Food News with Christine Rutter

WHEN it comes to tasty snacks, the butties at Nibbles Sandwich Bar in Blackburn are rated as some of the best in Britain.

The small shop in Cherry Tree has received nationwide acclaim for its lunchtime bites after being named in the list of the top 20 independent sandwich bars in Britain out of thousands of hopefuls.

The judges said of Nibbles: "The food quality is high, freshness good and very good value for money. The management is good and service smooth. The staff are friendly. They all help with the order and always offer a smile with a delicious meal."

Nibbles owner Susan Pateman was as surprised as anyone when she heard she had been shortlisted for the honour, run by The British Sandwich Association.

Susan, 38, who is married to Gerald, said: "I had no idea I was in the running for the competition until I got a phone call to say a customer had nominated me for the award. It is very flattering that we have come in the top 20 in the country. It shows we are doing something right." What started out four years ago as a tiny nest-egg for former computer operator Susan has transformed into a thriving business.

The mother-of-three said: "I had always been into outside catering and entertaining at home. I had had enough of my job as a computer operator and wanted a change. The shop was supposed to be a little retirement venture but it has gone from strength to strength. It is really hard work now."

Hardly surprising considering the sandwiches are tasty and as whopping as the shop's success. The bread comes in all shapes and tastes, from French baguettes to sunflower seed-encrusted teacakes, and the butties are bursting at the seams with fresh salad, subtly-flavoured coleslaw and a range of "sensible" fillings. "I don't have any silly sandwiches, like double decker cheese and gherkin," said Susan. "I concentrate on the sensible ones like ham, prawn, beef, cheese. That sort of thing."

She employs two part-time staff to help out at rush hours when the shop has punters queueing outside the door.

Susan's secret for a successful sandwich is refusing to compromise on quality, which regularly leaves her with a bigger slice of bills.

She said: "The top and bottom of it is the quality of the stuff I use to make a sandwich. I maintain certain standards. I could buy meat at half the price but I want the best."

The joint overall winners of The Sandwich Bar of the Year award were Chateau du Pain in Southampton and La Baguette du Jour in Swansea.

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