Cucumber Sandwich (Perfect Afternoon Tea Sandwiches)

A cucumber sandwich is perfect for brunch, lunch or afternoon tea. It’s so easy, but more importantly, it’s incredibly delicious. Cream cheese puts it over the top!

Many years ago, I shared a recipe for cucumber and cream cheese sandwich rolls made with lavash bread.

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It was when I just started my site and I decided to share something that my kids loved. However, it wasn’t just my kids, it was all the children in my kids’ classrooms. There’s just something about a cucumber sandwich.

Adding cucumber to a sandwich is delicious, too! Try this ham and cucumber sandwich with homemade piccalilli! 

Of course, the cucumber sandwich is a quintessential part of a well appointed British afternoon tea.

I think I would be extremely disappointed, no, I know I’d be crestfallen if there was no cucumber sandwich on my tea stand. As with many the recipes I share, I often say that simplest is best, and this is the case again. 

This is the type of English tea sandwich that’s as perfect on a white clothed table for afternoon tea as it is in a picnic basket, or lunch box. Of course, serving them along with a pot of freshly brewed loose leaf tea is a wonderful thing to do even if it’s just for yourself! Some people ask, “How to make cucumber sandwiches like the Queen?” The Queen would most likely have had butter and cucumber slices, but cream cheese has come to be even more popular now.

Love cucumber? Try this refreshing cucumber salad recipe.

There are just three components to this famous sandwich, however, the quality of ingredients and how it is made and assembled makes a world of difference. Here are my suggestions for the best cucumber sandwich:

Ingredients for Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Cucumber: try to use organic, as they will just taste better than normal cucumbers (conventionally grown). Farmer’s market cucumbers or homegrown will give the best flavor. They must be firm and fresh. English cucumbers are the standard for tea sandwiches, but honestly, any thinly sliced cucumbers will work.

Cream Cheese: by far, the very best cream cheese I’ve ever had is made by Arla. It seems difficult to find here in LA, but if you have it at your grocery store, buy it–you will absolutely love the quality and flavor! Some recipes will have you make a cream cheese mixture and use additions like fresh dill, but that’s just not my cup of tea (no pun intended). Especially if you use a really tasty cream cheese, fresh, organic cucumbers and good quality bread, you’ll want to taste these flavors instead of dill.

Butter: alternatively, the most classic tea sandwiches are made with butter, but it must be very high quality butter (salted). My favorite in the US is salted Lewis Road Creamery butter, from New Zealand. Be sure it’s softened before trying to spread it. It’s perfect in a jambon beurre, too!

Bread: find any thinly sliced, white bread that has the least amount of ingredients. You can make your own bread, but it’s often difficult to make a soft, yet firm loaf which is what’s needed for these sandwiches. When you remove the crusts, you’ve created something truly special, but don’t toss them, they’re great snacks for husbands! Haha!

How do you Make a Cucumber Sandwich?

By Christina Conte                  Makes 8 finger sandwiches

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

1. Peel the cucumber, and slice it thinly. I used a simple OXO handheld mandoline slicer for quick, even slices.

       2. Spread cream cheese (or butter) on two slices of bread.

       3. Arrange the cucumber slices, overlapping slightly, on one slice of bread and top with the other.

How to Cut a Cucumber Sandwich

      4. Slice off the edges with a sharp serrated knife, wiping with a damp paper towel after each cut. Next, cut            into fingers (or triangles). Whether you cut them into fingers or triangles, you’ll end up with two finger  sandwiches.

That’s it! So easy, right?

How to Keep the Sandwiches from Getting Soggy

If you need to make cucumber sandwiches ahead of time, keep them in a sealed container for a few hours, and refrigerate them. You can put a paper towel on top of them which will absorb moisture.

Take them out of the fridge about half an hour before you serve them as you don’t want them to be too cold.

Don’t save this cucumber sandwich recipe to be used only for an afternoon tea party or baby shower, with scones and mini pastries! It’s too good to only make infrequently. You don’t even have to cut off the crusts if you pack them in lunches, or have them with a bowl of soup at home. However, there is something about cutting off those crusts that makes any occasion special! And if you are hosting afternoon tea, aren’t these mini vases just darling?

Let me know what you think if you make these wonderful cucumber sandwiches; I think you’ll love them, too!

And don’t miss my collection of fantastic cucumber recipes!

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Why not add a Kir Royale to your afternoon tea? After all, it isn’t just a meal, it’s an experience.

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