3:37pm Saturday 12th April 2008
By Jane Lavender
CHEF Tom Bridge has created one of the world's most expensive sandwiches - all in the name of charity.
The 58-year-old best-selling cookery writer has devised the double-decker sarnie, which costs almost £1,500 to make.
It contains some of the world's most luxurious ingredients, including lobster tail, caviar and white truffle butter.
Four auctions across the globe, including one in London next month, will be held, for a quarter share of the exotic sandwich, which will be recreated by Bolton chef Mr Bridge at the home of the highest bidder.
Money raised will go to the Fred Hollows Foundation, a charity which is aiming to eradicate blindness in developing countries through simple surgery and medication and by training local people to treat eye conditions.
Mr Bridge, who lives in Blackrod, said: "Each of the four corners of the sandwich will be auctioned across the globe. I was set the challenge of creating the world's most extreme sandwich and I think we've done a really good job.
"I wanted to do something that utilised something completely different, which is how I came up with the idea for seafood. No-one could recreate this."
Many of the ingredients used in the sandwich have had to be shipped in from across the world - all free of charge.
The white truffle butter, which costs £450 for just 250 grams, had to be flown in from Italy, the Beluga caviar cost £450 and the strawberry and champagne salsa was a whopping £140 for 50 grams.
But one ingredient was sourced locally. The lobster used in the sandwich was bought in Bolton Market.
And Mr Bridge hopes to use other local suppliers when he puts together the butty to be auctioned.
One of the auctions will take place at the British Sandwich Association's national "Sammie" awards in London in May.
It is not the first time Mr Bridge has made a meal with a difference.
In 2006 he created the world's most expensive cheese on toast, which used L'Aquila White Umbria truffles, costing £1,400 a kilo, and Matsutake Chinese Mushrooms, priced at £250 per lb and are harvested under armed guard.
He also used local bread, Warburtons. To unveil the pricey snack, Leicester Square in London was transformed into Lancashire Square for the day, to celebrate the use of local cheeses in the cheese on toast.
Later that year, the chef made a £2,000 pizza, made up of shredded Mozzarella, costly Japanese Wagyu beef fillet, Matsutake mushrooms and finely chopped Umbrian truffles.
What ingredients you would need to make Tom's £1,500 sarnie
l L'Aquila white truffle butter.
l Eight slices of Waterfields corn bread.
l Four slices of white bread.
l One medium head of little gem lettuce.
l 12 hard-boiled quail eggs.
l Two medium, vine-ripe tomoatoes, cut into wedges.
l Eight chargrilled Formby asparagus tips.
l 80g Sarnies strawberry and champagne salsa.
l 200g wild red salmon.
l L'Aquila sliced red and yellow peppers.
l 200g Phillips cooked crab meat.
l 200g lobster tail, thinly sliced.
l 15g Beluga caviar.
l 40g Glennans vegetable crisps, crushed.
l Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper.
l Wedge of lemon.
For the dressing you would need:
l 30ml extra-virgin olive oil.
l 30ml L'Aquila 25-year-old balsamic syrup.
l 15ml Dijon mustard.
l One garlic clove, crushed.
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