Bite Margins - Snacks and sandwiches should be more than just an afterthought.

Snacks and sandwiches should be more than just an afterthought, says Richard Fox. They can be delicious, exotic and cost-effective

Here's a statistic to chew on: the most popular "meal" consumed in the home in this country is the ham sandwich. While convenience must certainly be a key factor - I estimate about eight seconds from start to finish with pre-sliced packaged ham, sliced bread and a thin spread of marge - it cannot disguise ourlove of the grain-based butty.

I reckon if, in the same amount of time, the population could carve wedges of freerange,cured pork; layer them generously on a doorstep of freshly-baked wholegrain with a side serving of home-made piccalilli,the local chippy could be under serious threat. Throw in a bottle of Sam Smith's organic best ale and you'd never leave the house again.

The message to pub chefs and hosts everywhere then, is take on board the nation's passion for the buttie and make it quite simply irresistible. As I know from my professional cooking days, one of the great misconceptions about chefs' dining habits is that, unless it has taken hours to prepare, cost the earth and cannot possibly be replicated by anyone with fewer than several slave-driven years on the professional stove, we're not interested. Wrong.

Give me a perfectly-executed bacon sarnie over a poorly-made crab soufflé any day. In fact, give me a perfectly-executed bacon sarnie over a well-made crab soufflé.

Another reason to embrace the sandwich concept is that we are increasingly demanding of our time /quality experience. In other words, we want higher quality in less time. The sandwich concept offers the opportunity to deliver the finest quality ingredients - saddleback pork, home-made chutneys, 28-day hung beef, farmhouse cheeses, free-range eggs, etc - in perfect harmony in just a few minutes.

But it's not all about expensive ingredients - tapping into that comfort-loving,homely psyche of the ham sandwich can build reputations and higher profits. One of my favourite brunches whenever I'm in London is a fish-finger buttie from Smiths of Smithfield. Under the guidance of internationally respected Aussie chef John Thorode, this is no greasy-spoon operation. I've developed my own version with the addition of a layer of mayonnaise and garden peas. Believe me, it's a gastronomic experience.

The sandwich is also a great way to get on the exotic, or ethnic bandwagon without making your core menu look like an international dog's dinner. It's just a matter of thinking outside the breadbox.

Take the Mexican quesadilla as a case in point.Lets face it, every high-street sandwich outlet from Pret à Manger to M&S can't be wrong. You don't even need to stick to Mexican-style fillings. Smoked chicken and pesto, smoked salmon and scrambled egg and just about anything else that pops into your head can be easily accommodated in this user-friendly, edible tube.

Experimenting with different breads is a great way to give your sandwich menu a gourmet feel. Brushettas, Scandinavian rye breads and toasted bagels are just a snapshot of the variety of bases or wrappings now readily available.

Given our penchant for cutlery-free eating,(although a 6oz sirloin baguette with caramelised onions, watercress and red wine may offer a challenge), the snack concept is a natural progression. For me, this is "out of hours eating" whereas the sandwich is most definitely a meal in itself.

The mantras for snack success, therefore, must be "temptation", "naughty but nice" or quite simply, "can't say no". Snacks are crowd pleasers, footie favourites, and midafternoon alcohol soakers. And while tapping into the homely psyche works for thesandwich, it's the opposite for snacks.Snacks are very much about the psychology of sharing, particularly as they're so often consumed at non-traditional eating times, and therefore based on an individual's unpredictable whims. It's important to realise that, although an individual may be hungry, they will suppress this desire in a group situation if they think they'll be acting alone. However, hunger is a powerful persuader and, while solo dining is not part of the group mentality, an individual chomping at the bit can often turn general opinion in the face of "platters to share".

South-east Asia has some of the best cuisine for the "seduce and share" approach - there's generally something for everyone,from the more risqué sushi and sashimi through to the familiar-as-chips deep-fried prawns. Throw in a few tempuras of vegetables,and some Thai fishcakes (a great way to use up leftover fish trimmings), and "just say no" won't enter the vocabulary of the borderline punter.

Mediterranean mezzes are another great temptation, particularly approaching spring when thoughts turn to summer holidays and trimmer figures. And while silky dips of aubergine and goat's cheese, home-made hummus and golden, crispy, deep-fried calamari shake people out of their winter torpor, the Mexican platter can kick-start an afternoon into fullon party mode. So the sharing is really a nobrainer, and should be a highscoring dish on the profit front.

Costs are split between a group and there is the same perception of quantity v price as there is with the traditional starter, main course and dessert. Single snacks, however, are a little more complicated and perhaps here we should look to Spain for inspiration.

The Spanish are truly masters of bar snacking - in fact, their entire dining experience is based around it. You'll be hard pushed to find a single bar in the whole of Andalusia that doesn't have a tempting array of snack-sized dishes (and more often than not, on view in a refrigerated display), available all day. So I say, don't try to re-invent the wheel, just copy the Spanish. Bring on the tapas.

In fact, you don't even need to increase your purchasing, prep or menu. Simply serve the menu in smaller portions. This might seem a little simplistic, but when you think about it, virtually any dish can be downsized - just do away with the veg garnishes, or serve them as a vegetarian tapa. Chunks of meat can be sliced into more manageable finger sized pieces, while wedges of brie or camembert can be cubed and deep-fried.And, as far as sharing goes, you'll find them as popular as the purpose-made platters mentioned above.

In these days of ever-increasing overheads, stiffer competition and looming,longer opening hours, food and maximising profits from it are becoming increasingly important. The bottom line is, if you're open, and you're not offering it, you can't sell it.

While this may seem a little too much of "the bleeding obvious", it's surprising on how many occasions outlets turn down the punters' money because "we've stopped serving" - even though there are still staff in the kitchen and bar and the food is in the fridge.Of course downtime is required for prep and re-stocking and, while extending kitchen hours can be a bit of a chicken and egg situation as far as making it cost-effective, the sandwich and snack plan is most definitely food for thought.