Oklahoma, Northern Quarter, Manchester. Indie sarnies

Oklahoma is hidden away in the back streets of Manchester's creative, cultural, artsy Northern Quarter. It's a super indie cafe, come querky gift shop, come foreign film rental. Full of vintage, kitsch charm the cafe is full of mismatched retro furniture and old fashioned plates and cups. Oklahoma serves a nice selection sandwiches, jacket potatoes, cakes and teas, perfect for a lunch or late afternoon snack. The food is mostly vegetarian apart from the odd slice of salami here and there. I went for the Mozzarella, red pepper and rocket toasted sandwich. The crunchy toasted bread perfectly contrasted the lovely smooth, melted mozzarella, while the sweet peppers, still with a nice bit of crunch, worked beautifully with the salty cheese and peppery rocket. Very nice indeed!

BagelMan, The Lanes, Brighton. You can keep your bagels, sir!

BagelMan is situated on Bond Street, one of the streets that makes up Brighton's fantastic, uber trendy 'lanes'. After a morning perusing the record shops and vintage stores (or not), BagelMan makes a great lunch spot. But as you may have gathered, I was not there for a bagel. I had heard that word on the street (or should that be lane) is that Bagelman makes a mean falafel - so naturally this had to be investigated. The street did not lie, this was a falafel and a half. Lovingly crafted, the falafel balls were carefully arranged with the tomato and cucumber inside a soft, slightly toasted pitta, and covered with just the right amount of chilli sauce and tahini. The careful arrangement ensured every bite was a treat; the perfectly cooked falafel (crispy on the outside, nice and soft in the middle) made spicy by the chilli sauce, was deliciously cooled down by the fresh tomato, cucumber and the cool savoury tang of the tahini. And for around £3 it's also a bargain. So Mr Bagelman can keep his bagels, the falafel is king!

Husk, Melbourne, Australia. A Rather Fancy Affair

For those of you who aren’t in the know (or more so for those of you who don’t hail from Melbourne, Australia) Husk is a rather trendy/overpriced clothing and homewares store favoured by affluent thirty-something ladies who lunch. Now, while it may not be such an obvious choice for those of us with rather less disposable incomes, there is indeed a saving grace. That being the “Famous” Husk Chicken Sandwich, from the stores self-titled cafe. Although this fame may be self-anointed, it is deservedly so, for this is one delicious sandwich. Finely poached chicken, seasoned liberally with cracked black pepper and the most gourmet of sea salts, sits atop delectable multi-grain bread with lashings of avocado, rocket and finally, a scintillating squeeze of lemon juice. A rather simple affair it may be, but that is where its beauty lies. And beauty is indeed in the details. The bread is firm and crusty, the chicken seasoned to perfection, the rocket crisp and fresh with the lemon juice adding a welcomed zing to the whole affair. However, the perfection of this sandwich lies in the generous application of avo. Nothing is worse, in my eyes, then a sandwhich-hand who is stingy with their avo and thankfully the lovely café staff at Husk are anything but. So while it may be completely overpriced at $9.50 (around £ 6 apparently), go ahead and treat yourself, sit back and relax amongst Husk’s luxe Moroccan inspired décor. After all, that chicken sandwich is “famous” for a reason.

By Foreign Correspondent Sophie Lamell

Silver Apples, West Didsbury, Manchester. West is best.

Silver Apples is a delightful cafe bar, slap bang in the middle of the haven that is West Didsbury. Quirky mismatched tables and chairs are complemented by quirky mismatched cups, plates and cutlery. As you walk through the door your eyes are immediately drawn to the glass counter full of homemade cakes (lemon raspberry and poppy seed cake is amazing!) and cup cakes. A chalk board on the wall lists the pies of offer that day, served with, mash, mushy pies and gravy. But what about the sandwiches!? Well, they have their own chalk board...Feta, pesto and sunblush tomato on foccaccia, serrano and mozzarella ciabatta, brie, bacon and cranberry focaccia...just some of their delights. But I went for the chorizo, hummus, olive and sunblush tomato ciabatta. Here's how it looked; lovely toasted ciabatta with a generous spread of hummus, topped with chorizo, olives, a few sunblush tomatoes and a rocket salad. The lovely toasted ciabatta ensured a nice crunch, perfectly complementing the smooth hummus. The chorizo and olives brought an oily saltyness to the ensemble (that's right the ensemble), while the sunblush tomatoes threw a nice slice of sweetness into the equation, and the rocket brought the ever essential hit of pepper. All in all a top sandwich, my only criticism being that they could have been a bit more generous with the chorizo, BUT that may just because I'm greedy, I would definitely have it again...and probably will.

