A sandwich may be a humble meal but with creative new flavours and top notch ingredients it can be elevated to become something special.

At The Bodega, chef Edd Watkinson is aiming for just that with his New York deli-inspired creations at his Norwich market stall.

Having opened at the end of last month, its offerings of thickly sliced bread full to the brim with fillings like pastrami, fried chicken and spam have been wowing customers.

The boss added the support has been "unreal" since the vendor first opened up for business.

Mr Watkinson, 30, first started his career in hospitality at the age of 13 in the kitchen at Roundwood Bowls Club in Taverham and he has since gone on to work at high-end restaurants around the world before launching The Bodega.

"For me, The Bodega was always supposed to be a passion project, a chance to fulfil a dream idea and I hoped I'd at least get enough interest," he said.

"I didn't realise how much support this would get and how many people would get behind the concept.

"It has been unreal so far and I love what I do."

Norwich Evening News: Edd Watkinson at his new Norwich Market stall The Bodega.Edd Watkinson at his new Norwich Market stall The Bodega. (Image: Lauren De Boise)

Five weeks since opening, Mr Watkinson now has many loyal customers and queues of people can regularly be seen, eager to get their lunchtime fix.

The stall is inspired by the 24-hour convenience stores commonly found on New York street corners, which were originally popularised by Puerto Rican and Cuban immigrants.

Norwich Evening News: The menu at The Bodega at Norwich Market.The menu at The Bodega at Norwich Market. (Image: Lauren De Boise)

On the menu, there is American classics like a Philly cheese steak or a Nashville hot fired chicken sandwich but there is also an ever-changing selection of specials, which allows Mr Wilkinson to express his creativity.

He added: "With having a small menu it means I can do specials all the time. Like on Thursday morning I went to the fishmongers to see what they had and decided to make lobster and crayfish rolls which went down a storm.

"The first three weeks we were selling out every day but we keep upgrading the kitchen to keep up with the demand.

"It's all about making sure the quality is there with every sandwich. I hate disappointing people so we plan to extend our opening hours to make more people happy."