We’ve had plenty of foodie features in The Club over the past 50 issues, including our once-regular slot where we challenged a well-known chef to create their twist on the classic room-service staple, a Club Sandwich. Here’s a look back on some of the most taste-tingling

The pulled-pork one
Who? Marcus Wareing, two-Michelin-starred chef and MasterChef judge
The twist: Classic club staples such as thick-cut white bloomer bread, salty butter, crispy bacon and garlic-and-mustard mayonnaise, plus a good helping of pulled pork spiced with star anise and ginger (pictured below).
Favourite Club Sandwich? My favourite so far was on a skiing trip with my sons, when we stayed at the Crans Ambassador Hotel in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

The Mexican one
Who? Thomasina Miers, MasterChef winner and co-founder of Wahaca
The twist: When I wrote my first Mexican cookbook, I put a torta recipe in there, and I described it as a Mexican Club Sandwich (pictured below). It’s layered with smashed avocado, refried beans, pickles, meat, tomato, lettuce and chipotle mayonnaise.
Favourite Club Sandwich? If you mention the word torta to any chilango (local) in Mexico City, you’re likely to see a misty, faraway look come over them as they are transported back to the torta stands that line the capital’s streets. These sandwiches are not for the fainthearted, but they are exceedingly good.

The teriyaki one
Who? Ken Hom, chef, author and TV presenter
The twist: Make sure all the sandwich elements are as crisp as possible, from the bread and bacon to the lettuce. Marinate chicken thighs in teriyaki sauce before cooking, and add chilli flakes, chives, spring onions and truffle salt.
Favourite Club Sandwich? My all-time favourite is at The Dorchester in London. It ticks all the boxes, and I like to pair it with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne.

The roast duck one
Who? Ching-he Huang, Taiwanese-born British chef, TV presenter and food writer
The twist: The Chinese are obsessed with kou-gan (‘mouth feel’). Keep the crunchy, crisp textures on the inside by toasting granary bread on one side, keeping the outside soft. Also, use hoisin roast duck for the filling, with an orange marmalade to give it a bitter, zesty sweetness (pictured below).
Favourite Club Sandwich? I was surprised to find one at a breakfast stall in Hong Kong near Central, and at Banyan Tree Sanya in Hainan – even though it’s a five-star international hotel, I wasn’t expecting to see it on any menu in China.

The Spanish one
Who? Ben Tish, chef, author and former chef director of the Salt Yard Group
The twist: I like to add jamón ibérico de bellota – cured ham from black-hoof pigs – and grate some aged manchego cheese to make it super-deluxe. The bread must be fresh and white, but doesn’t have to be super-fancy because I wouldn’t want it to detract from the other flavours.
Favourite Club Sandwich? The Ace Hotel in New York does a great one, it’s fresh and has good-quality ingredients. The chicken breast is pan-fried and moist, the bacon thick-cut and the mayo homemade – and, most importantly, the toast is crisp. 

Have an opinion on The Club that you’d like to share? Let us know

This article has been tagged Food + Drink, Culture