Islington Mill, Salford. T-shirts and sandwiches

Islington Mill is, as the name suggests, a mill, or at least it used to be. Located in the heart of post-industrial Salford, once a cotton mill, it is now a 'creative centre', full of lots of artists and creative types, doing lots of arty and creative things. Where does a sandwich fit into all this you may be asking...? Well arty/creative people have got to eat! Why was I there? I was at the mill partaking in a t-shirt printing workshop, which came with the option of paying a bit extra and having a sandwich and a bowl of soup before the workshop. There was only a choice of two sandwiches; hummous and roasted vegtables, or goats cheese and red onion and the soup was Thai green vegetable. I went for the goats cheese sandwich and it was an absolute treat! Huge chunks of creamy goats cheese, with perfect, deliciously sweet caramelised red onions and a huge pile baby spinach, served in thick crusty white rustic bread topped with a sprinkle of flour. This was a lovely sandwich, the crusty bread perfectly contrasted and complemented the smooth goats cheese and silky onions, while the stack of baby spinach added a nice bit of freshness and colour to the sandwich. It was a nice generous sandwich, the picture shows just a half of it, so along with the soup it was a great, filling lunch. The Thai green soup was very nice too; the chilli spices kept your lips warm while the coconut worked to cool it down nicely, and made a lovely starter. The sandwich and soup cost an extra £5 with the workshop, but I think the regular price is only around £3 or £4 pounds for sandwiches and the same for soups, so not too bad for a very good lunch.

Burton Road Bakery, West Didsbury, Manchester. Westside fo life

Burton Road Bakery is surprisingly enough located on Burton Road, in the beautiful hidden gem that is West Didsbury. It's a lovely little place with a nice local feel, thick (but in a good way) Mancunian accents welcome you from behind the counter as you make your selection. A nice simple menu, nothing too fancy; chicken, turkey, cheese, ham, smoked salmon, cream cheese etc. I went for the ham, on a brown barm (which for those not from 'the north' is a round soft roll), with salad and mayonnaise. One of the best things about this sandwich was the delightful addition of egg in the salad, which is very rare and very delicious. A great simple sandwich, perfectly made. Add and drink and a packet of crisps all for under £4 equals a bargain. In the words of Liam Gallagher (probably) it's 'well good'.

Odd Bar, Northern Quarter, Manchester. FREEZE!

Odd Bar is a cafe/restaurant by day, bar and venue by night. It's one of three Odds in Manchester; Odd, Odder (Oxford Rd), and Oddest (Chorlton). It's a great place with a laid back atmosphere, similar to Manchester's Trof establishments, but without their dollop of 'too cool for school' pretension. The free jukebox in Odd is a nice touch, especially when it's quiet, allowing you to select all the tunes.

Odd has a good menu of breakfasts, burgers and sandwiches, veggie and carnivorous. I went for the N.Y.P.D.; New York Pastrami Doorstep. They do not lie, this is a doorstep and a half, filled with loads of pastrami, cream cheese, and juicy gherkins, served with a big pot of piccalilli, red onion coleslaw, and chips. This is a great, very filling lunch time treat, all the elements of the sandwich work together perfectly, the creamy smooth cheese, with the salty, spicy pastrami, and the sharp tangy gherkins. The piccalilli and coleslaw go very nicely on the side and the big chunky chips are perfectly crispy and fluffy. For just shy of a tenner with a drink, it's not the cheapest lunch, but it is one of the most filling.