Tea Sandwiches

‘At Claridge’s, we’ve been observing this delightful aspect of our nation’s culinary heritage for the best part of 150 years. For a century or more, all of the Executive Chefs have remained faithful to the classic combination of finger sandwiches, scones served warm and sweet pastries, accompanied by a remarkable selection of the world’s finest loose leaf teas curated by our tea guru Henrietta Lovell. So we won’t stop now. We’re not providing sandwich recipes here, really, seeing as the two key aspects to a good sandwich are sourcing the product – the best-quality eggs, meat and breads – and cutting the sandwiches. Well, perhaps the cutting part is most key for us as we’re serving 180 people per day. Please note, the quality and freshness of the bread is paramount and should always be your first consideration. Picking different breads to pair with your fillings also gets exciting: rye, malt, granary, brown, onion, plain white…these are just some of the breads we regularly use.’ – Claridge’s: The Cookbook

 

Claridge’s Five Sandwich Rules:

 

1. 1. A sharp serrated knife is crucial for cutting sandwiches. You’ll need a knife with teeth that aren’t too large (these will tear the bread). Something like a Victorinox 26cm pastry knife is ideal.

2. A palette knife or spreader knife is crucial for spreading butters and jams.

 

3. Never let the bread dry out. Keep the slices covered at all times. We stack the sandwiches as we make them, placing the crust slices of the bread on the bottom and top of the pile to keep the bread just right. You could use clingfilm, or a damp clean tea towel.

 

4. The one-third rule! The perfect afternoon tea sandwich should be two-thirds bread and one-third filling.

 

5. Keep it even, keep it neat! We slice our loaves of bread lengthways (horizontally) into long rectangular slices, rather than vertically. This makes it easier to cut into rectangular fingers and reduces wastage. The bread should be evenly sliced, evenly topped with the freshest of fillings, then evenly cut and trimmed.

 

Poached Var Salmon, Garden Herb Mayonnaise on Rye Bread

Due to the volume of salmon we require, our fresh salmon is farmed. However, it is farmed by three brothers on the Faroe Islands between Scotland and Iceland, famed for being the finest salmon breeders in the world. The natural habitat, with exceptionally strong currents to swim against, provide the most real conditions with the highest welfare standards. For our Mayonnaise recipe, see below.

 

FOR CLARIDGE’S MAYONNAISE:

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp Colman’s mustard powder

3 pinches of salt, plus extra to taste

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

500ml (18fl oz) vegetable oil or rapeseed oil

dash of cayenne pepper

 

In a glass bowl, combine the egg yolk, mustard powder, salt and vinegar and whisk briefly to dissolve the salt. Whisking rapidly, add small drops of oil bit by bit, allowing the egg and oil to emulsify. Once

you have added about one-quarter of the oil, the mixture will have begun to look like mayonnaise and you can add more oil faster. Add the cayenne pepper and adjust the seasoning to taste.

This mayonnaise can be used plain or further flavoured, such as with the addition of chopped chervil, tarragon and chives for pairing with salmon (see Poached Var Salmon) or lemon juice and chopped

thyme to complement roast Corn-fed Chicken

 

English Cucumber, Cream Cheese, Rocket on White Bread

Our cucumbers are grown organically in the heart of England, under glass or in the great outdoors, depending on the weather. As is traditional, the cucumber sandwich comes on a soft white bread, recalling the time when white bread was a culinary sensation thanks to 19th-century milling techniques.

 

FOR CLARIDGE’S CREAM CHEESE:

30g (1oz) cream cheese

5g (.⁄8oz) dill, chopped

3g (.⁄16oz) horseradish root, peeled and

finely grated

Mix the cream cheese with the dill and horseradish. A nice flavouring for a mild vegetable such as cucumber.

 

Corn-Fed Chicken, Lemon & Thyme Mayonnaise, Walnut on Malted Bread

The chickens are naturally reared Cotswold White birds, which are given space and time to develop to produce a meat with great flavour and texture, perfect for our sandwiches. Once roast and carved, the chicken is lightly seasoned and served on malted bread with lemon and thyme mayonnaise  and chopped toasted walnuts.

 

Breckland Brown & Clarence Court Egg Mayonnaise on White Bread

Both eggs are soft-boiled, then chopped by hand, turned with our homemade mayonnaise and finished with a good twist of pepper and pinch of mustard cress. The sandwich is served on fresh creamy white bread that is soft, yielding and very moreish.

 

Dorrington Ham, Smoked Tomato Chutney, Watercress on Onion Bread

We purchase our hams directly from a small butcher in Dorrington, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire. Darren Sadd sources the pork from local farms. I first met Darren when visiting some friends in Shrewsbury who have an allotment, and I was so impressed with the flavour of the ham they had bought from Darren, that we had to go and visit. Any good-quality tomato chutney is a perfect pairing for ham. We also often serve our ham with a tarragon and mustard mayonnaise and a sliced tomato.

 

This is an extract from Claridge’s: The Cookbook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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