While in a shop in Bury St Edmunds the other week, I traded lunch recommendations with the guy working behind the counter. He raved about Hatters Sandwich Bar: a tiny place on Hatter Street that I’d never actually visited.
When I told him this, the response was, “you NEED to!”
“The sandwiches are enormous, the ladies behind the counter are really friendly, and there’s loads of choice”, he said. “They make their own cakes, too.”
I was sold.
The frontage is tiny. Once you get inside, you’re right by the counter, loaded with all manner of sandwich fillings. There’s a seating area at the back (currently closed), and a menu on the wall detailing a bewildering array of choices.
There was so much choice that I asked the two ladies behind the counter what the most popular sandwich fillings were.
“The crayfish is flying out”, one said. “People love the jerk chicken, and the pesto & parmesan chicken is popular, too.”
The latter sounded good to me. I chose a large bap (granary, though white was also available), plus lettuce and cucumber. That came to £4.45, and I added a bottle of Coke Zero for another £1.90.
“Oh those look good”, I said, spotting the stack of brownies and blondies in the chiller cabinet while I was waiting for my sandwich. “We make them all in-house”, said one of the ladies. It would have been rude not to try one, wouldn’t it? I added a Bakewell blondie to my order for a further £3.
It was hard to see exactly how large the “large bap” was while they were filling the sandwich, but when I unwrapped it, I discovered that the description certainly wasn’t wrong. This thing was enormous – just half of it was enough for my lunch, and I donated the other half to my husband. Definitely the biggest sandwiches I’ve found in Bury St Edmunds so far!
To put it into perspective, that plate isn’t a side plate – it’s a dinner plate.
The salad was lovely and fresh, the filling generous. The chicken was tender, and there was no scrimping on either the pesto or parmesan. That granary bap was lovely too: soft, fresh and flavourful. What a bargain for £4.45!
And the Bakewell blondie? Perhaps a bit underbaked, but with its large splodges of jam, flaked almonds on top and frangipane flavour throughout, it was delicious.
In Bury St Edmunds – as everywhere – the supermarket meal deal is undeniably a popular lunch choice. When you’ve got the option of a freshly made, highly customisable sandwich at a great price from a lovely team instead, though, it’s a no-brainer. I’ll definitely be heading back to Hatters Sandwich Bar again soon!