The unusual butties that take us back to our childhoods growing up in Manchester

Is there any food that isn't improved by slapping it between two slices of bread? Here in Greater Manchester we've even made a delicacy out of the concept, with our very own Wigan Kebab, pie in a barm.

But many growing up in the region will also remember tucking into some more unusual sandwich concoctions to stave off hunger. Some were born out of quickness - others have their roots firmly in austerity or the rationing of ingredients during and after the war.

These days, if you fancy a sandwich there's a wealth of options to be found pre-packaged in supermarkets, or fillings ready made to go. But the sarnies included in this list you'd be unlikely to find in the chiller cabinets of Tesco, Asda or part of your Boots meal deal.

Not on fancy bread like sourdough or a panini, most of these fillings would have been slapped between two pieces of white bread. In fact it's likely the butties listed below, while many Mancunians will remember eating during their childhood, today's kids will never have tasted.

Whenever we have run a story on nostalgic snacks in the past, M.E.N readers have taken to the comments to tell us their own favourite childhood sandwich fillings, some of which we have included below. So take a look through our list and let us know in the comments if we missed out your particular favourite.

Sugar

Generations of Mancunians will remember having a sugar butty as an afterschool snack. The sugar was typically sprinkled between two slices of white bread and slathered with butter or, more commonly, margarine.

Sugar butties are another snack thought to have developed to satisfy a sweet craving during rationing in the Second World War, however, it seems they were popular even earlier. In an edition of the Manchester Evening News in May 1936, one contributor to the Miss Manchester Diary section wrote: "'Sugar butties' were the delight of our childhood, too. We used to love the crackly feeling of the sugar with the softness of the bread, as well as the sweetness."

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Banana

A Banana sandwich
A classic banana butty -Credit:John Ewing/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Decades ago, Mancunians will remember enjoying everything from sugar butties to a banana sandwich. Nicknamed by some as a "narnie sarnie," a banana chopped finely or even mashed on two rounds of bread is still considered a classic to many.

When the M.E.N ran a previous story on banana butties, several readers commented to reveal the very particular way they enjoyed them. This included mashing the banana, or serving with Nutella, peanut butter or even a crack of black pepper.

Toast Toppers

4p off Heinz Toast Toppers. A 1970s magazine advert, courtesy of Carter Collectables
A 1970s magazine advert for Heinz Toast Toppers -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle/ Carter Collectables

More a topping than a filling, Toast Toppers were a staple for many families throughout the 1970s and 1980s thanks to their ease and cheapness. The cans of creamy food came in many varieties, including chicken and mushroom, cheese and ham and mushroom and bacon. And they required nothing more than spreading on toast and popping under the grill.

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Yet although they might have disappeared from supermarkets in 2015, customers have never forgotten them. One Facebook group in particular has amassed at least 3,000 followers all keen to see the return of Toast Toppers.

Manchester-based Aimee Foy runs the popular Toast Toppers Facebook group and explained why there is still such a desire for them. She told Sky News: "It was just a really nice but versatile snack. Like a lot of people, I have really nostalgic memories of having it as a teenager."

Crisp

Perhaps one of the easiest and most common snacks of convenience, many have reached for a crisp butty to quieten a grumbling stomach. Again, paired with lashing of butter or margarine, the snack can satisfy a craving for something quick and savoury.

But it also begs the question, what kind of crisp? Cheese and onion or salt and vinegar, or something else entirely? And should it be a traditional flat potato crisp or something more ostentatious like Quavers or Monster Munch?

Dripping

The thought of dipping your piece of bread in fat and calling it a snack might make some feel nauseous, but not so for older generations of Mancunians. Years ago, jars full of dripping would sit on top of kitchen stoves and counters.

Referred to as a dripping butty, drip bread or bread and dripping, families would keep leftover meat dripping - animal fat - such as beef or pork for the sandwiches. During times when every ingredient was invaluable and not to go to waste, many would have the likes of a beef dripping butty with a sprinkle of salt for a snack.

Sauce

And when we say sauce we mean nothing fancy - just tomato ketchup or classic brown sauce. Well if you do feel fancy then there was of course a bottle of salad cream or jar of piccalilli.

But in pinch and when options were limited, a sauce butty would do. In a previous story on favourite childhood snacks, one reader posted: "It was anything in the cupboard on bread when I was a kid, piccalilli, red sauce, brown sauce - anything what didn't need to be cooked."

Condensed milk

These unusual sounding butties were a staple part of many a childhood. Consisting of sweetened condensed milk on white bread, for some, this was the closest thing you could get to a sweet treat.

Many children who grew up during WWII and the years that followed will have memories of this unusual butty - with younger generations not even being able to imagine trying it.

Spam

SPAM was created by Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937
Spam became popular during WWI -Credit:Getty Images

An absolute staple, particularly during the Second World War and in the years after, this classic delicacy made a fine meal slapped between two slices of bread. This canned meat made of pork shoulder and ham has become iconic over the years, featuring in a memorable Monty Python sketch where the word Spam was repeated many times.

As well as being a sandwich staple, Spam has found itself being included in many recipes including Spam Hash and deep-fried Spam fritters. Still going strong, many adults are still partial to a Spam butty.

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Deep fried jam butty

Of course, a classic jam butty would have to make the list. Whether that's some of the classic fruits - strawberry, plum, raspberry or even lemon curd.

But over the years, people have experimented by dropping unusual foodstuffs into their deep fat fryers, especially those with a sweet tooth. And while it's commonly known that in parts of Scotland the deep fried Mars bar has become something of a national dish, there have been similar experiments closer to home.

Some people remember loving a deep fried jam sandwich as a tasty treat back in the day. Recipes for making battered jam butties, or jam fritters, can easily be found with a quick search on Google.

In an article in the Guardian in July 2023, Karen Dyson from Manchester reminisced about the sweet treat saying: "Well, I don’t know about 'interesting' or 'adventurous' … but I do know that deep-fried jam sandwiches are delicious. My mother used to make them for us in the early 1970s. She called them 'poor man’s doughnuts', and says she got the recipe from my grandma."