There is nothing quite so sublime as a pot of freshly brewed tea served with warm freshly baked scones, sweet fruity jam and lashings of golden-crusted clotted cream. The traditional English cream tea may sound perfectly simple, but it’s tradition, heritage and origin has been debated and fought over for many years.

Clotted cream has unclear origins, but it has long been associated with the South West of England. Perhaps because of the warmer climate, perhaps because of the lush green pasture, it seems that the dairy herds in Devon and Cornwall are able to produce a premium dairy product. Clotted cream is unlike any other in taste and texture. It is scaled over hot water for a period of approximately 2 hours, and the thick cream layer that forms a golden crust is skimmed off and cooled. The resulting product is effectively pasteurised during the process, allowing it to be kept for longer than ‘raw’ cream, which would have soured much sooner in times gone by. The exact timings, temperatures and methods vary, and many are treasured secrets. Cornish clotted cream has a pale yellow colour, which is due to the higher levels of carotene present in the regional grasses that the cows graze. Cornish Clotted Cream also has protected designation of origin status, meaning it can only made from milk produced in Cornwall. These days, commercial clotted cream production helps to reduce the amount of waste milk produced by West Country farmers, and the by-product of making clotted cream is skimmed milk – which is widely used in the food production industry.

Devon clotted cream can be traced as far back as the 12th Century in Tavistock where monks were said to have fed local workers bread, cream and strawberry jam preserve as sustenance and in thanks for helping them to rebuild Tavistock Abbey. Devon clotted cream is a little paler and deliciously delicate in comparison. Unlike the commercially available Cornish version, Devon clotted cream is still produced the old fashioned way on farms, with smaller cottage industry businesses supplying local village shops with their unique and delicate cream. Its lighter completion has lead to widespread use in ice cream and fudge. Devon has recently made application for protected designation of origin status for the ‘Devon Cream Tea’ – indication of the rivalry between the two counties, both of whom make claim to the heritage of clotted cream.

Whatever the origins, traditions and associated myths, clotted cream has definitely become a tourist attraction for the South West of England and a unique pleasure that visitors and holidaymakers enjoy. As it has a naturally short shelf-life, you will not find Cornish or Devon clotted cream anywhere else in the world. Because of the high fat content of clotted cream (55%-64%) if it were sold in USA, it would be classed as butter!

The Scone. Should it be plain or fruited for a cream tea? It may seem like a trivial question but people really do feel very strongly about the subject in the South West of England. Whilst most people love a raisin or two in their scone, there is an argument that the scone should always be plain for a cream tea and that there is no place for a raisin if you have a generous dollop of well made jam and lashings of clotted cream. The jury is out on this one. Scones should be warm not hot or cold, of a delicate size, not too large or else they will overshadow the taste of the cream and jam. This all sounds a little fussy perhaps? Cream tea traditions are fiercely argued and the age-old dilemma of ‘Cream before the Jam’ – the Devon way, or ‘Jam before the Cream’ the Cornish way is still debated to this day. In fact, it makes up a large part of the application for protected designation of status made by the county of Devon for the cream tea.

Devon or Cornwall, the cream tea is now a tradition and part of the culture of the South West of England and a delightful treat for those wishing to indulge a little and enjoy the sublime taste of clotted cream.