Vegan Cheese Ploughman's Sandwich

Name: Vegan Cheese Ploughman's Sandwich
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 baguette baton (roll, bap or two slices of bread); 2-3 tsp vegan mayo; handful salad leaves; 2-3 slices vegan cheese (sliced lengthways); 1 ripe tomato (sliced); 1/2 apple (sliced); 2 tbsp vegan coleslaw; 2 tbsp sandwich pickle (or chutney

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This vegan cheese ploughman's sandwich is a dairy-free take on the classic British favourite. Filled with vegan cheddar, crisp salad, tangy pickle and a few optional extras, it's packed with contrasting flavours and textures that make every bite delicious.

Based on a traditional Cheese Ploughman's Lunch, this hearty sandwich is the perfect option for lunch at home, a Work Packed Lunch or School Lunch Boxes.

Vegan Cheese Ploughman's Sandwich on baguette served with an apple and orange juice.

While ploughman's sandwiches are easy to find in cafes and supermarkets across the UK, vegan versions are surprisingly rare. Luckily, they're incredibly easy to make at home and even better because you can customise them.

⭐ Why You'll Love This Sandwich

It's ready in 5 minutes
No cooking required
Great for packed lunches
Inspired by a classic British pub lunch
Easy to vary the flavours
Perfect combination of sweet, savoury and crunchy

At-a-Glance - Ploughman's Sandwich

⏲️ Ready in: 5 minutes
👪 Serves: 1
🍽 Calories: 391
🧾 Main ingredients: Bread (piece of baguette, roll or crusty baton), vegan cheese, salad & pickle
👩🏻‍🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian & gluten-free (if you use gluten-free bread)

If you are looking for a filling lunch that packs in lots of flavour, this is the sandwich for you.

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⭐ Why You'll Love This Sandwich
At-a-Glance - Ploughman's Sandwich
🥗 A Ploughman's Lunch
📋 The Ingredients You Need
🍏 Variations to the sandwich
👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Ploughman's Sandwich
💭 Keeping the apple fresh
💭 FAQs
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💬 Comments

🥗 A Ploughman's Lunch

A Ploughman's Lunch is a classic pub lunch which can be a substantial salad or served as a sandwich.

It sounds like a really old-fashioned one, doesn't it? You might envision a rather handsome, tanned farmer, with sleeves rolled up, flexing his muscles as he guides a plough. Yes, take a minute to visualise that! Oh OK, is that just me?

The term 'ploughman's lunch' appeared in print way back in 1394*, but it would have been just cheese, bread and beer.

The modern version of the ploughman's lunch actually comes from a marketing promotion* dreamt up by the Brewers' Society and the Cheese Bureau in 1957 to promote their wares. They served bread, cheese, pickles and salad with beer for invited city gents to dine on.

It may have started as a marketing promotion, but it has been popular pub fayre ever since.

📋 The Ingredients You Need

This plant-based sandwich is made with simple ingredients with a few optional extras.

Cheese ploughman's sandwich ingredients including bread, salad, cheese and pickle.

Bread - tradtionally served on crusty bread, you could serve it on baguette, a crispy baton, bloomer's bread, sourdough or regular white or brown bread
Mayo - the original sandwich is spread with butter (or vegan butter), but I sometimes spread it with mayo instead
Pickle - the pickle we traditionally use is called Branston pickle or sandwich pickle, not the dill pickles (pickled gherkins) you might first think of, it's a fruity chutney with a kick of vinegar and no overly sweet (for a twist, try it with my Homemade Rhubarb Chutney)

These are the basics, but scroll down to the recipe for my ultimate cheese ploughman's sandwich.

a ploughman's sandwich made on a baguette with added apple slices and slaw.

🍏 Variations to the sandwich

The classic combo is banging, but here are a few extras that can be added to vary the flavours and fill out the sandwich.

Slices of cucumber
Finely sliced spring onion - also called green onions/scallions
Finely sliced red onion
Slices of apple - a ploughman's lunch is often served with apple, so it's a good addition
Slices of pear - as an alternative
Coleslaw - try this gorgeous Dill Slaw
Crisps (chips) - sandwiches are alwasy good with a crunch of crisps, although this isn't traditional

readers photo of vegan cheese ploughman's sandwich

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Ploughman's Sandwich

These step-by-step photos show you how easy it is to make the best plant-based ploughman's sandwich; scroll down for the full recipe.

British cheese plpughman's sandwich -step 1 - spread bread with butter or mayo and top with salad leaves,

Step 1: Spread your chunk of baguette (baton or roll) with mayo or butter and top with salad leaves.

British Ploughman's Sandwich - step 2 - add slices of tomato.

Step 2: Next, add slices of juicy ripe tomatoes; you can season them with salt & pepper if you like.

British Ploughman's Sandwich step 3 - add slices of cheese.

Step 3: Next, add slices of vegan cheddar; I slice them to fit.

British Ploughman's Sandwich step 4 - now add slices of apple.

Step 4: Then add slices of apple for crunch.

British Ploughman's Sandwich step 5 - add coleslaw.

Step 5: We are going off piste here and adding slaw, but so, so good!

Step 6: Spread the top of the sandwich with pickle or chutney.

Jac's Top Tip

💭 Keeping the apple fresh

If you aren't eating the sandwich right away, toss the apple slices in lemon juice to help prevent them browning, before you add them to the sandwich.

💭 FAQs

What's the best bread to use for a ploughman's sandwich?

It's a personal choice, but baguette, sourdough bread, wholemeal bread, seeded bread or a soft brown roll are all good options.

What's the best cheese to use in a ploughman's sandwich?

A mature vegan cheddar is the best option for this sandwich. It needs to have flavour.

Can I make it the night before?

You can, but it's best to add the pickle just before you serve it or the sandwich could be soggy.

Why add apple?

Adding apple to the sandwich adds sweetness and crunch that works well with the cheese and pickle. Shop-bought sandwiches skip the apple, but it's well worth adding.

Why add slaw?

Coleslaw gives a creamy bite and adds an indulgent finish to the sandwich, but it's completely optional whether you add it to a ploughamn's sandwich or not.

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