In the distant past, people, even those in trendy city offices, were required to send the most junior office member out to a nearby deli to obtain lunch for their more important, busier colleagues.

These put-upon members of the office community soon spotted an opportunity to advance themselves. So they handed in their notice and started slicing bread rolls of their own, selling sandwiches to their old work colleagues... for a profit.

The Sandwich Van

Early examples of the sandwich van were first spotted in London during the 1980s. In this primitive form, they took the shape of a ridiculously cheerful sandwich delivery person* equipped with the kind of apparatus normally seen hung about the neck of a cinema usherette, only filled with sandwiches, rather than ice cream.

As technology moved on, the sandwich delivery people obtained small vans to transport their wares ever further afield. By the early '90s, these vans had reached the provinces, and everyone could consign their egg sandwich-based packed lunches to the bin, much to the relief of their co-workers, who were compelled to live with the consequences of massive egg consumption at lunchtime.

The Sandwich Vans

Further evolution saw the sandwich van begin hunting in packs. The first would arrive at around 9.30am; the inhabitants of the office would purchase their brie and grape baguettes, and sit them on their desk. Round about 10.30am they would give up the struggle and eat them. At 11am, the second van would arrive, and everyone, feeling hungry again, would purchase a second lunch, which they would eat at about 11.30am.

This could be repeated all afternoon, and the employees formerly lowest on the food-chain now made a killing from their increasingly obese erstwhile colleagues.

The End of an Era

As the 1990s went on, global competition compelled these independent sandwich vendors to merge, until only one mega-sandwich corporation remained, disguised as multiple small retailers to maintain the pretence of a flexible, personalised service. Economies of scale demanded that the sandwich options were now whittled down to a single, cheap, mass-produced offering, which explains why, when you get to the van these days, all that's left is a single, stale, barbecued sausage and tomato sauce roll.