Revealed: This Is How Britain Makes Bacon Sandwiches

It’s a British breakfast staple, and go-to hangover cure for sure, but how exactly do the great British public make their bacon sandwiches?

New research on the bacon sandwich or ‘butty’ has found the best formula for making the perfect one. Following a survey of just over two thousand people, it turns out that the ideal bacon sandwich for Britons is made in the following way:

Bacon: smoked, and specifically, three slices of it.
Bread: A soft, fluffy, white bread roll is the most popular bread of choice for conveying the bacon safely to your mouth.
Sauce: It has to be the rich tangy spice of brown sauce.

Sauces for courses

44% of people said that brown sauce makes a bacon sandwich, compared to 36% who preferred tomato ketchup. 11% opted for no sauce at all, while a baffling 4% admitted to using BBQ sauce! What the hell?!

What do you call a bread roll?

Depending on where you are in the UK, a sandwich made from a bread roll will have a different name, and the survey found that in the south of England bacon bap or roll was the most common, which in the north west of the country, is called a bacon barm. The Midlands meanwhile opt for cob. North of the border in Scotland, it’s called a bacon bridie, buttery or rowie. Butty is a British colloquialism for any kind of buttered sandwich, particularly if the filling is a hot one, such as bacon or even better, a chip (French fry) butty.

How do you make yours?

So how do you make your bacon sandwich? Are you a fan of streaky or back bacon? Bread rolls or sliced white? And where do you stand on the whole brown vs red sauce issue? Let us know in the comments box below.

The research was carried out by IronmongeryDirect, as part of their nationwide hunt for Britain’s best bacon butty.

You might also like: The Best Bacon Sandwiches in London

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.