Cucumber Sandwiches - Afternoon Tea Sandwiches

A plate of cucumber sandwiches has been the quintessential component of afternoon tea menus since Victorian times. One simply cannot have an afternoon tea from late spring to early autumn without them. 

Planning the menu for my first outdoor tea party of spring and summer, to be held in the gazebo in the garden, set off a craving for cucumber sandwiches.

While I very much enjoy the typical cucumber sandwiches I'm served at most afternoon teas, I've never had one I like quite as much as my own. 

I do something a little different that makes my sandwiches especially good. A sandwich made with plain sliced cucumber can be quite bland, so I give my cucumber slices a 10-minute bath in a little wine vinegar seasoned with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

Whenever I make these, cutting very thin slices of cucumber and peeled tomato, I think of a line from the wonderful old Britcom To the Manor Born:

"She serves cucumber sandwiches you don't even have to open your mouth for." ~ Mrs. "Poo" describing Audrey fforbes-Hamilton to her son Richard DeVere 

The 10 minutes is just long enough to infuse a little flavor into the slices without turning them into pickles or making them go limp. Very thinly sliced tomato is a nice addition when tomatoes are in season. 

Whatever else you might be tempted to add to my recipe, let it not be garlic. Garlic has no place in a tea sandwich. And mint, though it sounds like a perfectly fine idea, is more often than not overdone. Cream cheese? Love it, but no, not on this sandwich. 

For afternoon tea, I like to serve three sandwiches or savories, so might add Sliced Egg and Dill Tea Sandwiches and Sausage Pinwheels to the menu, along with Classic Scones, Clotted Cream, Strawberry Jam and assorted treats you'll find under Teatime on my Recipes index page.

Of course, the most important thing is knowing How to Make a Proper Cup of Tea!

Update 12/07/16: For how to throw an afternoon tea party and a roundup of afternoon tea recipes, see Afternoon Tea Party Tips.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches 

(Makes 32) 

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
64 very thin slices of English cucumber
Optional: peeled and very thinly sliced tomato
16 wide* slices good white bread
About 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
About 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 In 1-quart bowl, stir together vinegar, salt and pepper until salt is dissolved. Add cucumber slices; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain cucumber slices and pat them dry. (There is no need to peel a thin-skinned English, or hothouse, cucumber that is going to be very thinly sliced.) 

2 Spread a very thin layer of very soft butter (never margarine) on each slice of bread, and then spread on a very thin layer of mayonnaise. Place 8 cucumber slices (2 rows of 3, then 2 to fill the voids) on each of 8 bottom bread slices. If using tomato, add a thin layer of peeled and very thinly sliced tomato. Top with remaining bread slices. Trim off crusts and cut each sandwich into quarters (fingers or triangles), arranging on a plate in about three layers. 

3 Lay a good-quality white paper towel on top of the sandwiches. Wet and wring out well another paper towel; lay the damp paper towel on top of the dry paper towel. Never place the damp paper towel directly on top of the sandwiches or they will become soggy. Wrap rather snugly with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least an hour or up to several hours. This will make your sandwiches “hold together” and keep them from drying out. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. Uncover sandwiches just before serving.

*Such as Oroweat/Brownberry/Arnold country buttermilk bread that comes in the wider 1 1/2-pound loaves. If you use smaller bread slices (as I do when I have my homemade Classic White Sandwich Bread on hand), you’ll make more full-sized sandwiches to come up with the same quantity of tea sandwiches.