SANDWICH maker David Lawrie has created a jaw-straining "Euro-sarnie" for the Ecofin conference - and he insists it would not be complete without British beef.

David's mammoth baguette is stacked with ingredients from every corner of Europe, but he was determined to represent the UK with a succulent morsel of Yorkshire beef.

But just in case European visitors to the summit turn their noses up at the prospect of eating our much-maligned meat, David, whose sandwich is on sale at Lawrie's on Jubbergate, York, is hedging his bets.

Perhaps symbolic of Britain's relationship with its EU partners, the beef contribution will be somewhat isolated, perched on a cocktail stick atop the magnificent swollen Euro-sarnie.

It contains Mascarpone cheese with Parma ham, Spanish Chorizo poached in red wine, Feta cheese, olives and sun-dried tomatoes from Greece, Brie du Meux, smoked pork loin from Germany, Irish Cashel blue cheese and from Belgium, Ardennes pate. Oh, and a traditional Dutch salad.

David said: "God knows how you eat it. It's a knife and fork job really. But it took us 42 prototypes to get it right and it does taste very good.

"To somebody with an adventurous palette it is a munch through Europe."

The Ecofin sandwich costs £1.95.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.