Littlehampton dad uses his loaf to design funky sandwiches (From The Argus)

Littlehampton dad uses his loaf to design funky sandwiches

7:00am Wednesday 19th August 2009 in News By Richard Gurner

To many, sandwiches are pretty boring.

Two slices of bread, ham, cheese, a bit of pickle and that's usually about it.

But not anymore.

These wacky creations by web designer Mark Northeast show that sandwiches can be anything but boring.

They also make fussy-eating children sit up and take notice of their lunch.

The funky food was created by Mark to try and tempt his four-year-old son Oscar into eating his sandwiches and the results have been more than appetising.

He said: “It all started as a bit of fun to cheer my son up. I picked him up from school one day and he was in a bit of a mood and didn't want to eat anything.

“I made his sandwich into the shape of a space rocket with vegetables for boosters and he wolfed it down really quickly.

“The following week I thought I would try something different so I made a pirate ship.”

Mark, 36, of Littlehampton, posted pictures of his creations on internet site Facebook and soon people were asking what he was going to do next.

Interest in his creations soared and so Mark created a dedicated site to show off his sandwiches.

He said: “I just got carried away with it. Facebook friends suggested I set up a group and because I'm a web designer I popped a website together with a few pictures.”

As more and more people visited the site Mark created a Twitter account for his sandwiches and contacted people in the publishing industry.

Publishers have been eyeing his sandwiches and licking their lips at the prospect of putting them in a book for parents of fussy eaters.

His website, www.funkylunch.com, has had 5,000 hits and a book deal, showing his colourful creations of kids' favourite Spongebob Square Pants and a ham piano, is now on the cards.

Mark said: “Hopefully it will give parents a bit of inspiration. It worked with my son. He never used to eat tomatoes before but he ate Spongebob's tie, which is made out of one, and now he eats them all the time.”