Open sandwiches for tea

Cucumber sandwiches

Warmer weather just invites us to have tea outdoors. We're lucky to have an enclosed garden. It is so quiet and peaceful in our garden, pretty amazing if you think that the front of the house is facing a busy road. The old trees and greenery make our garden a perfect spot for a leisurely tea. Tea and cakes go well, but so do sandwiches. When I was asked to create freestyle sandwiches with Lurpak, my first thought was those quaint classic cucumber sandwiches.
Of course, there are cucumber sandwiches and there are cucumber sandwiches. They could be soggy little horrors, which are sometimes served at parties. But if you prepare them the right way, they are truly one of the simplest yet elegant and tasty British classic dishes. A national institution. And they're perfect for an afternoon tea, delicate and delicious yet not too filling so you have some space left for dinner later. They might quaint and Victorian, but don't discard them as an old-fashioned trend.

Choose a good sliced bread. My guys prefer Warburtons sliced bread for sandwiches. Sasha with his autism won't eat any other bread, which makes it tricky when we have to travel. Imagine how odd it might look to the airport check-in people, if they decide to open my suitcase. Probably nobody else takes sliced bread to Italy. Italians make all sorts of wonderful tasty breads, but their sliced bread is really not good at all. But going back to our cucumber sandwiches.

First prepare the cucumber. Peel it or leave the skin on. I actually prefer the skin on, especially with young cucumbers. Slice the cucumber thinly. It's up to you, whether you prefer it sliced in circles or thin ribbons. Or even cut into flower shapes with a cookie cutter, I have seen these sandwiches on Pinterest, they look cute, but of course, you waste some of the food by cutting it into fancy shapes.

I used an OXO Good Grips simple mandoline slicer (which I reviewed back in February, see my blog post Valentine's day menu) to slice the cucumber into thin strips. Arrange the slices on a big plate and sprinkle with salt. Leave it for 15 minutes, then pat dry the ribbons with a paper kitchen towel on both sides. The mandoline makes a fiddly job of even slicing very easy and quick.
Take the bread slices and remove the crusts. Butter each slice well.
We have tried many brands of butter spreads, and it's Lurpak that we go back to again and again. I believe it's one of the tastiest butter spreads.
Arrange the cucumber ribbons over the buttered bread, then cut the sandwiches into neat triangles.
If you have access to fresh flowers like primroses and violets, you might like to prettify your sandwiches with a few flowers. I have plenty of them in the garden, all organic and untreated by any chemicals, so they are safe to eat.

For a more substantial sandwich spread, go Scandi and prepare a platter of sandwiches with a herring butter. You will need some pickled herring either from the deli or get a variety in a jar. I like Elsinore Herrings in sweet & spicy marinade (found in Waitrose, but might be available in the other supermarkets or delis).

Rye bread & herring butter sandwiches

You will need rye bread for this simple Scandi-Russian fusion sandwiches. Both Russian and Scandinavian cuisine favour salted & pickled herring, and of course, a good rye bread is a must.
Finely chop the pickled herring and mix with soft butter spread and chopped fresh dill. Spread the herring butter over the sliced rye bread and decorate with more dill or lemon slices.
Tuck in at once!

In both recipes I used Lurpak spreadable Lighter slightly salted. It is a blend of Lurpak butter and vegetable oil. It is easily spreadable even straight from the fridge; contains no palm oil, hydrogenated fats, artificial colourings or preservatives.

What are your favourite open sandwiches?

Disclosure: I received a £5 supermarket voucher to cover the cost of products. All opinions are mine.

A taste of India from Warburtons (Baked Naan Chips review)

 

 

 

When I think of India, I picture myself as a little girl, sitting on my Mum's lap in the cinema, watching a Bollywood weepie like Seeta Aur Geeta (anyone else knows what I am talking about?).

 

 

 

My Mum loved the Indian cinema, and in the days of my childhood it was very popular in Russia. Later I've been reading memoirs of travellers to India and dreaming of visiting it one day. Alas, my dreams have stayed dreams.
What first springs to your mind when you think of India? Colourful clothes, delicious cuisine, cultural traditions?
If you enjoy Indian food, you might like to know that Britain's famous baker Warburtons has launched a new range of products that are inspired by India - Baked Naan Chips.

Warburtons explains: "Made from a unique naan bread recipe, the snacks are inspired by iconic British-Indian dishes and come in three great flavours - Creamy Korma (mild), Classic Tikka (medium) and Fiery Madras (hot), to suit the tastes of all your friends and family. Available in big sharing bags (150g), not only do these Indian treats taste delicious, but they’re also guilt-free, as the whole range is baked not fried, with 33% less fat compared to standard potato crisps, and containing no artificial ingredients."

Creamy Korma (mild) was the first bag of naan chips that I opened for tasting.
What you notice immediately is an aroma of the coconut milk and Korma spices. Among the ingredients you will find wheat flour, sunflower oil, korma seasoning, coconut milk, yoghurt powder, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, pepper, garlic and more. The chips are very crunchy and mildly spicy.

Very pleasant Korma flavour, mild enough for younger children. Eddie had a few and asked for more, he really enjoyed them. You can munch them as they are, or use a nice dip to go with them.
As they contain no artificial ingredients, I am happy to give them to my children. Another bonus: they are a nice new food to tempt and develop your child's palate.

Classic Tikka (medium)
If you look at the list of ingredients, you find wheat flour, sunflower oil, Tikka Masala seasoning, yoghurt powder, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, coriander, ginger, cardamom, cumin.
Tikka chips are definitely more spicy than Korma, but not too hot.

I decided to go full Monty and serve them with a Tikka and side-dishes. I think they are a good competition to poppadoms. Eat them with different toppings, dips and condiments. And again, these chips were very crunchy.
My personal favourite. They go well with a glass of cold beer.

Fiery Madras (hot)
I am not very keen on hot curries, so tried to postpone tasting the last bag of chips. In comparison to the other two flavours, Fiery Madras has a real kick, as it is made with the Madras curry seasoning (the one that I usually avoid if I eat in an Indian restaurant).
They are very aromatic. I placed a bowl of chips in the kitchen, and every time I enter the kitchen, I can smell the spices. Nice but too hot for me. It would suit those who love their curries hot.
A friend of mine came earlier today and I mentioned to her that I am writing a review and asked if she'd like to taste the chips. She tried all three flavours and her verdict was that the Madras chips were not as hot as she presumed from my description, so I suppose it depends on a personal taste. they were too hot for me. She also commented that all three flavours were really nice.

If you'd like to try the new Warburtons Baked Naan Chips, they are available at Morrisons (RSP £1.79).
For further information and also recipes created by TV chef Monisha Bharadwaj visit www.facebook.com/warburtons
I have also noticed that they are running a competition to win a curry recipe kit.