Sandwich and more substantial fare, a bit at a time (9)
I believe the answer is:
piecemeal
'bit at a time' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'sandwich and more substantial fare a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'more' could be 'm' and 'm' is present in the answer.
'fare' could be 'piece' (piece is a kind of food) and 'piece' is present in the answer.
'a' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'el' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for piecemeal that I've seen before include "taken bit by bit" , "a little at a time" , "Claim epee in gradual unsystematic way" , "Bit by bit; unsystematic" , "step by step" .)