The hidden ingredient in Queen Elizabeth II's favourite cucumber sandwiches (2024)

Cucumber sandwiches are made with fresh mint by the Buckingham Palace staff (Image: Getty)

Cucumber sandwiches are a simple pleasure enjoyed by many Britons for lunch or in Queen Elizabeth II's case, with afternoon tea.

The late Queen used to enjoy them each day as part of a spread served to her by Buckingham Palace staff.

While there's no doubt she loved them for their plainness and simplicity, it has been revealed that the royal recipe included an extra ingredient.

According to television presenter, Jenny Hanley, the palace staff make the small sandwiches with a fragrant twist.

The presenter took to Boom Radio to share the revelation after she tried the humble snack while attending a Garden Party at the palace.

READ MORE:King Charles ‘banned’ certain ingredients, former royal chef suggests

Mint costs just 52p in major supermarkets (Image: Getty)

Jenny said: "The most wonderful thing that happened at one of the Buckingham Palace garden parties that I was lucky enough to go to was not the fact of the scones but the cucumber sandwiches."

She explained that while it "may be a joke to some people", tasting the cucumber snacks on the lawns of the palace was like nothing else she had experienced.

The presenter credited the unusual addition of mint to the simple sandwiches for their "wonderful" flavour.

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The late Queen enjoyed small cucumber sandwiches with afternoon tea (Image: Getty)

In fact, they were so tasty, Jenny exclaimed that she "will never make a cucumber sandwich without chopped mint again".

The royal recipe is said to contain a simple combination of just five ingredients:

• Bread
• Butter
• Sliced cucumber
• A dash of mint
• A sprinkle of black pepper

While the addition of fresh mint is a great way to elevate the flavour of this simple dish, another handy hack people can try is drying the cucumber.

Before layering the slices onto the bread, leaving them to dry out a little on a paper towel will stop excess water from creating soggy sandwiches.

The cucumber slices can even be sprinkled with a little salt to draw out extra water if needed.

And for those looking to replicate Queen Elizabeth II's tea-time spread, the cucumber sandwiches would not be complete without a cup of tea on the side. The late Queen used to enjoy a fragrant Earl Grey or Assam blend, served with a dash of milk.

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