You'll definitely want an variety of tea sandwiches in order to enjoy a proper afternoon tea experience! Yes, the scones are just as important but without the savory finger sandwiches you'll be missing one of the best parts of afternoon tea. Although you can always venture into the more creative and non-traditional, this assortment of afternoon tea sandwiches is classically British.
(This post was originally published in June 2011, but was updated with new recipes, photos and content in 2021).
Although the terms afternoon tea and high tea are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. Afternoon tea consists of finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets, while high tea typically includes more substantial fare such as meat, fish, and egg dishes. The classic three-tiered display associated with tea time is most typical of afternoon tea.
English tea sandwiches are the first official course in an afternoon tea offering. They are usually dainty and small, served on soft, crustless bread, or sometimes on small rolls. In modern times, preparation of tea party sandwiches has become more creative with more robust and unusual fillings, but the classics are classics for a reason.
I'm sharing 3 varieties of traditional English tea sandwiches which are perfect for your next afternoon tea party! These include classic cucumber, egg and cress, and smoked salmon. Further down the post I also share some great make-ahead storage tips to ensure your afternoon tea experience is stress free.
Ingredient notes
- Bread: Use simple white or whole wheat sliced sandwich bread for your English tea sandwiches. If you are making 2 to 3 sandwich varieties (and really, you should be for an afternoon tea service) I would recommend at least one of your sandwich varieties uses a different colored bread. Pumpernickel is also a great option, especially for smoked salmon sandwiches.
- Butter: You should definitely butter your bread for afternoon tea sandwiches. The only exception is if you use cream cheese instead. It serves a very important purpose. Butter acts as a sort of glue to hold the filling and bread together, it creates a barrier so the bread doesn’t get soggy from the filling, and it adds flavor! You can use salted or unsalted butter, but for the purpose at hand I think salted butter just tastes better. If you only have unsalted butter, sprinkle in a little salt to make it pop. Ideally I suggest using European-style salted butter such as Kerrygold, although Aldi sells great Irish butter too at a very reasonable price.
- Cucumber: The best cucumbers to use in cucumber sandwiches are English cucumbers. These are also called hothouse cucumbers or seedless cucumbers. They are long and thin-skinned. If desired, try using a vegetable peeler to peel alternating stripes of skin off the cucumber to give it a different appearance.
- Cress: Cress is a type of edible herb from the cabbage family that actually comes in several varieties. Most are familiar with watercress, which is the most readily available at least in the United States, but you can also use garden cress or mustard cress if you can find them. Watercress is not always well-stocked in American supermarkets so you may need to ask in the produce section if you can't find it immediately. I have found it locally in Rhode Island at Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Dave's Market, and Good Fortune Supermarket. If you can't find any variety of cress, you could try arugula instead for a similar mild peppery flavor, though it's not quite identical.
- Smoked Salmon: There are many many varieties of smoked salmon on the market. For these English tea sandwiches I recommend a Scottish style smoked salmon. It has a milder flavor than Norwegian smoked salmon or lox, both of which may be a bit assertive for such dainty finger sandwiches.
How to make cucumber sandwiches
Peel and thinly slice the cucumber using a mandoline or sharp knife (or leave the skin on if you prefer). Place cucumber slices on a paper towel, lightly salt the cucumber, and then top with another paper towel. Let it stand for about 20 minutes to allow excess moisture from the cucumbers to be absorbed.
In a small bowl combine soft salted butter, chopped herbs, and lemon zest until smooth.
Spread a thin layer of lemon herb butter on 8 slices of bread. Top 4 slices of buttered bread with cucumber slices. Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, or diagonally into 2 triangles/halves.
Variation: Replace the butter with double the amount of room temperature cream cheese, and double the lemon zest and herbs to make cucumber cream cheese tea sandwiches.
How to make egg and cress sandwiches
Mash together hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir in Dijon mustard or curry powder, if desired.
The mustard will provide a mild flavor but yield a very classic tasting egg salad. Meanwhile, the curry powder (which is very British in its own right) will transform it into a curried egg salad, a truly delicious concoction for anyone who loves curry!
Divide the mixture over 4 slices of buttered bread. Top with cress and the 4 remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, or diagonally into 2 triangles/halves.
How to make smoked salmon sandwiches
Combine soft cream cheese with finely chopped red onion, chopped capers, and lemon juice and zest until smooth.
Spread a thin layer of the onion-caper cream cheese on 8 slices of bread. Top 4 slices of bread with sliced salmon, then cover with the remaining slices of bread, cream cheese side down.
Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, or diagonally into 2 triangles/halves.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips and FAQs
As you work, cover your assembled sandwiches with a clean tea towel or damp paper towel to keep them from drying out as you assemble the remaining sandwiches.
Try cutting your English tea sandwiches a few different ways to give each a unique appearance. I cut each of my 3 sandwich varieties differently using a serrated knife: squares, rectangles/fingers, and triangles. You can even use cookie cutters to cut them into other shapes. Just make sure the cutters are nice and sharp. You will end up with scraps in both cases. Feel free to eat them, especially if you're making these in advance and want a little snack!
My British friend Sandra Gordon shared an amazing tried-and-true tip with me for storing afternoon tea sandwiches. Use this technique if you plan to prep your sandwiches hours in advance of your afternoon tea party, or for storing any leftover sandwiches to enjoy later. It really works beautifully. I stored several leftover sandwiches overnight and enjoyed them the next day for lunch. They tasted like they were freshly made!
- Take a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and crumple it up into a ball.
- Hold it under the faucet and soak it with water.
- Gently shake it out (water will splatter), and repeat under the faucet with more water.
