When was the last time you had a good old-fashioned chicken sandwich? Those dainty tea sandwich offerings associated with high tea and  bring a plate gatherings. Poached chicken combined with herbs and home-made mayonnaise. A little celery for  crunch. Crustless. Cut into elegant fingers or rolled into pinwheels. Here is my interpretation. Dainty. Delicious. Pure nostalgia. An indulgent trip down memory lane.

Old-Fashioned Pinwheel  and Finger Sandwiches With a Classic Chicken Mayonnaise Filling

Makes 36 Tea Sized Sandwiches

For the Poached Chicken

4 large (about 1 kg)  chicken breast fillets
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

ADD the chicken, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns and sea salt to a large shallow pan of simmering water.
SIMMER gently, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, cool.

For the Mayonnaise 

 Makes about 1¼ cups.

1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, grated
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
sea salt and ground white pepper
1 cup (250ml) olive  oil

PROCESS or blend the egg, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender until well combined.
WITH the motor running, pour the oil in very slowly in a thin stream and process until the mixture is thick and creamy.

To Make the Chicken Mayonnaise Filling

1 quantity poached chicken
1 quantity home-made mayonnaise
4 sticks  trimmed celery, sliced thinly
2 long green spring onions, sliced thinly
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper

THINLY slice the poached chicken and chop finely.
PLACE in a large bowl with the mayonnaise, spring onion, and celery.  Stir well to combine.
SEASON with sea salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble the Sandwiches

Sandwiches  can be made eight hours ahead and stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

1 quantity chicken mayonnaise filling
2 loaves fresh multi grain bread, sliced very thinly lengthwise to yield 6 long slices per loaf after end slices are removed

For the Finger Sandwiches

DIVIDE half the chicken mixture among three long bread slices. Top with another three  bread slices.
USING an electric or serrated knife, trim the crusts from the bread. Wrap tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate until required.
TO SERVE remove from the refrigerator. Unwrap and cut each sandwich into six fingers. Arrange on a serving platter.

For the Pinwheel Sandwiches

USING an electric or serrated knife, trim the crusts from the remaining six long slices of bread.
GENEROUSLY spread  half the chicken mayonnaise filling among the bread slices, leaving a slight border so the filling doesn’t ooze out when the sandwiches are rolled.
WITH the shortest side facing you carefully roll each slice of bread to enclose the filling, much like a Swiss roll or roulade.  Roll the slice up neatly and firmly. Wrap tightly in  cling wrap and refrigerate.
TO SERVE remove chilled rolls from the refrigerator. Unwrap and using an electric or serrated knife cut each roll into three slices. Arrange on a serving platter.