Ham Watercress And Mustardy Cream Cheese Tea Sandwich Recipes

Steps:

• For the goat's cheese, walnut & roasted pepper sandwiches, mix together 200g soft goat's cheese with 100g cream cheese. Spread most of the mixture over 5 slices white bread. Slice 2 roasted red peppers into strips, divide between the bread, then top each with another slice white bread. Trim the crusts, then cut each sandwich into 4 triangles. Whizz 25g walnuts until fine. Spread 1 edge of each sandwich with the remaining cheese mix, then dip into the chopped walnuts.
• For the lemony cucumber & prawn sandwiches, lightly spread 6 slices wholemeal bread with butter. Cover with a layer of thinly sliced cucumber, then use a 5-6cm round cutter to stamp out 12 circles. Mix together 4 tbsp mayonnaise with zest 1 lemon. Top each circle with 1 halved large cooked prawn and a dollop of the lemony mayonnaise.
• For the creamy egg & cress sandwiches, boil 4 eggs for 8 mins. Cool the eggs, peel, mash, then mix with 2 chopped spring onions and 2-3 tbsp crème fraîche. Season, then spread over 12 small rolls. Add a little cress, pop on the lids and serve.

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and chives together well.
• Spread bread slices with the cream cheese mixture. Cover half the slices with watercress leaves, pressing them into the cream cheese. Top the watercress with the ham slices. Cover with the remaining bread slices.
• Cut the crusts off each sandwich and then cut them in quarters or thirds.

Steps:

• Mix together the cream cheese and the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Add extra mustard for a more fiery flavour; however, it's probably best to have a mild mustard flavour for afternoon tea.
• Spread the cream cheese mixture on the 8 slices of bread and place the ham on top of Divide the watercress into small sprigs and place on top.
• Finish with the remaining slices of bread, trim off the crusts and cut each into 3 fingers. Serve on a pretty plate with some extra sprigs of watercress.

Steps:

• Snip the stalks from the watercress and place the leafy ends on kitchen paper to absorb any water. Butter the bread generously, arrange the watercress over 4 slices and season. Top with the remaining bread, cut into triangles or fingers and serve.
• NB. (Don't discard the watercress stalks; they can be made into a soup. Soften a chopped onion in a pan with butter, add 250ml whole milk and bring to the boil. Add the stalks, cook for 1 minute then liquidise until smooth and foamy.).

Steps:

• Place chopped pecans on plate.
• Mix cheese and watercress in a bowl.
• Season with salt and a dash of white pepper.
• Spread mixture evenly over 8 bread slices.
• Top with remaining bread.
• Cut sandwiches diagonally in half.
• Butter all 3 edges of each sandwich triangle.
• Dip buttered edges of sandwiches into pecans.
• Arrange sandwiches on platter.
• Garnish with watercress sprigs.
• These can be made up to 8 hours ahead.
• Cover sandwiches tightly; chill until ready to serve.