Sometimes the old peanut butter sandwich doesn’t quite cut it, so in honour of the summer season, I’ve compiled a list of sandwich fillings and ideas to really spice up your lunch box. Sandwiches are healthy, filling and extremely versatile, making them perfect for a summer picnic. So, with a bit of knowledge, you can turn those boring pieces of bread into cuisine masterpieces.

The Bread

The bread used can make a huge difference to your sandwich and gives you a lot more variety. Stick to the healthy wholemeal versions for most lunches, for example pita pockets, wraps/tortillas, bread rolls and sliced breads like rye, soy & linseed, as well as pumpkin & five spices. Every now and then feel free to indulge in some more fancy bread types, like Turkish, foccacia, panini & ciabatta bread. For your sweet fillings, use some interesting breads, like English muffins, scones, bagels, crumpets and raisin bread.

Why not make your own bread to get you started with your sandwich endeavours?! Here's a recipe for baking your own basic bread.

Fillings

Deluxe Foods

Add these to your sandwich with a bit of salad, some form of protein and then lightly toast the bread in a sandwich press if you wish.

• Sun-dried tomatoes.
• Marinated capsicum.
• Marinated eggplant.
• Olives (pitted or stuffed).
• Feta cheese.
• Basil.
• Baby spinach leaves.

Sauces

Tzatziki Sauce

(makes two portions)

• ½ telegraph(long) cucumber
• 100g low-fat natural yoghurt
• ¼ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped mint

Seed and grate cucumber into a bowl, then sprinkle with ½ tsp salt & leave for 10 minutes. Drain, then mix with yoghurt, lemon juice & mint.

They are the final toppings for your sandwiches, used mostly in savoury sandwiches to give just that extra bit of moisture and flavour.

• Mayonnaise.
• Tomato sauce.
• Barbeque sauce.
• Hummus.
• Salad dressings.
• Lemon juice.
• Low-fat natural yoghurt.
• Pesto.
• Salsa.
• Tomato chutney.

What are your favorite sandwich fillings?