Cucumber & Ham Sandwich

A light bite said to have been invented by a card-loving earl, made here as the cucumber sandwich of British afternoon tea.

⏱ Cook time 15 min🍽 Serves 2

Ingredients

Slice the cucumber thinly on the diagonal, salt it, leave 5 minutes and wipe dry well with paper towel (the top tip for a non-soggy sandwich).
Mix the butter and mayonnaise (and mustard if you like) and spread thinly on one side of all 4 slices. This keeps the filling's moisture from soaking into the bread.
Lay a slice of ham on 2 slices of bread, overlap the cucumber little by little, add black pepper and top with the remaining ham.
Cover with the other slices, wrap in plastic and let settle for about 5 minutes.
Warm the knife, then cut diagonally into triangles.
Trivia: the name comes from the 4th Earl of Sandwich in 18th-century England. The famous tale is that he had fillings put between bread so he could eat without interrupting his card game, though accounts differ and some say it was to eat at his desk. The cucumber sandwich became a Victorian afternoon-tea staple, back when greenhouse-grown cucumbers were a luxury.