiches are best made and eaten straightaway, otherwise they lose their texture and make the bread a bit soggy, in my experience.

I agree. I have my tomatoes with sandwiches rather than inside them. Nothing worse than a soggy sandwich.

I quite like the moist effect of a tomato sandwich. I usually make them with cheese, either grated or sliced depending on the state of the cheese. Cheese and onion is another favourite sandwich using the middle slice of a big onion. I suppose Marmite is my favourite non-animal content.

As a matter of information, where does veganism stand on eggs and honey as constituents of sandwiches?

I can understand people not wanting animals raised purely for slaughter and setting a diet accordingly. However, if animals are raised humanely and just byproducts used – milk, eggs, and the honey John mentions – then why the objection?

Out of interest, do vegans not keep pets?

I can’t see that the consumption of the produce of bees and chickens is harmful to the insects or birds if their husbandry is humane and healthy, but milk is not such an easy question. Cows in milk have to be milked at least twice a day so they would be completely redundant. There would be little value in rearing sheep or pigs either.

It would be theoretically possible — after a lengthy transition period — for society to manage without the non-meat by-products of animals as synthetic alternatives are available, but whether there is now enough land left in the UK (a) to sustain the plant-based substitutes for meat and dairy products, and (b) to produce the plant-based textiles required in lieu of animal by-products, is another question. Obviously, there would be a much lower arable requirement if crops were not required for animal feed. I think there would need to be a sharp rise in the use of oil derivatives for synthetic fabrics, and chemicals generally as artificial fertiliser would be needed to improve land for crop production. Has anyone done even a crude projection of the consequences of a non-animal future taking into account the gains and losses?

What will become of all the land that is not much use for anything other than grazing if grazing animals are no longer required for food and other products? We have developed some of the best arable land in the country; it might have been better if we had saved that for crops and covered all the pastures and hay meadows with houses.

I suppose the popularity of equestrianism will keep some animal husbandry going but the hectares devoted to horse racing might have to be put under the plough. At least there are electronic alternatives with virtual formbooks but the rest of the industry would have to find something else to do.

I don’t imagine most vegans want to impose their views on the remaining 99% of us, but I respect their wishes to follow a particular regime. Sheep provide wool, which can be harvested without death. A cow can be milked to provide cheese and yoghurt, for example, while it leads a happy life. Bees seem to thrive when kept in hives, free to come and go as they please, and perform a very valuable role in pollinating plants.

One view is that no animals should be kept in captivity, but that will never happen.

What is a vegan’s view of carnivorous animals?

Back to sandwiches. As with vegetarians, why try to make veggie products look like meat?

Not just LOOK like meat/fish etc, why on earth do they want them to TASTE like meat or fish? If I want vegan I’ll have a Marmite sandwich, oops sorry, mixed with real butter so NOT vegan!

I like tomato sandwiches, made fresh with a nice sprinkling of salt. But don’t use beefsteak tomatoes 🙁