Perfect Cucumber Sandwiches

It is that time of year when the sun is starting to shine and the social season begins. I don’t just mean Ascot, Goodwood, Wimbledon and Henley Regatta, but our own personal social season when we enjoy inviting friends around at all times – including tea-time! Maybe we might enjoy some cucumber sandwiches and a good Victoria sponge! Here I have written out the ingredients for a perfect cucumber sandwich, not too soggy, not smothered with any other flavour, just the crisp, freshness of cucumber giving the sandwich that ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ moment! Roll on summer!

Perfect cucumber sandwiches

(Makes 9)
1/2 cucumber, peeled
Salt
6 thin slices of good white bread (good quality, not the plastic kind!)
Unsalted butter, at room temperature
White pepper

Cut the cucumber into slices as thin as you can make them, and put in a colander or sieve. Sprinkle lightly with salt (don’t go overboard) and leave for 20 minutes. Taste to check you haven’t oversalted them: you can rinse them at this point if so.

Lay out a few pieces of kitchen paper on the work surface, place the cucumber slices on them, and pat dry with more paper.

Lay out the bread and butter each slice generously. Arrange the cucumber on half the slices, overlapping each round, and sprinkle with ground white pepper. Top with the remaining slices.

Pressing down firmly, cut the crusts off, and then cut into neat fingers, triangles or quarters of roughly equal sizes. Serve immediately, with good tea.