Rolled Tea Sandwiches

Published: May 9, 2017 · Modified: Sep 25, 2023 by Carolyn Hetke · This post may contain affiliate links,

These dainty Rolled Tea Sandwiches are a throwback to the 60s but I think they stand the test of time. Great for Mother's Day, showers, garden parties or afternoon tea.

These are a tribute to my Mom in view of approaching Mother's Day.

The connection here is to her Bridge group. When I was a child I remember when my Mom would transform the living room with a few card tables and sets of four chairs. New playing cards (that were reserved only for the Bridge club) were laid out along with little bridge score pads, pencils and little dishes of - what else- Bridge mixture. They were chocolate covered nuts, jellies etc.

I was banished to the upstairs but could get away with sitting on the stair case if I was super quiet and still and stayed high enough up to not be too obvious. When the card playing was over, trays of these little rolled sandwiches appeared along with a variety of sweet gherkins, sweet pickled onions and green olives.

I could hardly contain myself by then because I knew I would get some of the leftovers. I just loved the cherry pink cream cheese ones with a cherry in the middle. The Cheese Whiz and sweet gherkin wasn't far behind either. And... sweet gherkin pickles in the relish tray... what a treat!

You can tell it made a huge impression on me because I still make these dainty little sandwiches to this day. I don't think they ever go out of style (although - reality check - I don't know anyone else who makes them and I have never been served them at an afternoon tea???)

At any rate - they don't deserve to fade into oblivion!

I made several variations from one 8 oz block of cream cheese. If you don't want so many variations you can just double the variety you want.

You can sometimes get white bread sliced horizontally from a bakery on special order. I have also recently seen and Italian version of white, crustless bread sliced horizontally called Tramezzini, which is perfect for these sandwiches. I have seen it at Zehr's and Food Basics in Canada.

But - it is still not difficult to make a long strip from regular white sandwich bread. I look for the square, thin sliced sandwich bread.

How to Make Rolled Tea Sandwiches With Bread

In today's world of infinite bread varieties plain old white bread takes a bit of a back bench. There are however a few times, such as this one, where only the softest, plainest white bread will do. (The other one is for Thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwiches -white breast meat, white bread, mayo and a coat of cranberries!) For the different sandwich varieties I used about 2 ½ loaves of white bread.

First you cut the crusts off the bread and lay 4 slices end to end with about ½" overlap. Pinch the overlap to seal the bread pieces together.

Then you spread your filling over the length and line up your center feature on one of the short ends.

Next you roll them up starting at the short end with the center filling.

Then wrap them tightly in the plastic wrap to help seal the edges and firm up the roll.

These need a few hours in the fridge to meld together - I would suggest at least 4 hours but overnight is even better. And... how good is that? If you are going to serve them for a festive occasion -like Mother's Day - you can do some of the prep work the day before. You know how I love that! Check out the Mother's Day Luncheon Buffet in full here!

A buffet table laden with tea sandwiches, open face cucumber sandwiches, pastries and Rosé wine.

Wine Pairing

You want to match light wines with light foods so these dainty tea sandwiches would pair well with Prosecco, a dry Rosé, a dry or off-dry Riesling, an unoaked Chardonnay or a Pinot Grigio.

If you are red fan you will want to keep it light with a Beaujolais, Valpolicella or Grenache.

FAQs

What Is A Tea Sandwich?

A tea sandwich is a finger sandwich with the crusts cut off, typically served at a classic English afternoon tea.

What Other Fillings Can I Make?

You could use a fine ham salad filling with a pickle, peanut butter with a banana center is great for kids.

How Long Do These Keep?

You can make them a day or two ahead, which helps them retain their shape if rolled tightly in plastic wrap. Once sliced they will keep another day sealed tightly.