I am on record as declaring that English cheese is best. But I would maintain to my dying day that American sandwiches are the very best. What is a sandwich without lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, french fries and hand made mayonnaise? So here is my fleeting advice for you.

Virginia

• Ingredients: Sliced brown bread (rye or pumpernickel for me), a fresh tuna steak, olive oil, a green onion, lettuce, tomatoes, a pickled dill cucumber, lemon, potatoes, sea salt and black pepper.

• Method: Gently sauté your tuna steak in shreds of green onion, olive oil and seasoning. Then set it aside. Chop up some potatoes, sprinkle them with olive oil (you may prefer something lighter), flakes of salt and a turn of black pepper. Put them under the grill. Turn them occasionally until they are as crisp as you would like. Whip up a lemon mayonnaise – just beat an egg yolk, dribbling in your olive oil. When the emulsion is thick and gleaming, squeeze in some drops of fresh lemon juice. So now you’ve got your tuna, mayonnaise and un deep-fried french fries. All you have to do is assemble your sandwich. I like slices of pickle inside my sandwich, along with my lettuce and tomatoes, you may prefer pickle on the side.

I say tomato, you say…

There it is. I am very happy today. I hope that you are too.