High Society Cucumber Sandwiches – the Dos and Don’ts
- Updated on Oct 23, 2018
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Cucumber Sandwiches – the Dos and Don’ts
This cucumber sandwich with cream cheese recipe started out as a bit of fun, but we soon realised that cucumber sandwiches are a pretty serious recipe. Well, in relative terms anyway.
I’ve eaten a lot of sandwiches in my life – as I calculated in this avocado sandwich recipe, probably about 8000. And that was two years ago!
Although I have slowed down on my sandwich intake, I still very much appreciate a good sandwich. And cucumber sandwiches rank up there with the best.
A mainstay of any excellent British garden party, the cucumber sandwich must pass several rigorous tests.
Be prepared to pass all scrutiny
Firstly, the bread must be extremely soft. White is more traditional, though wholegrain is absolutely fine. It’s the softness that’s important.
Secondly, the cream cheese and butter should be spread thickly. This a decadent sandwich, not one for the health-conscious.
Thirdly, the cucumber should be sliced thinly, and without skin. Just a little salt and pepper should be used, as it can quickly become overpowering. Dill or mint leaves are your friend – they pair well with cucumber and easily bring the sandwich up a level.
Optionally, you may remove the crusts from the cucumber sandwich. High-society usually did this, and would surely still approve – we don’t, however. What a waste of bread. And good food is not something that should be wasted. That being said, if you have a favourite dog/child/servant willing to eat said bread, knock yourselves out.
Anything else?
Finally, cucumber sandwiches should be presented as elegantly as possible. If you have a silver platter, this will do perfectly. Otherwise the ‘good china’ will do in a pinch. Although guests may eat from paper plates at impromptu picnics in the garden, a good cucumber sandwich must never be served on paper.
Now you’re armed with the knowledge to make the best cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese you’ve ever had. So, push forth and enjoy your endeavors and guest-pleasing adulation.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Spread butter on half the slices of bread, and cream cheese on the other half.
- Peel and slice the cucumber thinly.
- Layer the cucumber slices on the buttered side. Dash a little salt and pepper onto the cucumber.
- Sprinkle over the dill or mint leaves.
- Slap cream cheese bread on top of cucumber bread.
Optional to serve:
- Remove crusts from bread, serve on silver platter 😉
NOTES
Nutrition
Comments
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44 comments
These are one of my faves!! Will be sharing!
Mine too! Thanks Alison! 😀
Wow! Give te crusts to a servant? I hope you were joking.
Im very sure he was 😀
Servants gotta eat too
LOL
I absolutely love these sandwiches. I will have to try the dill next time.
Delighted my mom with these. Thank you,
Happy to help, Sarah! 🙂
Do these stay nice if you make them the night before?
Hi Esther, I would try to eat them within a couple of hours of making – and keeping them covered in the meantime. The cucumber can make the bread soggy from the inside, and the bread would go dry if left for too long!
Thank you for the info, Dave
Happy to help 🙂
Hmmm yummy..good job.love it
Thank you, Radika! Enjoy 🙂
this is not a cucumber sandwich its a cheese and cucumber sandwich
Can’t argue with that. Don’t forget the dill!
i will defiantly try this! it sounds like an easy enough recipe to follow. thanks for the info!
Yess, deffo an easy snack this one!
Just a side note. When I host what my husband likes to call “hen” party I aways remove the crust. My Grandmother taught me to take the crusts prior to spreading off. Then place them in a brown paper bag to dry out( generally a week). Then I can crush them into bread crumbs or stuffing bread.
As long as they don’t get wasted, sounds great to me! Love the fact that the tip from your gran – different days when very little was wasted 🙂
This…
“That being said, if you have a favourite dog/child/servant willing to eat said bread”
Be careful to remember your servant might notice your uncouth and then who are you kidding!
😀
These were a big hit at my party! Thank you fr the delicious recipe! Will make again 🙂
AWESOME to hear! You’re welcome, and thank you for writing!
It is not the proper way, but none the less an elegant dish.
Would you care to elaborate, Professor?
Best sandwich ever.
So glad I tried these, they were delish! And the servants loved the crusts, so, bonus 😉
Haha happy to help. And food for all! 😀
Thank you for the recipe! For those without servants maybe you can get a crustless loaf. Am waiting to see if Professor comes up with the “proper” recipe. Need to know, as I thought this one was totally proper.
Glad you like the recipe Meri! Which professor you’re referring to? 😀
Outstanding, Chef! Have you thought about Philadelphia whipped cream cheese with chives or Philadelphia cream cheese smoked salmon mix – they are great, too. Also I’m going to try my father’s Hungarian recipe of marinated cucumber slices (involving olive oil, vinegar, seasoning of choice – ex: Hungarian paprika, a few slices of scallions and a small dollop of sour cream on top) and serve with or without a top slice. Yay for the suggestion of crust usage – dogs, toddlers finger food, hungry grandchildren and of course my hordes of hungry servants!!!
Excellent choices, good Lady. I’m sure the next garden party will delight all who attend, and of course the youngsters will grow up healthy and strong from all the crusts. Thank you for writing!
Experiemced the cucumber sandwich the first time when our church hosted a tea party. We used the English cuccumber, trimmed the crust and served them on a nice platter. They were delicious and everyone was crazy about them
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback! We’re glad that you’ve had a pleasant experience with sandwiches!
Do you know why cucumber sandwiches were enjoyed so much by high society?
A very good question, Chris. Do you have any insight? My first guess is the exceptionally soft bread showed they could afford an upper crust (sorry) baker. And I suppose cucumbers can be grown virtually anywhere – even Britain! Also they rock!
How long in advance can you make them?
Hi Rosie! If possible I would make them on the same day, the bread will become too dry otherwise. A few hours in advance is fine, but they need to be kept as airtight as possible. Cling film is totally fine for doing that, and you can wrap it (quite) tightly over a whole tray 🙂
I loved the way you have described the making of high society sandwiches. I am not from very very high society but I still trim the edges. I sun dry them and store in a box and when I need croutons , I Sprinkle olive oil and herbs on the bread , put them in a hot oven till they are browned. Top a soup with these croutons.
Thanks Kirti! Yes, trimming the edges certainly adds a touch of class. And that’s a fantastic idea of using them as croutons! I always need croutons for the soups we test, so I’m going to use that idea going forward. Thanks for sharing!
Cucumber sandwiches are NEVER made with cream cheese!
Don’t keep us in suspense, what is used instead?