Reinventing Tea Sandwiches

We all have an image in mind when someone mentions tea sandwiches. The dainty little pieces of white bread, usually with cucumber, and completely boring. But why does that have to be the case? Tea sandwiches as a concept still have a purpose. A lot of social gatherings can benefit by having hearty, little snacks that are easy to eat. With a few simple modifications I think we can reclaim this archaic practice, maybe even call it retro.

First of all, forget the white bread and the cucumber, unless you really like cucumber and white bread. The bakery section of any modern grocery store is full of interesting alternatives.

As an example, think small:

• mini croissants
• mini bagels
• mini pitas
• slider buns (aka small dinner rolls)
• even 10” tortillas make perfect little wraps

All of these provide a convenient way to make lots of little sandwiches that are perfect for snacking on. But you can also think big:

• long, narrow baguettes
• sheets of focaccia
• premade pizza

You can build an awesome sandwich on a baguette, spear it with a dozen toothpicks, then cut it into bite sized pieces. Sheets of focaccia are easy to load up for an open faced sandwich, then cut into fingers.

Need inspiration? Just make a list of sandwiches you like and go from there, you don’t need to worry about what some old lady made 50 years ago. If you want to get a little more creative don’t think sandwich think dip. It’s easy to buy some good quality spinach and artichoke dip, and put a bit of that between slices of toasted rye bread.

Here’s a look at one of my recent menus:

Hopefully this inspires you to give tea sandwiches another chance, and maybe by next February they’ll be the new game day favourite.

Until then, let me know what sort of ideas you come up with. And if you’re in the San Francisco area contact me to schedule catering for your next event.