Boil the eggs until perfectly hard-boiled: Place the eggs in a medium pot and fill it about halfway with water so the eggs are fully covered. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, continue cooking the eggs for about 10 minutes to create firm, hard-boiled eggs. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for another 10 minutes to finish cooking.

Cool and peel the boiled eggs: Transfer them to cold running water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. This also makes the shells easier to remove. Once cooled, gently peel the eggs and discard the shells.

Chop the eggs and pickles for the egg salad filling: Using a knife or egg slicer, chop the hard-boiled eggs into small pieces. Finely chop the dill pickles as well. These ingredients will create the flavorful base of the creamy egg salad sandwich filling.

Mix the egg salad in a bowl: In a small bowl, combine the chopped eggs, chopped pickles, mayonnaise, and black pepper. Stir everything together until well mixed and creamy. At this stage, you’ll have a simple and delicious egg salad perfect for tea sandwiches.

Prepare the bread for tea sandwiches: Take the bread slices and carefully cut off the crusts. Removing the crust gives the sandwiches the classic, delicate look that’s traditional for afternoon tea sandwiches.

Assemble the egg salad tea sandwiches: Spread the egg salad mixture evenly onto four slices of bread. Then place the remaining slices of bread on top to form egg salad tea sandwiches.

Slice the sandwiches into classic tea shapes: Using a sharp knife, cut each sandwich diagonally into four small pieces. These bite-sized portions create elegant finger sandwiches often served at tea parties or afternoon tea.

Arrange and serve: Place the finished egg salad tea sandwiches neatly on a serving platter. They are ready to enjoy as part of an afternoon tea spread, light lunch, or simple tea party appetizer.