F is for Finger Sandwiches

 

I have a very sweet tooth but if faced with a choice between the afternoon tea dessert layer or the savoury sandwich layer, I'd pick the sandwich layer every time.  I've listed a selection of sandwich offerings at a variety of tea rooms below from both sides of the Atlantic.  Each sandwich is served on very thin bread, interesting to note the variety of breads used, and most often sliced horizontally but also in triangles.

The Lanesborough, London, Queen Charlotte Tea (a special promotion in celebration of the new season of Bridgerton):

Tea cured salmon, lemon and caper cream
Coronation chicken, golden raisin, fresh coriander
Devilled egg mayonnaise, mustard cress
Organic cucumber, cream cheese, basil and chive
Montgomery cheddar scone, cheese custard

The Ritz, Mayfair, London:

Ham with grain mustard mayonnaise on brioche bread

Cheddar cheese with chutney on tomato bread

Cucumber with cream cheese, dill and mint on granary bread

Breast of chicken with tarragon creamed mayonnaise on malt bread

Scottish smoked salmon with lemon butter on sourdough bread

Egg mayonnaise with chopped shallots and watercress on brioche roll

Betty's Harrogate:

Smoked salmon, lemon butter, herb cream cheese, cucumber and pickled red onion

Roast beef, horseradish and shallot crème fraiche

Truffle egg mayonnaise and chive

The Savoy, London

Traditional Coronation Chicken with raisins and mango chutney on granary bread
Burford brown egg with horseradish sauce and watercress on malted brown bread
Sherry picked cucumber with mint-infused cream on tomato bread
Scottish smoked salmon with yuzu and dill cress on spinach bread
The Savoy also features two savoury bites:
Asparagus puree with buffalo mozzarella and crispy shallots savoury tart
Artichoke with morel mushroom and garlic flower in brioche bun

Fairmont Olympic, Seattle, Washington:

Smoked salmon and crème fraiche blini

Chicory roasted turkey and cranberry tarragon aioli on potato bread

Truffle egg and watercress on onion rye

Crab croquette with petit herbes and caviar

Apple melt with crisp apple, whipped Boursin, and Comte

The Palm Court at The Plaza, New York City:

English cucumber with mint labneh, lemon zest, tarragon, and pickled mustard seeds on white bread

Moroccan spiced lamb almond dukkah with pickled red onion on white bread

Pastrami smoked salmon with onion soubise, lime, salmon caviar on spinach bread

The egg sandwich with strawberry jam, paprika on white bread

Cambozola & Cotton Candy Grapes with wild honey, candied walnut in a tomato tart shell

As you can see, smoked salmon, Coronation chicken, cucumber, and egg mayonnaise feature in almost all of the menus.  Almost all tearooms offer gluten-free options as well.

Coronation Chicken is a delicious sandwich filling that was developed to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 as a cold dish of poached chicken with a curry cream sauce.  It often features as the filling for a sandwich in many afternoon teas.  You can find a recipe here.

Do you have a favorite tea sandwich?