HOW many chefs does it take to make a sandwich?

In this case four, and the one in question could be up for a top prize.

Southampton butcher Simon Broadribb’s fillet steak, rocket and chipotle relish wrap has reached the finals of the British Sandwich Association’s Sandwich Designer of the Year competition.

The Upton’s of Bassett butcher who is based in Winchester Road, said: “I like wraps because I find bread a bit heavy.

All the meat in the sandwich is local, aged steak from our Hampshire beef so there’s a lot of flavour.

“I asked Matt Noonan from the White Star, and Harvey Rogers and Jason Bellord from the Dancing Man brewery to help me with the presentation because I struggle with that, but I’m the meat expert.

"The relish is a Mexican chilli.

This is Simon’s second attempt at the contest, after reaching the semi-finals last year.

The competition takes place in London on Thursday (May 12) when Simon will have to present his creation to celebrity chef Theo Randall.

“I’m not scared of anything,” he said, “but the idea of presenting this petrifies me.”

Although it might seem strange for a butcher to enter a sandwich competition, Simon is clearly using his loaf – he will soon be expanding his business into an informal eaterie, where a ‘steak bar’ will replace the underused fruit and veg section of the shop.

He said: “From mid summer on we’ll have some induction hobs and we’ll be steakifying everything – including the fillet steak wrap.

"There’ll be tea and coffee and people will be able to taste what we sell. It’ll be a mini bistro."

“When we do the food fairs it’s the ready-prepared stuff that goes a lot quicker.

"I think it’s just the way things are going, but also it’s what they do in eastern Europe a lot.

"My girlfriend is from Bratislava, and over there that’s what the butchers do - people sit and have a coffee and a chat and a bite to eat.”