Carmen Rotaru | On 25, Mar 2013

Tea sandwiches are great not only because they come in miniature and different shapes, but also because you can play with the classic recipes until you obtain something completely new and original. Check our top 10 tea sandwich recipes and feel free to try the ones you like best.

For those of you who are newbies when it comes to tea culture, a tea sandwich represents a British custom and it is a small prepared sandwich meant to be eaten at afternoon teatime to quench hunger until dinner. Tea sandwiches can come in a number of different forms, but should be easy to handle, and eaten in two bites. It can be a long, narrow sandwich, can have the form of a triangle, or simply be a small biscuit. It may also be cut into other decorative shapes with a cookie cutter.

The credit for this particular British custom and also for the tea blend named “English Afternoon” traditionally goes to a duchess named Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, somewhere in the early 19th century. She felt hungry in the evenings due to the habit of late dinners, so she ordered to her servants to bring in her room some tea and cakes. Becoming her personal custom she invited her friends to this miniature party thus having the miniature tea sandwiches created.

# 1 Ham and Apple Tea Sandwich

The first step is to spread softened butter and mustard inside a split loaf of French bread. The second step is to fill the split loaf with ham, sliced cheese and sliced green apple. At the end in order to get those little tea sandwiches, cut into pieces the loaf of French bread filled with the above ingredients.

# 2 Cucumber-Butter Mix Tea Sandwich

For this recipe you will need 3 tablespoons of softened butter, half teaspoon of grated lemon zest and a tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs. Spread the ingredients on white bread and sandwich with sliced cucumber. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.

# 3 Asparagus Tea Sandwich

Mix 3 tablespoons of softened butter with a tablespoon chopped fresh herbs. Spread on bread and for an aesthetic touch cut it into rectangles. Next you will need to slice the cooked asparagus tips in half lengthwise; next you need to lay the sliced asparagus on the bread and add lemon juice and olive oil. Top the tea sandwiches with chopped hard-boiled eggs, salt and pepper.

# 4 Egg Salad Mix

At a first glance this recipe seems complicated, but it is in fact really simple. You will need 3 chopped hard-boiled eggs, 3 tablespoons each chopped celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons each of mustard and lime juice, and a quarter of cup of mayonnaise. Next you will need to cut the white bread into pieces and spread with lime juice. Sandwich with the egg salad prepared from the ingredients above.

# 5 Peanut Butter–Bacon Tea Sandwich

You will need to start by spreading peanut butter on white bread, after which you need to layer chopped cooked bacon and sliced banana on top. Top with bread spread with mayonnaise. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.

# 6 Meatloaf Tomato Sandwich

Spread mayonnaise on potato bread. Sandwich using sliced meatloaf and tomato jam. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces. Top with more jam.

# 7 Salmon Salad

For this recipe you will need to combine a cup of flaked cooked salmon, 3 tablespoons each mayonnaise, chopped chives and dill, and a teaspoon each of mustard and lemon juice. Layer the salmon salad and sliced radishes on bread. At the end cut into pieces.

# 8 Roasted Vegetables Tea Sandwich

Spread goat cheese on the bottom half of a split baguette and sun-dried tomato pesto on the top half. Fill sandwich with roasted eggplant and zucchini slices and roasted red pepper strips. Cut into pieces.

# 9 Chicken Salad

Whisk 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons each chopped shallot and tarragon, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, and salt and pepper; stir in 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken. Sandwich toasted white bread with the chicken salad, watercress and sliced cornichons. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces. Top with more cornichons.

# 10 Ricotta-Orange Tea Sandwich

Cut whole-wheat bread into squares. Sandwich using fresh ricotta cheese and orange marmalade.

These are our favorite tea sandwich recipes which always transform the afternoon tea into a small tea party. Feel free to try the ones which sound appealing to you and to also share other tea sandwich recipes you may know.

We’ll soon launch our new incredible tasty tea blends. Join us, there are lots of special gifts waiting for you.