Toast sandwich is UK’s ‘cheapest meal’

Britain’s ‘cheapest’ lunchtime meal was unveiled by scientists on Wednesday – the toast sandwich.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is reviving the mid-Victorian dish, which, unsurprisingly, consists of two slices of bread around a slice of toast.
The society is so confident in the repast, it will offer £200 to anyone who can create a cheaper alternative.

The toast sandwich meal, costing 7.5 pence, was first promoted by Victorian food writer Mrs Beeton.

The Toast Sandwich is taken from Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management which became a best-seller after its appearance 150 years ago next month.

To celebrate that anniversary, the RSC decided to focus on meals that reflected “stern days” to come in Britain, rather than one of the book’s many “table-groaning creations”.

The meal was recreated by a chef at the RSC on Wednesday and offered to people outside their London offices.

The RSC’s Dr John Emsley said: “You simply put a piece of dry toast between two slices of bread and butter, with salt and pepper to taste. I’ve tried it and it’s surprisingly nice to eat and quite filling.

“I would emphasise that toast sandwiches are also good at saving you calories as well as money, provided you only have one toast sandwich for lunch and nothing else.”

The toast sandwich provides about 330 calories, and consumers could opt for the healthier alternative of margarine instead of butter – an ingredient not available to Mrs Beeton because she was writing her book before it was invented.

“Of course, when we finally emerge from these dark days we will seek something more celebratory from Mrs Beeton’s pantheon of rich recipes to welcome back the good times,” Dr Emsley added.

• Toast a thin slice of bread
• Butter two slices of bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
• Place the toast between the two slices of bread-and-butter to form a sandwich

RSC employee Jon Edwards said: “In my student days I thought a meal of ’9p noodles’ from Tesco was the epitome of thrift – but a toast sandwich is tastier, quicker, has more calories and comes in at just 7.5p.”

Mr Edwards added that the 21st Century version of the toast sandwich is healthier than the one from Mrs Beeton’s era because of the vitamins and minerals – such as calcium – that are added to bread today.

British Dietetic Association spokeswoman Melissa Little said there were ways to make the toast sandwich much better for not that much more money.

Ms Little said: “You can add an egg for 8p, it’s not much and it would give you some protein and keep you fuller for longer – and it would make it taste much better.

“Half a can of sardines for 19p would provide good fats, you would get some fish, and again make you feel fuller for longer. “Even adding some vegetables, such as cucumbers or carrots – would give you some more nutrients.”

She suggested the exercise did highlight that people are struggling to pay for grocery bills and looking for alternatives.

The more people talk about making healthy meals for less money, the better informed people would be, she said.

The first instalment of of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management was published in 1861. It sold over 60,000 copies in its first year of publication and nearly two million by 1868.

As well as recipes the book contained advice on household manage

Fitless cock

Another Victorian cookery writer was Charles Elme Francatelli, a former royal chef, who wrote A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes in 1852.

“His recipes ranged from Sheep’s Head Broth to A Pudding made of Small Birds – the type of dishes people are too squeamish to make today,” says Gray.

He recommended starting the day with pumpkin porridge, which involved little more effort than simmering chunks of pumpkin with a little butter and water and adding a little milk before eating.

“Cheap eating largely revolved around loading up on carbohydrates to fill you up so you didn’t need too much meat, which was much more expensive,” says Gray.
An old Scottish recipe for Fitless Cock was equally economical as it contained no meat. It was a chicken-shaped oatmeal pudding which “fooled no-one”, says food writer Stefan Gates.

To make Fitless Cock mix together oatmeal, shredded suet and a finely chopped onion with a beaten egg. Form into the shape of a chicken, wrap in cloth and boil for two hours.

A similar recipe dates from World War II, when the Ministry of Food introduced rationing to cope with food shortages. As the system gathered momentum, the ordinary ration came to encompass meat, cheese, butter, margarine, bacon and ham, tea, preserves, sugar and cooking fats such as lard.

To help war-weary home cooks, its austerity recipes ran in newspapers and on its daily radio broadcast. As well as mock cream and myriad uses for spam and dried egg, it devised this recipe for mock goose, complete with stuffing.

• 150g (6oz) cup dried lentils
• 1/2 pint water
• a little lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• for the stuffing – breadcrumbs (made from two slices), chopped onion, fresh sage

Simmer the lentils until all the water has been absorbed. Add lemon juice and season. Then to make the stuffing fry the onion in a little water, drain and add breadcrumbs and chopped sage. Place half the lentil mixture in an ovenproof dish, then layer on the stuffing and top with the remaining lentils. Cook at 180C (356F) until crisp.

Accompany with boiled potatoes and shredded cabbage cooked in a modicum of water. Reserve the cooking liquor to make gravy. Doesn’t appeal? Tough.

When the Titanic set sail in April 1912, its hold was loaded with goodies such as wine and fresh asparagus. But not all passengers dined on such fine fare. A typical dinner menu in steerage included rice soup with cabin biscuits and corned beef.

Rice soup was made with chicken stock, rice, onion and celery, with salt and pepper to taste. After two hours in the pot, it was strained and cream or milk added.
And finally, how about something sweet for afters? A carrot perhaps? Mrs Beeton recommended a recipe for carrot jam for those unable to afford fruit. In WWII carrots stood in for stone fruits in desserts such as apricot flan, or were made into carrot fudge with gelatine to set and orange squash for flavouring.
But some recipes do not translate today because cheapness changes over time, says Emily Angle, editor of BBC Food.

“Oysters were food for the poor until they were all eaten. Their rareness transformed them into food for the rich.”
This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return from toast to Home Page