ENGLISH AFTERNOON TEA/CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

The ladies that attended the tea are pictured below, hats and all.
It was a pleasure researching, testing and preparing the dishes for the tea. I included a picture of the blackboard that displayed the menu. Everyone followed along with the menu and even picked up on an item I failed to serve. I don't have a good handwriting, so I asked my friend Sally to do this for me.





The Menu is as follows:





May Wine


Tea


Vichyssoise


Cheese Biscuits


Chicken Salad


Olive Tea Sandwiches


Cucumber Sandwiches


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Current Scones


Lemon Curd


Strawberry Jam


Clotted Cream


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Strawberry Tarts


High Tea Lemon cookies


Black Forrest Cookies


Scottish Petticoat Tails


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My first experience with Cucumber Sandwiches was on a trip to London in the late 1960s, from our home in Bonn, Germany. We had a week in London and decided we had to see everything, since we might never get back. We toured everyday, many out of the city to places like Oxford and Strafford on Avon. At night we went to stage shows, arrived home around midnight and back on a tour early the next morning. On one of the tours we were starving, seems the tour didn't stop for lunch. My husband Dale darted into a tea room and bought two of the only kind of sandwiches they had, cucumber. They were like heaven, even though anything would of tasted great at that stage of our hunger, these sandwiches still are a favorite with Dale and me.

Cucumber Sandwiches



1/2 or desired amount of an English/hot house cucumber
1/2 cup of unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup coarsely chopped watercress if available, I used about 1/4 cup dill
1 loaf of white or whole wheat, or both, thinly sliced bread, Pepperidge Farm makes the thinnest sliced bread. The bread works best is frozen before making the sandwiches.
Salt to taste.

I prefer not to peel English cucumbers, but you may if you wish. Slice very thin.
spread the bread with butter, sprinkle with dill or watercress and salt if needed.

At this point you need to decide how you plan to cut the sandwiches. I used 2 inch biscuit cutter and placed the cucumber slices on a circle of bread. If you prefer to make sandwiches and slice in to triangles, remove the crust before spreading the bread with butter.

Sandwiches may be made several hours before serving. Place waxed paper between layers and cover and seal tightly with plastic wrap.

Makes about 8 whole sandwiches, 16 halves, 24 circles or 32 quarters.
If you are doing this for a party and have a bunch of stuff to do, invite a friend to help. I actually gave this job to my daughter Melissa and my friend Emily.