Assorted English Tea Sandwiches

English tea sandwiches or finger sandwiches are the quintessential food offering at tea time, in addition to a scone with clotted cream and jam, of course. These little sandwiches are meant to be eaten in two or three bites and it should be enough to hold you over until the main meal. In this post, I offer some savory options and ideas. In this other post, Tea Sandwiches Q & A, I cover a lot of questions you may have about these little delicacies.

Historically, these sandwiches were made with white loaf bread, commonly referred to as sandwich bread, with traditional fillings like egg salad, cucumber and smoked salmon. When making my tea sandwiches, I purchase very thin cuts of deli meat and cheeses from the local deli. Additionally, I used a mandolin to thinly slice onions, apples and cucumbers ensuring even and ultra thin slices. The only exception would be pimento cheese spread, chicken salad and egg salad – these require a more generous filling. Don’t be limited to these traditional choices – especially if you don’t like the flavors. Come up with your own unique options.
Note: While I love to make practically everything from scratch, I do take shortcuts when planning large parties and taking advantage of prepared foods or specialty items is a huge time saver. In the post below, I provide a few options and ideas.

THE BUTTER BARRIER
Before you layer your sandwiches, you need to spread a very thin layer of room temperature butter to create a barrier between the bread and the filling, regardless of the filling. Moisture from vegetables, jams, and other fillings may seep through and moisten the bread, taking away from the pure enjoyment of a savory bite. Butter should be soft, but not melted. You should be able to cut through the butter using your finger and without any resistance. Work gently as not to tear the bread when you spread an ultra thin layer of butter on both slices.

SMOKED SALMON WITH CAPERS & RED ONIONS CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
Smoked salmon is a traditional offering, but not with cream cheese, red onions and capers. I was going for the flavors of a bagel with the works – one of my personal favorites from Murray’s Bagels in NYC. I love pumpernickel bread with smoked salmon – it holds up to the salmon. If pumpernickel is not your cup of tea (pun intended), use the bread you like. With so many options available, it’s easy to have something for everyone, including gluten-free options.

In a Pyrex measuring cup, add two tablespoons of whipped cream cheese and add minced red onion and chopped capers to taste, about 1 1/2 teaspoons each. Lightly salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind the salmon and capers are salty. Spread an even layer of the cream cheese mixture over a buttered slice and top with thin layers of salmon followed by micro greens. Top with the other buttered slice.

CUCUMBER & TZATZIKI WITH MICRO GREENS
Use a mandolin to thinly cut a hothouse cucumber and place over a paper towel to drain. Spread a good store bought tzatziki sauce on a buttered sliced and layer with the cucumber. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with micro greens or arugula. Arugula has a great peppery flavor, but I didn’t have any. If you’re looking to make your own sauce – try my Authentic Greek Tzatziki recipe.

EGG SALAD WITH AVOCADO SPREAD AND MICRO GREENS
Who doesn’t love avocado toast? Why not bring those flavors to the egg salad sandwich? If you don’t like the avocado, leave it out or substitute with any ingredient you do like, such as tomatoes. I like to grate the hard boiled eggs whenever I make egg salad. It’s a texture issue for me. You can chop and dice the eggs if you prefer. Season with a pinch of salt per egg and some cracked black pepper to taste. Add a heaping tablespoon of good mayonnaise, like Duke’s and stir to combine. Taste and re-season, if necessary. Add a layer of thinly sliced avocados (or tomatoes) followed by the egg salad and top with micro greens. If you can’t find fresh avocados, a good store bought guac works great.
Note: If adding tomatoes, drain on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

TURKEY, APPLE & SWISS and SERRANO, MANCHEGO AND FIG JAM
Honey maple turkey slices are combined with crisp Granny Smith apple slices, dijon mustard and baby Swiss cheese for an American flavor profile.

Likewise, the serrano ham with manchego cheese and fig jam sandwich is an amazing nod to Spain. Don’t be afraid to make non-traditional sandwiches. It’s all about having fun and eating the foods we like.
Note: I love fig jam and the best fig jam I’ve had is Braswell’s. Buy it whenever you find it. Sometimes HomeGoods and Hobby Lobby carries it in addition to my local grocery store.

CHICKEN SALAD & STRAWBERRY
I only needed enough chicken salad for two sandwiches so I bought a small container of prepared chicken salad from my local deli. To the buttered bread slice, I added romaine lettuce, spread chicken salad and topped with thinly sliced strawberries. As a general rule, the chicken salad layer should not be thicker than the slice of bread.

For a truly English chicken salad, try my Coronation Chicken Salad recipe. It was created for Elizabeth’s coronation and it’s delicious.

SANDWICH ASSEMBLY
For best results, allow yourself at least 3 hours to prep and assemble the sandwiches before serving. Allow 30 minutes to prep and layer the sandwiches. Two hours to chill in the refrigerator so they are easier to slice and 30 minutes to cut and arrange them on pretty tiered plates.
Note: When refrigerating, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set the uncut sandwiches down, cover with another sheet of parchment paper followed by a large kitchen towel and wrap the entire cookie sheet in plastic wrap to prevent from drying out. If necessary, you can prep the sandwiches the night before. The kitchen towel should be larger than the cookie tray to keep the cold air out.

When layering with cheese slices, set a layer of cheese over the bread, followed by the filling and top with another slice of cheese, so both bread slices touch cheese and not filling. This will help prevent the bread from getting soggy.

When adding vegetables or fruit, such as cucumbers, tomatoes or strawberries, set them on a paper towel to drain any excess moisture before assembling.

SLICING THE SANDWICHES
Remove the sandwiches from the fridge and with a sharp serrated bread knife, slice the crust off the bread, wiping the blade each time after slicing. This will ensure a clean cut and reduces smearing the filling. Traditional shapes are squares, triangles and rectangles. Place the sandwiches on the tiered serving tray in a single layer so it is easy for your guests to serve themselves. These sandwiches are delicate so stacking is not recommended.
Note: You could also use a round cookie cutter. Wipe the cookie cutter like you would the knife.I like to cut like flavored sandwiches in like shapes. This is easier for guests to know which sandwiches are which.

For other tea menu options and settings, you may like to look at the tea party I held for my mom and her sisters – A Royal Afternoon Tea Party. I also wrote a post on Presentation & Etiquette and DIY Projects and Decor.

I hope you enjoy these tea sandwich options, tips and ideas. I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment below.