TEA SANDWICHES

With lunch at noon and dinner at eight, afternoon tea proved the perfect answer to snacking politely. Custom dictated that the sandwiches be made with two thin, crustless slices of bread with various fillings, approved by a hostess such as the Countess of Grantham.

CUCUMBER

Serves 4-6 l Cucumber, thinly sliced l Salt and pepper l 8 thin slices of good-quality

white bread l Unsalted butter, at room

temperature

Put the cucumber slices into a sieve over a bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt, and leave to stand for 20 minutes. Then lay a few sheets of kitchen towel on a work surface, arrange the cucumber slices in a single layer on the paper and pat dry.

Lay the bread slices on a chopping board and spread with butter. Arrange the cucumber slices, overlapping them, on 4 of the bread slices and sprinkle with pepper. Top with the remaining bread slices. Using a serrated knife, cut off the crusts from each sandwich, then cut the sandwiches into neat fingers.

DEVILLED EGG & CRESS

Serves 4-6 l 4 eggs l 60g (2¼oz) unsalted butter,

at room temperature l 60ml (2¼oz) mayonnaise l 1tsp finely chopped fresh

parsley l ½tsp finely chopped fresh

dill l A pinch of grated lemon zest l Salt and pepper l Paprika l 8 thin slices of good-quality

white bread l 15g (½oz) watercress leaves

Place the eggs in a heavy saucepan, cover with water to about 2.5-5cm above them, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to stop them cooking. Peel the eggs and drop them into a clean bowl. Mash with a fork, then add the butter, mayonnaise, parsley, dill and lemon zest and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and paprika, to taste. Lay the bread slices on a chopping board. Spread 4 of the slices with the egg mixture, dividing it evenly. Arrange the watercress leaves evenly on top. Top with the remaining 4 bread slices and press firmly. Using a serrated knife, cut off the crusts from each sandwich then cut the sandwiches into neat fingers.