Feeding the card sharks

How about this for a civilized lunch? For some unknown reason I’ve always wanted a cake plate. And now I have one with matching cups and all. For the plates first outing I couldn’t make just any old sambos. It had to be something a little bit special. These neat little salad sandwiches remind me so much of when I was young.

My Mum is a bit of a poker and bridge shark and all my life she has played both every week. The girls take it in turn to host the card games in their homes. There is usually a break for something to eat and drink during the night. For years Mum and I would make these salad sandwiches for her card friends.

I was one of those kids who craved approval. I was a real goodie-two-shoes. I would help make, serve and clear up the food, loving all the praise I would get for being such a good helper. I would wait patently after serving the food hoping for a left over for the helper. There always was one or two left for me. I think Mum always factored me in when she was deciding how many to make.

The filling is tomato, cucumber, scallion, hard boiled egg and crispy iceberg lettuce, sprinkled with salt and mixed with a dollop of mayo. They are very simple sandwiches but there are a few key factors that make them so delicious -
• All the ingredients must be chopped up very small.
• The bread has to be incredibly fresh.
• The filling should added just before they are served
• The crusts cut off.
It’s the simple things in life that give us such pleasure. My friend S is a master sandwhich maker. I don't know what it is she does but her egg & mayo sandwhiches are only surpassed by her smoked salmon and watercress ones. I think it is all about using fresh ingredients and not over doing the filling. Less is more.

On the top layer of the plate are some sweets, which Mum brought over, mixed in with some Nougat bought at a local café. I bought a small piece just to taste as I had never had nougat before. I always thought it was hard and chewy but this was creamy soft (as the web site says). I got the Cherry Cranberry and Pistachio varity but they all looked good. Recently I was very excited to see they sell big bars of the very same nougat at the local Food Growers market. I think I have found my new market treat – to go with the many others I can’t resist.