What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Sandwich, sausage roll have me appreciating the simple pleasures of life

I often get excited about the little things in life. You could say it doesn’t take much to make me happy. From reading the column, you probably know I’m a bit of a foodie. Yes, I like making it, but more importantly, I like eating it. One of the main reasons I decided to learn about making my way around the kitchen was primarily to become proficient in making the meals I really enjoy. But my two favourite go-tos when it comes to food are the humble sausage roll and good old sandwich. At my place of work, I have a standard lunch order each day of a sandwich. And here’s the exciting part. Everyday, I have a surprise sandwich. To explain, I mention to the ladies in the canteen what I definitely don’t want in my sandwich, but otherwise it’s a pretty general brief. Recently, I unwrapped my sanger (it is like opening a gift) and was pleasantly surprised to find beetroot had been included with my ham, tomato and cheese. “You ripper”, I thought. You might chuckle at the simplicity of my joy, but I reckon you know where I am coming from. There is no doubt that the Earl of Sandwich was certainly on to something way back in 1762. It’s believed the Earl fostered popularity of this type of meal, when he asked for meat to be served between two slices of bread. According to open-sandwich.co.uk, it was suggested to avoid interrupting a gambling game. Wow. Hasn’t the sandwich come a long way since then? Today, I’m a big fan of the celebrated club sandwich, a dining special that can come in so many different machinations. Sausage rolls are indeed another favourite. The idea of wrapping sausage meat in pastry and baking it is nothing short of a masterstroke, in my opinion. Whether bought from a bakery, knocked up at home or supermarket bought, eating sausage rolls — like a sandwich — can also be an adventure. Loads of onion, or inclusions of sweet chilli and barbecue sauce, breadcrumbs or no breadcrumbs, big, small, or cut from a loaf, they are never the same. And they are so easy to put together, with imagination being the only limitation. Good, flaky pastry, perhaps, is my only proviso. For me, the simple pleasures in life are the best, especially when it comes to food. While I’m thinking about it, maybe I should also include caesar salad. Talk about culinary surprises. I have never had one the same, but maybe I can expand on that another time. Bon appetit. Peter Fiorenza hosts Sports Shed on Saturday (9am to noon) and Fiorenza on Sunday (10am to noon) on Radio MAMA