Dainty Egg and Chive Tea Sandwiches for Tea-Time

I am compiling a sandwiches cookbook, or sarnies as we call them in the UK, and here is my first recipe! Sandwiches come in many guises, from simple and elegant to hearty and robust; in my cookbook I aim to have them ALL in there! Sandwiches tick all the boxes for so many meals and events: the obvious high teatime table, cricket teas, picnics, packed lunches and quick snacks. These sandwiches are dainty and elegant and would be ideal for the teatime table. The use of fresh chives gives them a bit of a lift and you must try to use the salad cream as well as the mayonnaise; salad cream has a pronounced vinegary flavour which cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise and eggs.

• Ready In: 11 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Rounds Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4  medium  free range eggs
• 1  tablespoon  salad  cream
• 2  tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh chives
• 8  slices  thin sliced  brown bread
•  butter, softened, for spreading
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Place the eggs in a small pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and run the eggs under cold water until cool.
2. Peel and then coarsely grate or crumble the eggs into a bowl. Mix with the salad cream, mayonnaise and chives and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cut off the bread crusts with a serrated knife - put them to one side for home-made breadcrumbs.
4. Butter the bread and divide the egg mixture between 4 bread slices. Top with the remaining bread. Stack 2 sandwiches together and cut into 3 fingers, then serve.
5. Cook's tips: Pierce the rounded end of each egg with a pin before cooking to help stop the shell from cracking.
6. Cooling the eggs under cold water stops them from cooking further and prevents a dark ring forming around the yolk.
7. For easy peeling, peel the eggs under cold running water over a colander to collect all the bits of shell. The water stops the shell from sticking to your fingers and the egg.