Summer Sandwich Preview

It's safe to say that Manchester has well and truly jumped on the Copenhagen-esque bandwagon of pastry over the last few years or so, but amidst the usually IG'able yet actually average crowd, is the always excellent Half Dozen Other.

Run by the same guys who are behind Pot Kettle Black, it's great to see genuinely quality bakes suddenly become so accessible in the city at one of their branches.  Whether you're after a great loaf, a lovely cookie or a full on pastry, HDO have your back.

So, we got wind via of Half Dozen Other's new seasons sandwich offering via an invitation to try them out first hand, so we headed down to their very lovely Circle Square café to take a closer look in person, and had high  hopes based on our above admiration.

As soon as we entered, the butties were clocked in the fridges where all the other pastries and usual sweet treats also reside.  There's a nice little selection with a solid variety of bread styles, from focaccia, to subs, to proper buns, so something for all tastes and filling types, because different filling better suit different bread types Afterall.  I told you that HDO do things properly.

We had our usual look at all the pastries on offer, since if you're visiting to grab a sandwich then it only makes sense to indulge in a bit of sweetness too right?  As you expect from HDO, the range of pastry is exceptional whether you want a croissant, Pain au Raisin, Pain Suisse, etc. 

Sandwich wise, the Spicy Tuna Sub (£7) was just a great bite.  Lovely baguette style bread with a generous filling of tuna, freshness from shredded lettuce, all rounded off with the bite and acidity of some onion which balanced off that rich tuna and its mayo-based dressing.  Stunning.

HDO's Caesar Bun (£7) still looked stunning even after making it back to the office following a short walk!  Another lovely bit of bread making with plenty of chicken, fresh lettuce, just the right amount of dressing, and a ton of shaved Parm to finish the classic Caesar flavour profile. 

After the aforementioned nosey, we picked out a couple of sweet goodies along with our sandwiches, all to go as we were sadly in a bit of a rush.  But HDO's cookies are always unmissable, along with a hefty slab of a rotating special, which is this case was Bailey's chocolate orange pudding.  I can assure you that it was as delicious as it sounds.

We also ordered a couple of iced coffees, available with a variety of milks and flavours, served in ring pull cans which are freshly prepared and canned up in house, using a fancy machine.  These are perfect to go, as they avoid the usual balancing act of carrying a couple of regular coffee cups, and it's just something a bit different! 

So, as if it was ever in doubt, Half Dozen Other's new sandwiches are as great as the rest of their products.  Properly made, great tasting, and good value for the quality and size.  And as a bonus, they even travel well if you want to go down the grab and go route as we did.

Whether you want an al desco lunch as we did on this occasion, or if you'd prefer to either eat in or head off and have a mini picnic somewhere else, Half Dozen Other's sandwiches are the perfect lunch.  Head down to try them yourself.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **