Deluxe, restaurant-quality sandwiches have become a national obsession. Here’s why tuna mayo will never be the same again

It’s a weekday lunchtime and about 30 people, mostly millennials in fashionable hiking trainers, are milling around in an alleyway off London’s Hackney Road. The scent of a wood-fired oven wafts in as everyone waits for the sandwich they preordered the night before; a maximum of 200 will be sold. Rogue Sarnies isn’t the only sandwich place taking preorders these days. Eric’s and Chatsworth Bakehouse, both in London, and Fat Pat’s in Manchester do it too. It speaks to the prudence of the operators – wasting as little as possible – and confirms the sandwich as a status symbol, something to post about for clout, replacing burgers and joining baked goods as items to display in foodies’ social media feeds.

Sahil Patel and two friends, who live nearby, have been to Rogue Sarnies every Thursday for a month, working their way through the menu. “We normally get four sandwiches and share,” Patel says. “There’s a new one today, the bolognese.” All agree that their favourite so far is a stir-fry pork number. The sandwiches are stacked and made with wood-fired bread similar to a crisp pizza base. They also cost north of £10, but “it’s like a three-course meal in one bite”, Patel says.