Cornichon shortage leaves British sandwich shops in a pickle

Shortage of pickled mini-cucumbers has caused Pret a Manger to pull its jambon beurre from shelves With their sharp flavour and crunch, pickled cucumbers are an essential component of any sandwich worth its salt. But an unexpected shortage of cornichons has caused consternation in sandwich shops across the country as cafes scramble to get their hands on jars of the small green pickles. A favourite sandwich of hungry office workers is the simple jambon beurre. A staple across the Channel, the French sandwich contains ham, a generous amount of butter, and, crucially, a sharp, crunchy cornichon to cut through the fat. Sandwich chain Pret a Manger brought it to popularity in the UK, and a jambon beurre retails for about £4 in its shops. But the sandwiches have disappeared from shelves in recent weeks as the pickles cannot be sourced by the chain, which has 500 branches in the UK. A Pret spokesperson said the sandwiches would be missing from “most of” their shops due to an issue with their supplier. They said in a statement: “Customers may have noticed that our jambon beurre is currently missing from shelves. This is due to a temporary shortage of cornichons. We’re sorry for any disappo