When you think of afternoon tea, you may focus on the scones and the cakes, but the savouries are important too. Traditionally, this would mean sandwiches, but there are a range of alternatives that can also make for a satisfying dish.
Finger Sandwiches
The most traditional option, a finger sandwich, is simply a normal sandwich cut into a “finger” or rectangular shape, generally with the crusts removed. You could also cut sandwiches into triangles or squares.
Use regular fillings like cheese, ham or egg mayonnaise. These are popular options if children are involved, but if you do not have time to make them yourself, you could order an afternoon tea box delivery from somewhere like www.afternoonteabox.com/.
Mini Quiches
Another traditional element in a classic afternoon tea, the mini quiche has buttery pastry and a rich, egg-based filling. You can use almost any combination of other ingredients. Common choices include ham or bacon, tomato, cheese, mushroom or spinach. Mini quiches allow you to serve many different flavours, rather than just one. Serve hot or cold.
Baby Frittatas
A lighter egg-based option, but this time without the pastry, this is ideal if you have gluten-free guests. Your options for additional ingredients are also similar to those in a quiche, but you can experiment to find your favourite.
Bao Buns
If you want to think international with your cuisine, then you could turn to bao buns, or koah-pau. Popular in China but still relatively novel in the UK, the very light dough is made from lotus leaves. Traditional fillings include sticky pork, chilli beef or lemongrass chicken, but you can choose any savoury you like.
Sushi
Possibly Japan’s most iconic food, now widely available in the West, these little creations of rice, seafood and vegetables look like artworks, especially when presented in a bento box. Again, different combinations of flavour are available.
One reason that afternoon tea remains popular is that it is so easy to adapt it to your personal taste. Experimenting with a range of savoury finger foods is just one aspect of this.
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