English Tea Finger Sandwiches

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Tea sandwiches are such a fun brunch time snack to serve with or without tea! I like to make these English Tea Finger Sandwiches AHEAD of time when expecting company. It is best to serve them cold (or room temperature) so no fussing with reheating! Traditional tea sandwiches are ideal for afternoon bridal, baby showers or a simple brunch party!

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Tea sandwiches are such a fun way to enjoy a late morning or early afternoon tea (or mimosa)! They were created to help stave off hunger until the main meal and they definitely do just that!

Here is more on the history of tea sandwiches.

Now a days, you will see these finger tea sandwiches most often at bridal showers or baby showers!

All recipes for tea sandwiches are cute, fun and perfect for brunch time parties. Oh and did I mention how cost efficient they are to make?

If you’re looking for a great make ahead brunch recipe, try my Turkey Avocado Roll Ups with Thyme Dressing.

What kind of bread should you use?

Most tea sandwiches are made with “regular sliced” bagged sandwich bread in either white, wheat or rye.

If your bread is too thick, the ratio of filling to bread will be off so try to keep it on the thin side.

I like to have a combination of white, wheat and rye sandwich bread when serving my tea sandwiches at a party. The color contrast is more appetizing too!

Bonus! Most tea sandwiches are also vegetarian friendly so they will suit almost all of your guests dietary restrictions. An even better idea is to buy gluten free bread so that those who are gluten free will be able to enjoy these too!

Can I make tea sandwiches the night before?

Yes! In fact, I highly suggest to do this to save time. Just store them in a sealed container in the fridge. I like to layer them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

If you are layering your tea sandwiches on top of one another, I like to place a piece of wax or parchment paper in between so they do not get too soggy or stick to each other.

How to keep your sandwiches from drying out

Traditional afternoon tea sandwiches are made using super soft, moist sandwich bread which can and will get very dry if you leave them out for more than an hour or so. Remember, open air is the enemy.

You have two options.

1. Place a damp paper towel or dish cloth over top of your sandwiches until your guests arrive.

How to cut tea sandwiches:

Traditional English tea sandwiches are typically cut into small triangles.

First you need to trim the crust off. Then cut diagonally to make two triangles.

Another option is to cut your sandwiches into long rectangles. You could probably get 3 rectangles from each trimmed sandwich.

TIP* Adding a layer of butter to your bread on both sides, will act as a barrier and keep your bread from getting soggy!

English Tea Sandwich Recipe Tips:

1. Adding a layer of butter to your bread on both sides, will act as a barrier and keep your bread from getting soggy!
2. Adding fresh herbs instead of dried makes a huge difference in flavor!
3. Finding the right ratio of bread to filling for the perfect tea sandwich.
4. Make sure to trim your tea sandwiches AFTER you fill them. This will make for a neater edge.
5. Using cucumbers, radishes, celery or pickles add a needed CRUNCH to tea sandwiches so make sure to add one of the above.
6. You a sharp serrated knife to cut your sandwiches. The worst tea sandwiches have smashed edges.
7. Add a topping to each individual tea sandwich to give your guests an idea of what’s inside!

Tea Sandwich Serving Plates

Tea sandwiches are traditionally served on high tiered serving platters. Here are some you may like!

Here are some other brunch appetizers you may like:

Antipasto Skewers

Egg and Chive Bites

Puff Pastry Breakfast Cups With Honey Dijon Sauce

Southern Deviled Eggs With Relish

Easy COLD Finger Foods You Can Make Ahead

English Tea Finger Sandwiches

Tea sandwiches are such a fun brunch time snack to serve with or without tea! I like to make these English Tea Finger Sandwiches AHEAD of time when expecting company. It is best to serve them cold (or room temperature) so no fussing with reheating! These sandwiches are ideal for bridal or baby showers or just a small brunch party!

5 from 2 votes

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Course: lunch, Snack

Cuisine: American, English

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Aleka Shunk

Ingredients

• 2 Hot House Seedless Cucumbers ((do not peel))2 Hot House Seedless Cucumbers ((do not peel))

Traditional Cucumber

• 8 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter8 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 Tsp. Sugar1 Tsp. Sugar
• 1 Tsp. Fresh Parsley1 Tsp. Fresh Parsley
• 1 Tsp. Fresh Chives1 Tsp. Fresh Chives
• Salt To tasteSalt To taste
• 6 Slices White Sandwich Bread6 Slices White Sandwich Bread

Greek Tzatziki

• 1/2 Tsp. Minced Garlic1/2 Tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 Cup Plain Whole Greek Yogurt1 Cup Plain Whole Greek Yogurt
• 3/4 Tsp. Fresh Dill3/4 Tsp. Fresh Dill
• 3/4 Tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice3/4 Tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
• Salt To TasteSalt To Taste
• 6 Slices White Sandwich Bread6 Slices White Sandwich Bread

Pimento Cheese

• 4 Oz. Cream Cheese4 Oz. Cream Cheese
• 2 Tbsp. Sliced Pimento Peppers ((jarred))2 Tbsp. Sliced Pimento Peppers ((jarred))
• 1/4 Cup Shredded Cheeses ((Cheddar/Monterey/Colby Jack))1/4 Cup Shredded Cheeses ((Cheddar/Monterey/Colby Jack))
• 1/8 Tsp. Onion Powder1/8 Tsp. Onion Powder
• Salt To tasteSalt To taste
• 6 Slices White Sandwich Bread6 Slices White Sandwich Bread

Instructions

• Prepare each sandwich filling by adding all the ingredients to separate bowls. (3 total) Mix each using a silicone spatula. (they work best!) Keep in mind that using room temperature butter and cream cheese will make mixing much easier!
• Once your 3 fillings are ready, set out your bread slices and start spreading your filling generously onto each side of your bread.
• *Note* I used a TOTAL of 18 slices of bread. I laid out 6 slices for EACH filling. This gave me 3 large sandwiches with EACH filling. (Total of 9.) I then cut each of the 9 finished sandwiches into TWO triangles giving me a total of 18 tea sandwiches triangles to serve or 6 each. If you want to QUARTER your tea sandwiches you can. You should then get twice the amount (36 total).
• Trim the ends of your cucumbers and then cut each into thirds (or half) depending how long your cucumbers are. (The idea is to cut them lengthwise first before you start slicing them down. We want about 4″ chunks so that when we slice them, they fit nicely onto your bread. (See photos). Finally, you can slice each chunk into slices about 1/16″ thick. Your yield will differ than mine depending upon the size of your cucumbers. Aim for about 4-5 slices per sandwich! (See photos for reference!)

Recipe Notes

The total yield for this recipe is 18 triangles (6 of each type). I assume people will eat 3 sandwiches each making this ideal for about 6 people.

**I added about 2-3 tbsp of filling to each sandwich. Your yield may be a bit different depending how much filling you use!

**Store your finished and cut tea sandwiches in a sealed Tupperware container in the fridge until ready to serve.

**Hothouse cucumbers are the long seedless cucumbers. You usually find them individually wrapped since you are meant to eat with the skin on. Keep in mind that keeping the skin on also allows for the pretty green color to show!