The Larder - A Lamb Sandwich to make grown men weep.

I've been meaning to review 'The Larder' on St John Street, EC1 for a while, as part of my Clerkenwell cheap lunch options. I should clarify that statement actually and say I've been meaning to review their Deli next door. I haven't actually eaten in the restaurant.

I've been prompted to finally write a review of a Sandwich from this excellent deli, as I was recently informed it was 'British Sandwich Week' by 'Browners' of the Blog 'Around Britain with a Paunch' who also writes a column called Sandwichist in The Londonist about, strangely enough, sandwiches. He asked for contributions reviewing good, Independent, honest, proper sandwiches in London to celebrate British sandwich week. not your plastic packaged, mass produced, e-numbered to the gills, limp and lifeless jobbies - but real sandwiches for real working Londoners, the kind of sandwiches that bring a tear to the eye and a lump to the throat, the sort of sandwiches they ate when Britain strode the globe like a colossus and men were men.....err....you get the idea.

Without further preamble, and bearing all this in mind, here's my Sandwich review.

Today I strode from the street outside, into the darkened interior of 'The Larder' and purchased a Roast Lamb, Feta, Mint and Salad Sandwich from the counter. They have pre-made sandwiches in the chiller cabinet and these are good too, they're fresh, handmade and have their place for the insanely short of time or queue-phobic, but if you want a sandwich that's super fresh, you need to stand at the counter and get them to make it to order.

When I say Super Fresh, I'm not joking - the Larder, as well as being a restaurant and a Deli - houses......a Bakery. The bread is baked daily on the premises mere meters away from where your sandwich is being prepared. And, not to put too fine a point on it - but hand cut slices of granary bread, still soft and warm from the oven but with a thick crust which has an almost feint marmite tang, that's what all sandwiches should be made of in a perfect world.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is, 'The Bread is Amazing'.....
I should also point out - you can buy it - whole loaves fresh, just go in the Deli and ask for it - they'll pop out the back to the bakery and grab you a loaf. But back to the Sandwich....

Thick slices of Roast Lamb, not your catering pack, full of water, so thin they're actually translucent slices of Lamb - thick, rare, moist, pink (err...talk about Gastro-Porn!) slices....I had a good look at my sandwich - and the sliced Lamb was 1cm thick!
A hint of mint sauce was slathered over the bread, crumbled feta was added.....not cloying thick, overpowering slices, but crumbled - obviously some thought has gone into this. Finally salad leaves and sliced Tomato.

And it's all yours for £4-50. Quite expensive for a sandwich you may feel - but this is a coming together of incredibly fresh ingredients of excellent quality - crammed into one the biggest sandwiches I've ever seen. I don't think you can judge the scale from the photo, but it was huge. Half was almost the same size as a whole Pret Sandwich! And, I know I've mentioned it before - but the bread was still warm....

The Larder

91-93 St John Street
Clerkenwell
London
EC1M 4NU

http://www.thelarderrestaurant.com/