- Shake it out again and then place your assembled afternoon tea sandwiches on the damp parchment. Fold the parchment over to enclose the sandwiches (you can stack them if needed) and then tuck the sides underneath.
- Transfer the parcel of wrapped sandwiches to the refrigerator. I suggest placing it in an airtight container first, especially if you plan to store it in the fridge for many hours or overnight.
- If you have a lot of tea party sandwiches you may wrap a few smaller parcels instead of one big one to make them easier to wrap and store.
Plan to serve about 4 afternoon tea sandwiches per person. Assuming one makes 3 sandwich varieties, these sandwich recipes should serve 6 people. You will yield 24 triangles (or more pieces if you cut your sandwiches into fingers or squares), which would be 4 triangles per person. If you make only 2 varieties, they would serve 4 people.
Always assemble your sandwiches before cutting off the crusts and cutting into shapes. This will give them nice clean edges. Use a serrated knife so you don't squish your bread, and cut with a gentle sawing motion being careful not to displace any of the filling as you cut (carefully hold it in place on the sides if necessary).
Other recipes to enjoy with tea
- Harry Potter-Themed Afternoon Tea Sandwiches
- The Ritz of London's Afternoon Tea Scones
- Sally Lunn Buns
- Rock Cakes
- Aargauer Rüeblitorte (Swiss Carrot Cake)
- Zebra Cake with Chocolate Glaze
- Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
- Russian Pirog with Apricot Preserves
Great afternoon tea experiences around the world
- Le Bristol (Paris, France)
- Tea & Sympathy (New York City, USA)
- Alice's Tea Cup (New York City, USA)
- The Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea Room (Walt Disney World, USA)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Afternoon Tea Sandwiches (Cucumber, Egg and Cress, Smoked Salmon)
Ingredients
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches:
- ½ an English (hothouse/seedless) cucumber
- Salt
- 75 grams (2.6 ounces / 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) salted butter, at room temperature (if using unsalted butter add a pinch of salt)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs such as basil, chives, dill, or thyme (use your favorite combination or just pick one)
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 8 slices white sandwich bread
Egg and Cress Tea Sandwiches:
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped/mashed
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard OR curry powder (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices white sandwich bread, lightly buttered on one side with soft salted or unsalted butter (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)
- 1 cup watercress, baby mustard cress, or garden cress (leaves picked off the stems, stems discarded)
Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches:
- 150 grams (5 ½ ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 8 slices whole wheat (wholemeal) sandwich bread or pumpernickel bread
- 200 grams (7 ounces) sliced smoked salmon (preferably Scottish style)
Instructions
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches:
- Peel and thinly slice the cucumber using a mandoline or sharp knife (or leave the skin on if you prefer). You’ll need 36 slices. Place cucumber slices on a paper towel, lightly salt the cucumber, and top with another paper towel. Let stand for about 20 minutes to allow excess moisture from the cucumbers to be absorbed.
- In a small bowl combine soft butter, herbs, and lemon zest until smooth.
- Spread a thin layer of lemon herb butter on all 8 slices of bread. Top 4 slices of buttered bread with 9 cucumber slices each in even rows. Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
- Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, or diagonally into 2 triangles/halves.
Egg and Cress Tea Sandwiches:
- Mix/mash together the egg, mayonnaise, mustard or curry powder if using, and salt and pepper. Divide the mixture over 4 slices of buttered bread. Top with cress and the 4 remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
- Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, or diagonally into 2 triangles/halves.
Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches:
- Combine the soft cream cheese with the onion, capers, and lemon juice and zest until smooth. Spread a thin layer of the onion-caper cream cheese on all 8 slices of bread. Top 4 slices of bread with sliced salmon, then cover with the remaining slices of bread, cream cheese side down.
- Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, or diagonally into 2 triangles/halves.
Notes
- The number of servings for this recipe assumes one is making all 3 tea sandwich varieties. You will yield 24 triangles (or more pieces if you cut your sandwiches into fingers or squares), which would be 4 triangles per person. If you make only 2 of the varieties, they would serve 4 people.
- The nutritional information is based on an average of making all the sandwiches, removing the crusts, and then dividing them into 6 servings.
- As you work, cover your assembled sandwiches with a clean tea towel or damp paper towel to keep them from drying out as you assemble the remaining sandwiches.
- If you really want to make next level tea sandwiches, use European-style salted butter. I recommend Irish butter such as Kerrygold, although Aldi sells a great version at a very reasonable price.
- For the Cucumber: Try using a vegetable peeler to peel alternating stripes of skin off the cucumber to give it a different appearance. As a variation, replace the butter with double the amount of room temperature cream cheese, and double the lemon zest and herbs to make cucumber cream cheese tea sandwiches.
- For the Egg and Cress: The mustard will provide a mild flavor but yield a very classic tasting egg salad. Meanwhile, the curry powder (which is very British in its own right) will transform it into a curried egg salad, a truly delicious concoction for anyone who loves curry! I love both varieties but the curried version may be my favorite of the two.
- To make tea sandwiches in advance: Use this trick for storage and they will taste freshly made even the next day!
- Take a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and crumple it up into a ball.
- Hold it under the faucet and soak it with water. Gently shake it out (water will splatter), and repeat under the faucet with more water.
- Shake it out again and then place your assembled afternoon tea sandwiches on the damp parchment. Fold the parchment over to enclose the sandwiches (you can stack them if needed) and then tuck the sides underneath.
- Transfer the parcel of wrapped sandwiches to the refrigerator. I suggest placing it in an airtight container first, especially if you plan to store it in the fridge for many hours or overnight.
- If you have a lot of tea party sandwiches you may wrap a few smaller parcels instead of one big one to make them easier to wrap and store.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Kita says
Great sandwiches!
Linda says
Good tip on making ahead!