A Yank's Cream Tea

This Yank spent some time in the British Isles and got, well, a wee bit spoiled by experiencing British-style teatimes. I’ve been spending effort since returning to the U.S. trying either to find a tearoom that serves an authentic tea or do my own at home. That search has gone on for quite some time now, with little success. Sigh!

Recently, a series of events have served to steer me in the right direction. First, I got to try some tea from a company in Devon, a county in the UK that specializes in teatimes of a particular nature that they call “cream teas.” Next, I saw clotted cream in a local market and decided to buy a jar (a tiny 1-ounce jar — sigh!). Then, a lightbulb clicked on over my head — no, not literally, but the kind symbolizing that an idea has been born. I’ll put that tea and some scones and that little jar of clotted cream along with some preserves all together for a Yank-style cream tea. Yippee!

Actually, I should be more specific. This is a Yank’s version of the Devon Cream Tea, which consists of tea, scones, clotted cream (preferably the kind made in Devon), and preserves (usually strawberry).

Hubby baked the scones. I guarded a couple of them to photograph (hubby loves scones). We steeped a pot of Devonshire Tea, opened the tiny jar of clotted cream and stirred its contents (a little separation occurs), and prepared our scenario for the photos. We worked fast, not because we were worried about the food or tea degrading, but because it was all so tempting. Click! Click! Ok, we’re done. Time to enjoy! (Actually, I was going to take a photo or two of the scones showing bites out of them, but they didn’t last long enough!)

All I can say here is that the inner “tea princess” in me is totally satisfied!

Melanie Pruitt wrote that U.S. tearooms serve either whipped cream or a combo of “sour cream with cream or mascarpone with whipped cream.” After tasting this clotted cream, admittedly not a true Devon Clotted Cream, I would find both of these to be pathetic substitutes. Some say that clotted cream tastes about halfway between butter and ice cream, but I have to disagree with this, too. It’s more of a taste halfway between butter and cream. Totally delicious!

By the way, there is a movement afoot to get “Devon Cream Tea” declared a protected name. I applaud this as one who thinks terminology matters. I don’t want to buy something labeled “tea” only to find that it contains no part of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Similarly, I don’t want to sit down in a tearoom for a Devon Cream Tea and get served scones with whipped cream or biscuits with honey.

There is also quite a controversy out there about the proper order for slathering on the jam and clotted cream. Apparently, in Cornwall, jam under the clotted cream is the accepted way. In Devon, though, it’s jam on top of the clotted cream, the method I chose for my teatime. However, I’m not going anywhere near the controversy over how to pronounce “scone” (use the “o” sound in “gone” or in “cone”). You can all duke it out between yourselves. (Ever seen the movie “A Storm in a Teacup”? How about “Gulliver’s Travels” where a war was being waged over whether to open a soft-boiled egg at the small or large end? People can argue over some of the most seemingly inane things.)

I also want to add that Devonshire Tea showed itself to be the perfect tea for this Yank’s cream tea. Yum!

Interesting fact: “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) takes place in Devon.